Paris – Day 17

Today we were expecting rain again so when we woke up to blue skies we thought it was a bonus. We had our brekky and packed our backpack and started the walk to the 1^st stop of the Montmartre bus route. The first stop is a bit of a walk, just near the Louvre and it took us a little while because we kept getting lost. There are so many intersections in Paris where there is 6 or 7 streets shooting off in all directions so it is very easy to get disorientated. We finally get to our bus stop and get on the bus. We jump off at the stop just past the Moulin Rouge so we can take the walk to the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur. Even though we have done this before it is a great walk up the stairs to this amazing church. The queue to the church is huge so we continue on to Montmartre to get some lunch. We wander around for a while and decide to eat at one of the restaurants and we take a seat outside. The tables are separated so we rearrange the joint to suit ourselves and then we have a look at the menu. We notice a 330ml (or as they show it in Europe 33cl) can of lemonade is €3.90 (AUD$5.60) and the food prices reflect the lemonade prices. We pack up our stuff and leave thinking this is ridiculous. No can of lemonade is worth $5.60. We head down the road and by a couple of made up baguettes and some water and eat it on the curb like poor people. Just as we start, out of nowhere, it starts to rain....hard, so here we are trying to eat our lunch up against a wall for shelter with our umbrellas up. Had we not been so cheap we would have been toasty warm in that restaurant. After we’ve eaten we decide to bight the bullet and purchase some raincoats. We have seen some people getting about in these cheap nerdy raincoats for a couple of days now so we buy 2, one for Kris and one for me. As we exit the shop the sun comes back out and we don’t need them. We continue on back down to the Sacré-Cœur and we pass a guy near the entrance roasting peanuts in some sort of sugary syrup stuff and we can’t resist, the smell was too much. We buy a bag for €5 and scoff the lot. We head inside and look around for a while and when we come out it’s raining again. We battle the rain for a little while until we decide it’s time to put the nerdy raincoats on. Just as we get them out the sun comes out again. I’m starting to think these raincoats are some sort of secret weapon against the nasty weather. We keep walking and head down the street that takes us back to our bus and we jump on and continue the route. Along the way Mia spots a beggar with a difference on the other side of the road, he has his cup on the end of a fishing pole. From the top deck of the bus I start taking some snap shots of him and he spots me. He starts yelling out to me and motioning for me to throw money into the cup. I motion back to him that if he’s fishing he should cast the cup into the bus so the guy gets up and starts walking through the traffic to get to me and he hoists his cup up to me. I had to give him something after that. When we get to the end of the route we decide to grab a coffee, something we have struggled with since being in Paris. We walk into the closest cafe and the waiter shows us to a seat. We sit down and check out the menu and the first thing we see is lemonade at €6.50 (AUD$9.30) for 330ml can! And an orange juice was €7 (10 bucks). Now I don’t care where you come from, that is taking the piss!!! So, we walk out. We start walking to a bus stop at the Place de la Concorde because we want to go back up the Champs Elysees, 1) because we love it, and 2) because they play this song in the head phones that has got stuck in all of our heads and we love it. We actually found a wind-up music box in Montmartre for €9 that plays the exact same song, The Champs Elysees, so we bought it. Anyway, we jump on the bus and turn the corner into the Champs Elysees; the song blaring in our ears and bang, the driver has crunched a car next to him. They pull over and there seems to be a commotion between the bus driver and the driver of the car but we don’t care because we are all singing the song like nerds. A woman eventually comes up to the top deck of the bus and tells us we need to transfer buses. Luckily one was not far behind us and we jump on and continue singing. As we get further along the route it starts raining again but this time our secret weapon is powerless and we look at each other and........oh no, we have to actually PUT THEM ON! We looked like nerds, but we were dry. We complete this route back at the stop closest to our apartment and we jumped off and walked home collecting the usually bread, groceries etc on the way. We have some dinner with the idea of heading back out after dinner to check out some of Paris by night. We head out about 7:15 and its blue skies again even though half an hour earlier it was pouring. We walk past the Mairie de Paris which is on the way to the Notre Dame area. I take a few photos and we continue walking over the Seine toward the Notre Dame. As we do it starts to rain....again and hard and it’s freezing. We are right next to a coffee shop so, we stop for a coffee. The waiter shows us to a table and gives us a menu. We have a look......€6.90 FOR A COFFEE!!! These idiots don’t even know how to make coffee. It is pouring outside but I aint paying no €6.90 for a coffee so........we walk out. We wander back home the long way and Paris is dead. The rain must have driven people away because it’s only 8:45 and most restaurants are closed or packing up. We stop in at the supermarket and grab a box of 4 magnum ice creams and a family bag of M&M’s, all for the grand total of €6.65. Yay, now that’s more like it and at that price the magnum tasted even better.

Our beggar walking through the traffic

After he has his collection

***BEEP BEEP BEEP "NERD ALERT, NERD ALERT" BEEP BEEP BEEP***
(The one on the left of course....the guy on the right looks cool!)