6th July

We tried to visit the Pompidou Centre this morning.  It was always going to be a quick visit, to be finished before a trip to Versailles in the afternoon, but we hadn’t factored in the long queues. There was at least a one hr wait so in the end we changed our minds and hoped we might get back there in the evening.  Instead we decided to walk through the beautiful Louvre gardens with the stunning 12^th century palace as a backdrop, the Eye of Paris wheel, the pyramid in the forecourt and very comfortable chairs by the fountains.  We managed to find the best subway for this with the help of a local Parisienne woman who had been watching Eric studying the map and offered her recommendations.  She then guided him out of the correct subway exit and accompanied him all the way to the nearby gate.........  all to our amusement. He just can’t help himself.  Generally speaking though, we would have to say the people of Paris have left a much better impression on us this trip; they have all been very patient and most helpful. 

We then headed to subway station Pyramides and located the tour company we needed for the trip to Versailles, with time for lunch in a nearby cafe.  The trip, which only took about 45 mins, initially followed the Seine which was nice to track in daylight, and even included the tunnel where Di and Dodi met with their untimely deaths in ‘97.  When the palace was built Versailles was in the country but these days the urban spread of Paris means it is virtually a suburb only 20 kms from the centre. 

We spent 3 hours there, each focussing on areas of personal interest.  Eric really enjoyed the palace galleries having studied Louis XIV, the Sun King, at school.  Absolute opulence extraordinaire! I spent 2 of the hrs in the gardens.  When we were here in ‘86 the palace was closed for New Years Day and the gardens, while open, were covered in snow and nothing was flowering.  Today they are fabulous.  I’m amazed by the amount of maintenance and watering they must require but it is wonderful to see so many people enjoying the fountains, groves, formal French gardens, grand canal and statues.  And then there is the Trianon Garden Pavilion and Marie-Antoinette’s estate. There is too much to explore in one day but I managed quite a bit of it on foot before Eric and Sandy turned up in a tourist train.  I said I’d never be seen dead in one but I’m ready to sit down.  Don’t tell anyone.

It’s after 6pm when the bus returns and Sandy needs to make some bookings for the next few days and I am ready to rest so we agree to give the Pompidou Centre a miss.  On the very crowded subway home a woman warned Eric to be wary of the group of girls next to us who just managed to squeeze into the carriage before the doors shut.  We don’t know what alerted her but it wasn’t long before it became apparent that another passenger had had her bag opened in an attempt to pick pocket as everyone was being jostled to and fro with the movement of the train.  A snappily dressed businessman interrupted the action, so this time they were not successful and they got off at the next station, while he called the police and reported them on his mobile.  The girls would probably be well gone by the time they could respond but it was very fortunate we were not the targets this time.

Our last night in Paris and unfortunately I am feeling weary so we have an early night which is probably well over due.  Tomorrow we fly to Dubai at 3:30 pm.  The next leg.