France 2008

Paris, 8-14 July

		On the Wednesday, we walked through the Tuileries, with its fountains ... *
		Ferris wheel ... *
		people renting toy boats ... *
		ice cream sellers ... *
		and people doing nothing at all. *
		*
		There were decorations on one of the entrances to Palais Royal Musée du Louvre Métro station. *
		We went into the courtyard of Palais Royale ... *
		and then into the tree-lined area beyond ... *
		with its colonnaded arcade of shops. *
		We had dinner at Le Jules Verne restaurant, on Level 2 of the Eiffel Tower ... *
		with great views. *
		*
		On Thursday, we went first to La Défense, for another look at the Grand Arch. *
		*
		People on the steps of the Grand Arch. *
		Then to Parc de la Villette, where La Géode is a mirror-finished geodesic dome that holds an Omnimax theatre. *
		Our main reason for going to La Villette was to catch a boat that went slowly from there to the centre of Paris along the Canal St Martin. †
		One of the opening bridges along the way. *
		One of the locks and, beyond it, the entrance to the tunnel that carries the canal below Bastille. *
		Going through the tunnel. *
		The boat trip finished on the Seine near Notre-Dame. *

That's enough for one page. Onwards to Paris, Part 2.