Travelsmartplanet

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One of the things we love about travel is the unexpected sights. Walking to our hotel we came across this brave juggler. He is either very smart because he has a captured audience who get to watch him juggle on the crosswalk of a traffic light or he is very dumb because he could get run over.

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Heading down the Boulevard des Capuchines toward the Opera de Paris is still one of those OMG moments. It is way grander than you imagined.

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On a bateau mouche ride on the Seine you get a duck’s eye view of the city going under all those famous bridges, like this one, the Pont St-Michel. FYI there are 37 of them.

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Gustave Eiffel had an apartment in the tower to entertain guests. And you too can be wined and dined there. There are 2 restaurants and then a champagne bar at the top. We totally enjoyed our entire dining and viewing experience at Alain Ducasse’s Jules Verne, which garnered one Michelin star. Though a set menu, it allows tourists to experience a “starred” moment in this famous city with less than sky high prices (but still expensive). Starting May 2019, it will be managed by three-star chef  Frédéric Anton. Guess we’ll have to go again!

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First visit to the Eiffel Tower.

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The Eiffel Tower from the bottom up.

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Now surrounded by security fences, and an airport-like clearance entrance, some of the freedom, joy, or innocence of the her majesty is lost.

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The beauty of taking a Bateau Mouche ride on the Seine is the joy of going under so many famous bridges – and learning the history effortlessly as you go. This one is the Pont Alexandre III built between 1896 and 1900, the most ornate one and a Paris historical site. Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the Beaux-Arts style bridge. The exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses celebrate the Franco-Russian alliance enacted in 1892 by Tsar Alexander III. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. In the same political spirit, the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg was designed by Gustave Eiffel, and the first stone was laid in August 1897 by French president Félix Faure .

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To us, finding people living on houseboats was surprising. It does seem though, like an inexpensive and fun way to live in Paris.

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We thought we were taking a photo of a photo of a bride while on our Bateau Mouche ride on the Seine. However, when we examined the photo at home, we noticed the man in the left corner with his back to us. What do you think he was doing?