Saturday 23 October Paris

We depart the hotel just after 09:00 in the company of Gyselle, our blue badge guide who is going to give us a guided tour of the city.
The traffic is light and it doesn't take long to see all of the sights.
Gyselle is very good and includes the Bastille and the Place de Vosges, two places you don't normally see on a guided tour.
The tour finishes at 11:30 in Concorde Square and we say goodbye to Gyselle.
The passengers now have a free afternoon to explore at their leisure. I will be back at 17:00 to take them back to the hotel and once again if anybody is not there at 17:00 I will presume they have done their own thing and make their own way back to the hotel.
Some of the group want to visit the Eifel Tower so I offer to take them and will park there for the afternoon.
We have a bit of rain, well quite a lot at one point, but it does stop and the rest of the afternoon is nice if a bit cold.
I go for a walk, which I think is one of lifes pleasures, to explore roads that are new to me. I can wander around for hours just looking at the buildings, shops and cafes soaking up the atmosphere of this fantastic city.
I find a lovely street, Rue de Cler, close to the Eifel Tower that is closed to traffic and has great shops and restaurants running its length. Most of the shops sell cheese, bread, produce or wine. Lovely.
There is one patisserie with cakes in the window for over €50!
What a great way to spend an afternoon.
Back at the coach most of the people I took to the Tower have been to the second and top stages.
We leave here at 16:15 and drive back to Concorde to wait until 17:00 before heading back to the hotel.
Once I have dropped off at the hotel I park in a nearby bus stop that was used last night by a couple of German coaches. No messing about tonight!
We are staying on a bed and breakfast basis so am going out to eat this evening.
A short walk over the Seine and you come to plenty of restaurants and bars.
I have a pint in the Big Ben pub which is where I saw Chelsea win the FA Cup against Man Utd in the first final at the new Wembley in 2007.
I was going to eat here but it is chips with everything and I fancy something more and after last night feel I deserve the treat!
I find a very popular Italian restaurant and enjoy one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time.
Am a lot happier this evening.