Les Grandes Magasins

Last night we wandered down past the posh Hotel de Louvre to a set of restaurants that we walked past in the afternoon. It was quite good food at a good rate of E20 for a steak. The entire wine list was over E20 per bottle but the one we had was quite good at E22. It was full of tourists with accents we recognized from Oz, Japan, UK, and Holland. The Pom on the next table somehow managed to get his mozzarella wrapped around his specs as it went from the plate to his mouth! The Dutch were in fits of laughter.

After dinner we strolled past the Louvre and onto a bridge over the Seine to get a feel for Paris at night. The buildings are set to light with typical french style.

Today saw us off to the shops! We strolled up the Rue de la Opera to find the famous "Galeries Lafayette". We overshot the street we needed, but stumbled upon one department store called "Printemps". Dave recalled reading about a panoramic viewing platform at the top of the building, so we decided to enter the premises. The store reminded me of Myer in Melbourne, where the cosmetic counters seem to go forever! No time to stop in this section, as it was some new clothes I was after! After strolling through two floors of womens clothing, Dave decided to park himself on a chair whilst I kept perusing. Did not buy anything here.

We then decided to make our way to the viewing platform.

The view just took our breaths away. There were only a handful of people up here, so I think this must be one of the secret tourist destinations. I would recommend this place to anyone coming to Paris!

View from the 9th floor rooftop cafe of Printemps, an upmarket department store. It was a grey day as you can see from the photo. The sun came out in the arvo but at least it didn't rain.

Picnic lunch in the 9th Arrondisement.

After our lunch, more shopping was in order, so we decided to find "Galeries Lafayette".

Well, if you think David Jones, Melbourne is wonderful, you need to check this out! No words can desribe the amazing decor!

In The Galleries Lafayette there is this magnificent dome designed by Gustave Eiffel, the same guy who apparently built a well known tower somewhere.

After a hard days shopping, the bounty has to be lugged home. I think we spent more money on Dave than me today! He has some really Nice gear.

Tonight we are off to a dinner cruise along the Seine. It is meant to be spectacular. Given what we have seen of this city so far I have no doubt it will be memorable.

Note: This was written by both Dave and Kate, so the "I" could be either of us! See if you can guess who!