3. Bonjour Paris

25 July 2025

We wake up to a bright and sunny morning in Paris. Our hotel, Holiday Inn Opera Grandis, is centrally located and is about a ten minute walk from the magnificent Opera House, where phantoms may swing on chandeliers when they are not roaming through the tunnels beneath the building. Unfortunately, we do not see phantoms during our quick sojourn in here.

Despite yesterday's long flight and latish arrival in Paris, we are wired up and ready to tackle the popular sites of the city from the top of a Hop-on-Hop-off (HOHO) bus. Just behind the Opera House, ticket sellers are advertising their brand of HOHO tour and we eventually opt for the TOOTBUS, purchasing a ticket to use today and a night tour ticket, which travels the same route in the evening, but without the ability to hop off.

It doesn't take long to find the nearest bus stop and before long we are all sitting on the top level enjoying the sunshine, sights, and corny commentary. Although we opt to remain on the bus for the entire route, we enjoy looking at the old buildings from our elevated vantage point. Our first stop is at the Louvre Museum, where hundreds of people are milling around the iconic glass pyramid in the forecourt of the impressive building. I did think I would see the Mona Lisa when I was in Paris in January 2023, but like today, there are time constraints, so it will have to wait until the next visit.

We pass Notre Dame, which has reopened recently after the devastating fire that almost destroyed it in 2018. It is only mid-morning on our first day, but already I am lamenting the lack of time we will have and that we simply will not be able to spend a significant time in these sites during our two-day whirlwind visit. After gliding past the Sorbonne, Orsay Museum, and Place de Concorde, we make our way down the Champs Elysée, where the parkland on each side of the wide boulevard is being prepared for Sunday's climactic finish of the Tour de France. Rows and rows of bleacher seats have been erected behind barriers and workmen are busy putting the temporary buildings together that would eventually house restaurants, VIP areas, and the stage where the winners will stand to accept their prizes. We continue along the road where a huge silver Louis Vuitton suitcase is prominently encasing the flagship store. In the middle of the street, in the centre of a huge roundabout is the Arc de Triomphe. Although we are not able to fully appreciate the planning genius of this part of Paris, where the Arc de Triomphe sits in the centre of twelve radiating streets, we are amazed at the bold and patriotic monument that honours the French who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

Before long, I catch site of another of Paris' iconic sites, the Eiffel Tower, the 300-metre tower, which was completed in 1889 for the World's Fair. It doesn't matter how many times I see the Eiffel Tower, I feel a sense of awe. I had intended going up into the tower this time, but again, time constraints have prevented this from happening. I must organise a week or two to spend here sometime in the future to do the things I have promised myself over the years. As we pass right beside the tower, I somehow snap a distorted view of it, which will be my 'fun' photo of the trip. The tour continues, past the Palace des Invalides and Grand Palais, but those places pale against the others seen today.

After a large lunch at Grand Café Capucines during which we discuss and decide what we are doing for the rest of the day and evening, we walk slowly back to the hotel, catching sight of Sacre Coeur boldly dominating the end of a side street. It looks very close, but looks are deceiving.

We set out in the early evening, Carolyn and Laraine in a cab, whilst Marianne and I walk to the bus stop, where we use our HOHO ticket that will take us just one stop away to the Louvre. Later on, we will return to this place to catch the night tour bus, but in the meantime, we find a small bistro, where we order wines and a charcuterie board to share. Over lunch and now for dinner, we have embraced the Parisian habit of eating at tables set up on the footpaths, and to be honest, it is a wonderful way to spend time absorbing the atmosphere of this amazing city. Despite its past reputation, Paris is spotlessly clean, devoid of graffiti and, in the area in which we are staying, appears to be very safe.

We make our way back to the bus stop to find a queue almost a mile long. As one Tootbus is filled, another one pulls up. The conductors and drivers only fill the open top unless anyone specifically asks to sit in the bottom level of the bus. Although we don't realise it, our tickets are marked for tomorrow night, but the conductor is happy to accommodate us for tonight's tour despite the long line of people waiting to embark the bus. Despite travelling the same route as today, the darkening twilight puts a different perspective on the tour. By the time we reach the Eiffel Tower, darkness has fallen and the tower is twinkling under thousands of lights that appear every night. The park below is filled with picnicking people who choose to sit close to the tower and enjoy the balmy evening. There is one last view, which is not included in the day trip, and that is the Moulin Rouge. Tonight bright red and white lights shine in the busy street filled with bars and the iconic nightclub.

And so, our day ends as it starts, on the top of a HOHO bus. And to be honest, I would not want it any other way. As we make our way back to the hotel, by taxi this time, I feel blessed to be in Paris with three friends, squeezing as much as we can out of a day.

Tomorrow is another day and another adventure, so stay tuned.

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