We had a two-day cruise to Le Havre and back to Southampton last week. At the last minute, I was able to join a crew tour to Paris. The bus ride was long, nearly two and a half hours, leaving us with just two and a half hours in Paris before we needed to return to the ship. Although my time there was brief, I had a fantastic day! I can’t wait to return to Paris.
Eiffel Tower
One of the other dancers and I tagged along with the sound tech from the theater. He was meeting a friend from high school that has been living in Paris for 7 years. It was great to have a local show us around!
Drop off point
We were dropped off near Invalides, and walked straight to the Eiffel Tower. The walk took only about 15 minutes. Although we were walking quickly, we were able to enjoy the sights along the way. In my travels, I’ve sometimes felt that certain landmarks and cities aren’t worth the hype. The Eiffel Tower, however, was even better than I expected!
Casual arabesque
We met our guide under the tower. She led us across the street to get better photos, and then we jumped in a cab to go to Notre Dame. While we were driving, she pointed out other important buildings and told us more about the city. We even drove through the tunnel where Princess Diana had her fatal accident.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame was beautiful, but seeing it made me wish I had my notes from Art History so I could fully appreciate all of the architectural details. We were already running out of time, so after taking a few pictures, we walked around to find lunch.
Near the cafe
We stopped at a café called Le Sainsev on a side street that our guide had been to before. My meal was delicious! I got 3 courses for just 12 euros. To start, I had mussels in a white wine sauce. My entrée was fish with a cream sauce. My dessert of chocolate mousse was too rich for me to finish! It was on of the best meals I’ve had in months.
Paris
By the time we paid our bill, we had to take another taxi to get back to our bus on time. It started raining as we were driving back to the ship, so the ride was longer than expected. After a busy day out, I napped the entire ride!
Invalides
My few hours in Paris were fantastic. I can’t wait to go back!
waltzing on water 
That’s what I call a fast trip in Paris. How lucky you had a guide. Yup, that is a city of Romance – in every way. How much longer are you on this tour? Seems to me you have done so much you must be nearly complete? ??
It was very fast, but confirmed my need to return! I’m about half way done with this contract now. There has been more variety in ports, so I’ve written more frequently than last contract! You are correct, I have done a lot already, but there is still much more to come!