Entries about paris

Today we leave for Rome. It is an early start, 5:30. The walk to the train is quiet and the air is fresh. The train is on time and we find seats together for our ride to Paris. Paris is a zoo. I guess it is rush hour at the Gare, but signs are well marked and we find our way on the metro to Gare Lazare where we find there is no luggage storage. We walk back one stop to Gare de Lyon and get rid of our stuff for the day.
We walk and walk and walk. We check out all the tourist sites.... the Eiffel Tower, the Champs d'elise, The Arc de Triumph, The Notre Dame Cathedral and the Obelisk. The city is preparing for the Bastille Day celebrations coming up. The one main road we walk along will be closed soon to cars and opened to walkers, bikers and rollerblades. One wonders where all those cars will go.
Traffic is entertaining. They move into the intersection as long as the light is green and then block traffic when it changes. The French use their horns way more than the Belgium’s and then are less likely to stop for pedestrians.
A lunch/breakfast in a nice little cafe sets us up for the day. We have our cheese and crusty baguette, Roger adds a bowl of tasty onion soup and both Roger and Tracy have their coffee. Without asking a carafe of warm water appears on the table. A snack along the walk back of a crepe with nutella keeps us energized. We finally find a grocery and stock up on fruit, cheese, crackers and wine for dinner on the train.
Along the Seine are many sellers of old books, movie posters, coasters, magnets and prints. Their wares are stored in great boxes that are attached to the stone railings along the river. Near to the Eiffel tower there are many sellers who are coloured. They carry their wares are have them on a cloth on the ground. Some calls Police and they grab cords that are attached to the corners of their cloths and their display becomes a bundle as the cords tighten and they walk away.
I am at times overwhelmed by the smell of urine. Washrooms are few and far between and cost 50 c. While one assumes that it is men who for the most part are peeing on the streets we also witnessed one family who had their child pee on the sidewalk.
Time to collect our bags and head to Gare De Bercy and catch our train. The door to our coach won't open, but we gain egress through the next car. It is a sleeper for three. One family must book them, and then the gender can be mixed otherwise only men or women occupy the sleeper. There is ample room for our luggage, a little cabinet with a sink and a travel pack for each passenger. It includes toilet seat covers, water, soap, and little paper slippers. Our beds are made up around 9:30 and we are quickly asleep and we sleep well.