PARIS WAYMARK

On our return from our Moscow to St. Petersburg trip, via Volga River, we managed to swing 3 nights in Paris before returning to the US. Had a very nice, affordable stay at the Hotel la Bouronnaise on Avenue de la Bouronnaise less than a mile from the Eiffel Tower, walking distance. Per the time we had, we covered Paris rather well:  the Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre/D'Orsay museums - the Mona Lisa/Impressionist art resp, a Seine River on-off tour boat gig, the same for a double-deck tour-bus take of the city, shops of Rue Cler, and several hits on cutsy French sidewalk restaurants. The fare was expensive and 'ok.' Avoid the Paris Metro unless you like more walking than riding. We didn't make the Paris high point, "Rue du Telegraphe," but bagged a WayMark in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, one we had no idea of until we arrived there. This marker is aprx 50ft in front of the ND entrance. Once we learned it existed, we had to squirrel around till finally locating it amidst the huge crowd there. It's designated POINT ZERO/DES ROUTES DE PARIS, a.k.a. The Center of Paris or the city's street layout focal point on Ile da la Cite, an island in the Seine.

While our stay was time-compacted, we did it free-lance and enjoyed the challenge. In France, English is a 2nd language, we're told, but approaching the French, and others - foreign tourists as us, was a tad frustrating since they were as clueless as we.  At times it seems the French were playing dumb (often indifferent) in the midst of lucrative tourist revenue.  Links:  Paris   Ile da la Cite   Paris HP