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Today I was ready to be impressed by Paris as last time I was here in 2011 it was rainy & miserable plus I was on a tight budget in an expensive city. Our first stop on the tourist circuit was Montmarte & Sacre coeur. From the metro it was a short walk up through a narrow street heaving with tacky souvenir shops at the top of which the white domes of Sacre Coeur watched over Paris & hundreds of tourists. We took the funicular up to the top- a very short ride, not nearly as exciting as the one in Santiago. A quick look around & our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower through the trees & we headed downhill, then seemingly around in circles to reach Place de Tetre where artists convinced tourists to have their sketch done at premium prices. In search of a reasonably priced coffee & some lunch we took the metro to find the Marais area where we settled on a little Italian restaurant in a quiet square. For €12 we helped ourselves to the antipasti buffet & ordered a pasta each. For €5 however I got a small, average tasting Cappuccino which will have me buying instant at the supermarket tonight! After lunch we walked to the Pompidou building with its inside out design, then in contrast the Hotel de Ville which exudes grandeur & history. Continuing our historical tour we crossed the Seine & joined the hive of tourists at Notre Dame but decided not to join the mile long queue to view the inside or climb to the top. Touring Paris most certainly goes hand in hand with VERY long queues! Before joining our next queue for the Louvre we rested our weary feet with a drink stop at a typically French style bar with old men smoking cigars on the 'Terresse' & the barman mixing exotic drinks. It was intriguing people watching territory but it was soon time to get arty & cultural at the Louvre. After only a reasonable 30min wait we were soon wandering the grand galleries & opulent rooms of the Louvre. Both of us agreed that the building & interior decoration was far more impressive than the repetitive paintings of people adorning wall after wall. We of course viewed the obligatory Mona Lisa & Venus De Milo but after 2 hours of endless corridors & crowds we were more than ready to leave & find the metro back to our flat. At Nation we settled on trying some French Fast food in the form of hamburger chain 'Quick'. It wasn't really up to the standard of normal French food. After such a big day of exploring we were both happy to relax at the flat & get an early nights sleep so we could continue our Paris experience tomorrow. So far I was most certainly beginning to enjoy Paris.
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