Fulfilling a promise

The morning after the night before and while we were still smarting from the injustice of the penalty decision (an injustice most neutral commentators also felt!) we put it behind us and determined to enjoy our day. We all met up for breakfast in the Bar du Marché and over a relaxed meal formulated a plan. Our friend Pete had promised to send his grandchildren a photo of himself by the Eiffel Tower and to buy them miniature towers, so we all agreed to accompany him on this mission.

We took the Metro to Champs Elysées Clemenceau and walked down to the river and across the Pont Alexandre III, taking photos of the view at various points.

On the far side we strolled through the pleasant neighbourhood between Les Invalides and the tower, stopping off for a coffee. There were Christmas decorations in many of the shops and strung across the street above our heads. And we had tantalising glimpses of our destination in the distance.

When we reached the Champs de Mars we found it in a degree of chaos, being made over ahead of next year's Olympic Games. But we got our photos, Pete included, and walked past the tower to the river. It’s many years since I’ve been in this part of Paris, despite our frequent visits in recent years, so I had to capture the Eiffel Tower from a variety of angles, including one with the countdown to this summer’s Olympic Games.

We had thought about getting the Batobus but it was expensive for a short ride so instead we decided to stay in this area for lunch. We stopped to take some photos of the strikingly modern Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Cathédrale de la Sainte-Trinité.

We found a good lunch, sharing some pizzas in the Trattoria Dell'Angelo on the Avenue Rapp, before taking the RER back to Saint Michel. We strolled along the Rue Saint André des Arts, stopping off for a drink part way. Chris and I then went back to the hotel while some of the others visited the Christmas Market on the Boulevard Saint Germain.

In the evening we had a drink in the bar in the Place Saint Sulpice and then a good last dinner together in a restaurant near our hotel, Paris Paris. The service was very friendly, so we stayed on for another bottle of wine before heading back to the hotel and to bed.