Bus tour with stops at the Trocadero and Notre Dame

Photo op at the Trocadero
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Our tour leader asked us to stay patient and flexible because travel with a large tour group was slow and difficult.  Luckily, today was about the only time on the trip that we had to heed his words.  Because we arrived so late the previous night, union rules on off-time for the bus drivers delayed the start of our bus tour.  We ended up blocking the sidewalk in front of our hotel for over an hour waiting for the buses to arrive.

Most of the short day was a bus drive-by tour of Paris highlights.  Remind me never to take a bus tour again--I much prefer walking around and into places of interest.  I didn't bother to take any photos.  Judging from other people's photos, the combination of dreary weather, dirty tinted windows, and bus movement ruined every shot.  Luckily we did make two stops.  The first was the Trocadero, across the Seine River from the Eiffel Tower.  It afforded us our first real photo-op of that landmark.  What I didn't realize until later, looking down from the second level of the Eiffel Tower, was what a large park the Trocadero was, with gardens and fountains.  All we saw was the Eiffel Tower and missed everything else--of course we only had 15 minutes for the stop.

Band group at the Notre Dame Cathedral
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The second stop at was the highlight of the day, the very crowded Notre Dame Cathedral.  Due to time constraints, we were asked if we wanted to climb to the top of the cathedral or take the bus for shopping at the Champs Elysees.  I opted to do the climb.  The view of the Seine River and the famous gargoyle statues made the climb through the claustrophobic winding staircase worthwhile.  By the time I entered the Cathedral it was getting dark outside so the stain-glass windows weren't visible.  Probably didn't make much difference due to the dreary weather.  However, the interior of the  Cathedral, lit by numerous candles, was stunning.  By the time we left Notre Dame Cathedral, it was dark and I am amazed that we did not lose anyone.  Those who went shopping told a sad tale of sitting on the bus the entire time, stuck in heavy traffic.  The first day didn't go smoothly but we did stay patient and flexible. The day ended with a group dinner in a nearby restaurant (yes, we went in multiple shifts).  A quick walk down the street took us to the Moulin Rouge for photos, and we returned to the hotel, exhausted.