Our one-day assault on Manchester took its toll and we felt pretty whacked. When we finally lifted our tired heads it was late morning, the sky was clear, the sun was shining and we certainly felt better prepared to face what the city offers on this lovely Spring day. We had a crepe at the tiny creperie around the corner. The lady recognised us from the other night when we called by looking more like a pair of half drowned rats. The shop is only small, but they make the best crepes. Despite what we have heard of others’ stories of surly French waiters and bad service, we have never been disappointed. People have been very friendly and patient with our attempted Francaise.

We wandered down to the Ile De la Cite which houses among other things, the Notre Dame, hoping to find the Cite Metro station that would take us to Montparnasse, where we had in mind visiting its eponymous tower for its expansive views of Paris. We stumbled across a plaza full of flower stalls, pots and all sorts of interesting and wallet-emptying bric a brac. We bought some odds and ends and made firm friends with the lady who ran one of the little shops. We are slowly but surely adding volume and weight to our luggage. Still, we have plans to cull some older bits of the holiday wardrobe. I think my trousers will just about walk by themselves.

We were just about next to Saint Chapelle, a beautiful thirteenth century chapel built to house the original crown of thorns and a fragment of the Cross. True. It is a truly magnificent little building with stunning stained glass windows which tell the whole biblical story from Genesis to the Resurrection. Sadly, we did not get to see the relics which are now apparently secured in vaults of the Notre Dame.

The Paris Metro is a great way to move around the city, though some of stations are extremely large and tricky to escape from. Montparnasse in particular is difficult to negotiate, but we eventually found ourselves on the street, and adjacent to the 59 storey Montparnasse Tower. We have been told that the best thing about the views from the tower is that it is the only place where it cannot be seen. Well, despite its aesthetic shortcomings the views from the top of the building were breathtaking, even if the thick glass protective panels mitigated against the perfect camera shot.

We had no right to feel weary, but we both felt the need to have a rest, so found a nearby Metro station from which we could retrace our steps to our comfortable apartment. Suitably rested and having attended to our low blood-caffeine levels, we decided on a circumnavigation of our Ile St Louis. There is a path that runs along the river bank, most of the way, and it gave some lovely views of the river and bridges. There was the odd homeless person getting in early to find the best spot for a night’s rest, some young folk settling down to some bottles of wine, groups of young people in either happy or in earnest conversations, students reading textbooks and the odd academic-looking type marking papers, reading Le Monde or tackling a crossword. This side of the city certainly has a different feel to the Right Bank with its elegant and ritzy stores.

Completing our circumnavigation, we took a seat at the corner brasserie for bowls of soup, some crusty bread and a glass of wine. It was tasty soup and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. By this time the sun was dipping low beyond the Notre Dame spire, so we strolled back home for an early night, catch up with some laundry and organisation in preparation of our return home on the weekend.

A trip to Paris without a visit to the Louvre is incomplete, so that will be tomorrow. There is no way we can cover all that the museum has to offer – that would take something like a couple of years. To be honest I will be content to at last see the Mona Lisa.

neeThe dream of a lifetime.