I was up again at around 0800 and the day was beautiful with clear blue skies, if only I had this weather yesterday I thought to myself? I went downstairs for breakfast which this time was in the more elegant dining room this morning, I assume because it was mid week and that the weekend staff were now supplemented with more members to be able to serve on tables with proper linen cloths. I thought this a bit shoddy to have provided second rate service on weekends as if travellers only travel on weekdays, I guess because this is France the employees rule and the customers are well just customers- a nuisance.
After breakfast and because Versailles is closed on Mondays I decided to take the train into Paris and spend the day strolling around the centre of Paris. I took the RER line C to St. Michel near Notre Dame and started a slow walk in the warm Parisian summer. I headed along the river Seine towards La Louvre and followed path through the Jardin des Tuileries and past the Place de la Concorde and on to Champs-Élysées. It was a long walk but a fitting end to my road trip. I had not expected to visit Paris on this trip but having an extra free day it was a real bonus and the comfortable weather just made it a great time to reflect on all the places I had visited. The first stop at Strasbourg seemed an age away and the subsequent stops in Burgundy and Cannes all seemed a long time ago. As I reached the Champs-Élysées I felt needed a light snack as it was around 1400. The cafes on the Champs-Élysées were ridiculously expensive, with coke at 8 euros - the same price as at the Carlton hotel beach bar in Cannes! So I turned left of one of the side roads and found a nice quiet cafe and had a salad chèvre and coke for 15 euro. After lunch I continued on to the Eiffel Tower by which time I was getting tired so I took the metro to St Germain and strolled around browsing the shops and restaurants looking for a bar to have a nice glass of wine and watch the people passing by. At 1800 I was sat in a bar having a glass of Sancerre and relaxing my poor feet which I had started to become aware of after my long walk.
It was now time to find a place for dinner as I need to eat before catching the train back to Versailles. I walked along the small lanes around Place St Michel, and found a nice alp style restaurant on the edge of the concentration of restaurants in this area. I sat outside and had the fixed price menu for 17 euro. Half way through my meal a street busker start playing his electric guitar a few blocks away which stung my ears and he continued through most of my meal but it did not stop me enjoying eating outside in this atmospheric place. After dinner I strolled some more stopping for another drink in a small Cuban themed bar, I watched the people as they passed in front of the bar. As they passed some would look in and hesitate whether to come in, others would sometimes start to a little Salsa dance as they past and heard the Cuban music from the bar but all were just calmly promenading through this wonderful area and being completely relaxed. After this calming and enjoyable experience I caught the last train back to Versailles around 2300. I had a nice ride home on a RER train carriage whose interior was painted in the style of Louis XIV to match the train’s destination and the lateness meant there were few other travellers, on arrival I had a lovely walk in the warm midnight air across Versailles to my hotel. I was in bed by just gone midnight.