Friday, October 11, 2019: Paris, Hotel Duc de Saint-Simon, Les Invalides

We had breakfast at the hotel (creamy scrambled eggs again). Before we checked out, I updated yesterday's blog. We checked out and requested a taxi to take us to our hotel in Paris. It was about an one hour drive and cost 75 Euros. We arrived at the Hotel Duc de Saint-Simon at about 1:00 pm. They said it would be about 10 minutes before our room was ready. 

The hotel is nicely situated. It is about a 15 minute walk to the Les Invalides and about 30 minutes to both the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame (in opposite directions).

The Hotel Duc de Saint-Simon. We are on the third floor and there is no elevator!

Our room, not very large

Looking out our window on the patio below

After we got into our room, the first order of business was to see where the nearest grocery/liquor store was located. We found a good one within a quarter mile. I got some gin and sugar free tonic and Stephen got some beer. We brought the stuff back to the hotel.

We decided to try to get over to the Les Invalides this afternoon. I purchased tickets on-line and we took off down Rue de Grenelle, which seems to be something of an embassy row. We passed the Swiss, Polish and Korean embassies.

It was a short walk to the Les Invalides. We could see the Eiffel Tower from there.

The Invalides is a huge place, filled with museums, churches, gardens and Napoleon's tomb. There were no crowds to speak of.

One could spend many days going through all the museums, but honestly, there are only so many muskets, suites of armor, swords, cannon and uniforms that one can absorb. We spent about three hours before calling it off.

We took in Napoleon's tomb.

Josephine's tomb

Foch's tomb

The garden at the back of Les Invalides

Heading back to the hotel, there was some sort of protest going on. It obviously was sanctioned since there were police in riot gear all around it.

The narrow stairway to our third floor room

Our third floor room

About 6:00 pm we decided to find some dinner. We had passed the Le Saint Germain Brasserie earlier and decided to give it a try.

Stephen had a beer and I had to try their Moscow Mule.

I talked Stephen in to trying the escargots. His first time. Unfortunately, he liked them a lot!

For the entree, Stephen order the cheeseburger and I got the beef tartare.

The Moscow Mule, not in a brass mug, but it was good

Escargot, small but very tasty

My second Mule

The tartare. It was tasty but not the best I've had

Le Saint Germain Brasserie

We have tickets for the Effiel Tower at 9:30 am tomorrow morning and the Louvre at 2:00 pm. Should be a busy day.