Travels with Martina Day 8 Part 2 - An evening cruise down the Seine on Bateaux Mouches

While the Seine is famous as the river that winds its way across Paris, in reality it is,
at 777  kilometres long, the second longest river in France and one of the major waterways
of Europe.   While it may take some difficulty to sail down the entire length of the river, 
a short cruise down the Seine is one of Paris' more worthwhile "tourist traps". 
You have to do it at least once.
   

Since it was Martina and Tsirol's first visit -- we did the Seine River Cruise of Bateaux Mouches.

There are different cruises to choose from ... lunch, cocktail, dinner and and dancing cruises.  

Most are expensive and except for the usual overpriced tourist meal, you see the same
views anyway. 
We opted for the no-frills 70 minute cruise and chose an 8:30 p.m. sailing time. 
In summer, the sun sets past 9 p.m. and we wanted to see the Eiffel Tower lit up against a dark sky.

The boats are parked at the Bateaux Mouches'  dock by the Pont de l' Alma.  It turns around and heads the other direction, going towards Notre Dame and passing through seven bridges along the Seine.  

It was a gorgeous summer evening -- the heat had dissipated and it was nice and breezy on the open deck.  While there were many tourists taking the cruise, the boats are big enough that you can claim your own little corner where you can  watch Paris go by.

I felt a slight pang of regret as we passed by the Musee d'Orsay.  It was not on our itinerary for 

this trip as we thought  Martina may not enjoy spending too much time inside museums.  

For me though, this a must see when you go to Paris -- I find it much more manageable 

than the Louvre.

Speaking of which -- across the Musee d'Orsay on the right bank is the venerable Louvre, perhaps 

the most well known museum in the world.  The Pont du Carrousel which spans the Seine links the two great museums to each other. 

Our boat glides slowly towards Pont au Change, in the distance you can catch a glimpse of 

the  Notre Dame.  Look, my initials are carved on the bridge! 

Sunset softened the outlines of the Cathedral -- even with the damage from the fire, it stood 

majestic and graceful in the fading light.  Just beyond Notre Dame, the boat would make a 

u-turn back towards the Bateaux Mouches dock.

As the boat headed towards Pont de l'Alma I looked back at Place Louis Aragon, 

the northern tip of Ile Saint-Louis, one of two natural islands on the Seine (the other 

one is the slightly larger Ile de la Cite on which the Notre Dame stands).    

Place Louis Aragon was crammed with tourists.   Many were  picnicking - wine glasses 

were raised to us in various toasts.  

Jay and I usually walked here during our previous visits -- in the winter,  it's very cold and 

no one is hardly ever around.  It's a good place to sit and enjoy a view of the Seine.

We would have wanted to take a photo with the pilot but he was too busy steering!

So many riverboats of all sizes line the banks of the Seine.  Some are restaurants or cafe/bars  and there are even  houseboats for rent.  Imagine spending your vacation on a boat and waking up 

on this lovely river every morning! 

We spied the Eiffel Tower in the distance and oh no! It was still unlit and it was almost 10 p.m.  

Would Martina get a chance to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower?  

Perhaps we should have opted for a later sailing time, but then we would not have seen the 

landmarks on the right and left banks.

The boat passed the Tower before it turned around again to park.  

And yes, finally just as we passed it, the lights turned on! Merci boucoup, M. Eiffel!

We disembarked and walked back towards the Alma Marceau metro stop that would whisk us back 

to the apartment.  It had been a most pleasant evening with Bateaux Mouches -- 

after all, what better way to spend a summer evening than to take a boat down the Seine?

Oops, one last stop before we headed home.  The crepe kiosk was doing  brisk business selling sweet crepes -- butter, sugar and chocolate.  It made a tasty and quintessentially French midnight snack!

Traveling with Kids Tip #8A

When bringing kids to a place for the first time, let them try the  iconic experiences.  

What may be a "tourist trap" for you, as a frequent traveler,  may very well be exciting and 

unique for the child who is seeing it and enjoying it for the very first time.