Tuesday 8th September 2015

The starts cloudy with sun, cool (15C), but, by 10:00, the cloud has cleared and we have 19C.

Good weather for city visiting.

We are now so expert at riding the RER into Paris, we can do it without even thinking.

We have a little plan, this involves a stroll down the Champs Elleyses, visit Les Invalides, visit Tuileries Gardens and, find a Louis Vuitton shop, which Brian wishes to visit to treat himself to some expensive item.

We get off the train at Charles De Gaulle Etoille, and stroll along the Champs Elleyses, soon, Kathleen and Linda disappear in Marks and Spencer.


A stroll around a very smart arcade, which contains an odd mix of shops, half are so expensive, we could not possibly shop there, the other half are selling cheap tourist tat, which we would not want to buy.

Very attractive arcade however.

It is not long before a toilet stop is needed, the girls find a very posh loo, but, are horrified to find it costs 2 Euro EACH, to, as it were, spend a penny.

The Louis Vuitton shop in Champs Elleyses have kindly furnished Brian with a map, all nicely contained in a cardboard wallet embossed with their logo.

Following the map, we cross the river and head for Les Invalides.

Our destination is behind Les Invalides, so, the plan is, after negotiating security at Les Invalides, to walk through Les Invalides, emerging on the other side.

Alas, it would appear, you cannot simply "walk through", so, we walk around the outside of the building, and soon, we We find the Louis Vuitton shop.

The shop is located within a building called Bon Marche, which has security at the door, complete with metal detector, and, houses several well known "designer label" outlets.

This causes Kathleen some amusement, since, in the UK, "Bon Marche" is associated with a rather down market shop for elderly ladies.

This is no ordinary shopping outlet, and, accordingly, being served, is a time consuming process, but, we eventually emerge, business concluded, Brian, is now the proud owner of a wallet which is worth more than the money inside it.

The area we are in appears to be quite upmarket, but, lacking the "tourist" feel, we are, on the edge of the "Rive Gauche" area, and find a very pleasant, and, it would appear very authentic "Salon de The".

Here, we enter into the French way, and spend two and a half hours having a rather pleasant lunch of Gallettes, followed by ice cream, and coffee.

We wend our way back to the RER station, via Jardin Tuileries.