New Vocabulary

Two terms I've learned since our arrival here intersected today: la grisaille (dull, gray skies that hang over Paris) and jour férié (public holiday). We woke up this morning to the former and soon realized (upon finding that our favorite bakery was closed) that it was also the latter. So, what to do on a cold gray day when all the free public museums and many shops are closed? Follow Rick Steves' advice and view Paris from the warmth and comfort of a city bus! It turns out that there's a bus stop directly in front of our building with four different routes to choose from. For today's adventure, the choice was easy: route 63 to Trocadéro, then transfer to route 69 to Père Lachaise Cemetery. The first bus dropped us off at the Palais de Chaillot, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The gray skies were a perfect backdrop for photographing Paris' most famous landmark, and the cool weather kept the crowds at a reasonable level. We found an empty bench in the park near the Champ de Mars and ate our sandwiches; then we hopped on the #69 bus and headed to Père Lachaise. Steve took many photos along the way, beginning with the Pont Alexandre:
We saw the Grand Palais in the distance as we crossed over to the Right Bank:


On the way to Père Lachaise, we passed the bouqinistes along the Seine:


And the Conciergerie stood out as we cruised along: