After a bit of a scramble to return the hire car (these places always seem to be in obscure streets amid copious one way systems like they don't want you to return their cars) we duly got our train from Bordeaux to Paris. And checked into our nice hotel - very satisfactory rooms.
But having arrived late afternoon we thought we might wander off and find a wine bar. Surely not a problem in Paris. Thibault had his list and off we went. Only to find two of his carefully selected and well reviewed bars had stopped serving wine and just become wine shops. Which was a little frustrating. But after a while, we managed to find somewhere that was actually willing to take our money!
And we very much enjoyed this wine!
For dinner we hit an unassuming Vietnamese restaurant
The we went for a stroll along the Seine.
This is what is left of Notre Dame
But the highlight was at night when we managed to meet up with the American couple we had first encountered in St Emilion. This was just the nicest night (and early morning - we finished off at about 3am). The bar was perfect, the owner a true eccentric who obviously just enjoyed running a bar and chatting to customers. He was very friendly and accommodating and we got through a lot of wine. And some spirits, and some beers. Here he is holding court between the said American couple, Pooja and Mike.
Oh and in addition to the wine we had a little extra bite to eat, including the most delicious goat's cheese Thibault and I have ever tasted. The alcohol might have blurred our judgment, but I don't think so. It was that good. And the combination of cheese, wine, good company and especially people you are just getting to know, meant the hours just flew by. Maybe not an early start tomorrow....
