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We are leaving for our holidays in less than 10 days and I have yet to sort out our itinerary *stressed to the max*. I have the perfect excuse though ~ we were busy attending weddings (both Sat & Sun) for 2 consecutive weeks and it left us me very little time to sit down properly and research. This is the first free weekend since Nov & I'm determined to start dedicating more time on planning the trip instead of blogging, haha! I've decided to focus my energy for the next 2 hours (after this entry) to get 70% of the things sorted out. Ganbatte!
We decided to take a stroll from our apartment to the ferry terminal for the next activity ~ River Cruise along River Seine. It was around 10 min walk & relatively easy to navigate if you stayed on the main street.
Spotting the Eiffel Tower along the way! 
Bateaux Mouches translates literally as "fly boats" (fly meaning the insect), but the name comes from the gact that the boats were originally manufactured in boatyards situated in the Mouche area of Lyon. This is one of the biggest ferry terminal along River Seine.
Leecher purchasing tickets for the evening ride.
We bought tickets for the river cruise tour @
€12.50 per ticket. There are also options available for dining onboard (lunch or dinner), where you'll enjoy a lovely meal, accompanied with timeless French songs while cruising down River Seine.
While waiting for the next ferry to arrive :)
Getting ready to board!
There are 2 decks on this boat - one of them is enclosed (with heating & air-conditioning) with glass roof & sides. The other has an open deck, which enables passengers to take advantage of a 360 degrees view of the city. Since the weather was good that day, all of us hopped up to the upper deck.
Once most of the passengers are onboard, it was time to set sail :) Cameras all ready to start snapping away!
The cruise lasts around 1h 10 min, bringing us to several places of interest that you can see along the river bank. Starting with the Jetty, this overlooked the Eiffel Tower & provided a nice backdrop for us to take pictures before setting off.
I love going for river cruises, for it is the fastest way to explore the city. I still remembered the cruise we took in London ~ it was drizzling slightly when we departed from the dock. While the rest of the tourists headed down to the lower deck, I refused to bulge from my seat (on the upper deck) and "enjoyed" the view while seeking shelter from my small umbrella.
There are several cruise operators along River Seine & most of them offer the same route map. We went with Bateaux Mouches as they offered an open deck for a panoramic view :)
Grand Palais, where Chanel annually hosts many of their fashion shows, haha!
Pont Alexandre III, the most ornate and extravagant bridge in Paris. This bridge is classified as a historical monument. It was decorated with exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end.
We spotted several boat-homes along the river. I really wish to stay on-board a boat house one day!
One of the 2 clocks of the former Orsay station, now known as "Musee d'Orsay". Paris-Orleans was the name of the original railways company, where after nationalization of rail operators, the company became a property company.
Everyone snapping away!
Assemblee Nationale is the lower house of the Parliament of France, where the members are known as députés . My knowledge of french politics started when I was studying history on the french revolution. As I'm older, I pay more attention to our local political scene instead.
Need to sign off now to work on my travel itinerary. Have a great week everyone!
