Sunday 9 October: Paris

After breakfast at the hotel, we went for a walk across the Seine to the Samaritane department store, which is supposed to have wonderful views over the city. We didn't really expect it to be open on Sunday, but in fact the whole thing is closed for the duration for refitting "for security".

Later in the morning Nikonian Jacques Pochoy met us at the hotel, and we walked back to his place via the excellent photography exhibition at Jardine Luxembourg. Jacques is an excellent host, and gave us a wonderful commentary on the various streets and public buildings we passed. At his flat we met Jacques' beautiful wife Sophie, and we all went to the local Chinese restaurant for a superb lunch.

Over lunch we solved the problems of the world, then we came back to the hotel for a brief rest.

Later on we walked along the Seine to Notre Dame cathedral and had a good look inside. There was a mass in progress, with the choir singing and the organ playing - magnificent. Notre Dame seems to have achieved the fine balance between the desire of people to see the place, and the need for reverence and respect as a house of prayer.

We then wandered through the Marais district - an old quarter of Paris with lots of cafes and bars, street entertainment and fine old houses. By this time it was getting late. We were still full from lunch so bought some fruit for a very light dinner and headed back to du Quay Voltaire. After a poor initial impression we have grown to like the hotel. It's clean, the bed is comfortable, the staff are friendly and it's very central to many of the attractions - we don't really need much more.