Wednesday, September 7. Point Neuf Bridge. Walked towards the justice Ministry and discovered a substantial police/military presence. Had to detour to get past and reach the Conciergerie (historic palace and prison). Interesting tour, using newfangled devices which display on screen what we would be seeing centuries ago. New tech, old minds.

Next was the Saint-Chapelle (after more detouring). Amazing stain glass. As the “alternate” religious place to visit, very crowded.

Lunch within sight of Notre Dame. (I’m not sure which is more dangerous to pedestrians. Cars, which are big but makes a noise, or bikes/scooters, which are small but, with electrification, are silent and now move like bats out of Hell.)

Proceeded on a walking tour of significant sights and less significant life on the streets. Both extremes were fun to see. Began to rain, off and on. Wandered through parks which, for a Wednesday, seemed more busy than American equivalents. I had this thought that, centuries from now when Paris is in its cyclical decline, there will be more statues of people than actual people.

The Tower is the Tower. View not ideal due to clouds. More security than when I was here in 2018. We walked down. Strolled along the river (rain stopped). Walked down “Gucci/Armani/Dior” street. Got a subway ride back to the hotel. Had dinner at the same Italian restaurant we’d had lunch at yesterday. 26,000 steps.