Je suis desolee. We were at Pont Neuf at 11am this morning, primed and ready for the Armistice Day flyover with jets trailing red, white and blue smoke - but it did not happen. Or if it did, we did not see it or hear it. When I checked with our concierge just in case it happened at another time, he said, no, and had it happened the jets would have flown down the Seine and we would have heard them even from the hotel. Ah well, as they say, the best laid plans ...
At least we were able to do some people watching at Pont Neuf as we waited. It was a shame the book-sellers at the side of the street (along the Seine) weren't operating as we could have had a look there too. Still, it was lovely to be out in the nice fresh air - enjoying the very light drizzle and mist - or mizzle as one of our mates started calling it when we experienced similar conditions while we were on the boat.
On the way back from the bridge we called in to Eric Kayser and procured a sandwich for Sooz's lunch - lest it be too late for lunch by the time I arrived back from the Paris Zoo. Yes, today was Zoo Day and while I didn't plan to stay until closing time (5pm) I wasn't sure how long I'd be. One of the animals on my list to see was the sloth - and we all know how slowly they move. Except they don't!
I don't know if I was just lucky enough to see one while it was on a mission but certainly it was moving fast enough that you could see it was. One of them at least - the other one, which I hadn't even recognised as a sloth when I saw it at first (and took a photograph) had wedged itself between a tree branch and trunk and seemed to be having a good rest.
I knew the Zoo had one sloth but it wasn't until I asked a keeper in the enclosed Amazonian area that I found out that they have two. One of them is an enclosure with monkeys and the other is 'in the architecture' somewhere, free to explore where it wants. Who realised it would also be in with the monkeys?
I like the Zoo - it's not as spacious and doesn't have as many animals as other zoos I've been to but I love the areas for the marine animals and the enclosure for the warm-climate animals.
I don't know how but I missed a complete area of the zoo - with the meerkats, wolves and vultures and - noooooo - the pink flamingoes. There's still time to go back and I may, especially as the Museum of Natural History (also on my list) is within a couple of minutes of the Zoo.
After the Zoo, while I was thinking about where to call a Bolt to get back to the hotel, I noticed a lake nearby - and white swans. Well, I had to go over and have a look and take some photographs. Then it really was time to go back to the hotel, especially as I'd missed lunch - so back in Saint Germaine, I stopped at Aux Merveilleux de Fred which is at the bottom of the block our hotel is on, and joined the queue (there is always a queue) for a raisin brioche. I didn't ask for it by name because it didn't have a tag in the window, but I took a photo of it to show Madam who was serving. That worked well and Sooz and I had some with coffee for afternoon tea.
Dinner was at Cafe Jade a couple of hours later - Fish'n'Chips for Sooz and a Wok de Bouef for me, followed by French Fruit Salad (Sooz) and Creme Brulee (moi). Yum.
We haven't turned on the television tonight - Sooz has been reading and I've been re-watching 'San Andreas' as I sort through today's 1000+ photos. Have to love a visit to the Zoo.