Lundi - Boxing Day

Monday - our last day in Paris. Our first mission was to return the tad-too-tight jumpers. Luckily the little shop was open for business so after paying extra euro, Steve came out with a shirt and Michael a pair of cord trousers. Our first mission accomplished, I wanted to visit Palais Garnier so after arranging to meet the husbands at our designated lunch venue, Annie and I took off on the Metro. The day was overcast and drizzling, and very chilly of course, although we seemed to be acclimatising.
With only a little fuss, we found Palais Garnier and ascended the elegant staircase to view the stage from one of the private boxes. There was activity behind the closed curtains, possibly a rehearsal and/or stage setting for an upcoming performance.

After a quick tour of the gift shop, it was back to the Metro for Mont Martre. We made it to Le Basilic just after 1.30pm but the boys had beaten us to it. The restaurant was very narrow, sandwiched between two converging lanes. It was very cosy, not a lot of elbow room and obviously very popular. We booked online and could only reserve a table for lunch, not dinner as we had originally planned. The food was amazing, the service excellent, our waiter manoeuvering between the tightly packed tables, tray balanced aloft,  with all the grace of a principal dancer at Palais Garnier.

Not only was the meal the best we had consumed in Paris, Le Basilic holds the distinction of being the only restaurant in which the toilet was upstairs. In every other restaurant, les toilettes were downstairs.