Paris Again: Paris. On the bus

We've already told you that we are great fans of public transport. The Metro is wonderful for speed but, of course, doesn't offer much in the way of views. Buses can be quite slow but you get much more of a feel for the city using them. Of course their speed is often a function of time of day, day of week, and whether or not a street is blocked by a van unloading goods.

We decided to visit a part of the city where we stayed many years ago. We discovered that this was at the very end of bus route 42 and as we now reside at the other end of that route, we picked it up at its terminus at Gare du Nord. By getting on at the beginning of the route we knew we would be able to get a seat. As it happens this route begins and ends with two major public hospitals. At the beginning, right next to the Gare du Nord, is the enormous Hôpital Lariboisière.

Hôpital Lariboisière

A hospital opened on that site in 1839,becoming the Hôpital Lariboisière fifteen years latrer. At the end of the line is the even more enormous hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou.

Within the perepherique of Paris there are nine major public hospitals together with another eight immediately outside the perepherique. Whilst they are all general hospitals some have specialist departments.

The bus route takes one past the slightly sleazy area around the Gare du Nord and then to the Grand Magasin and the Opera Garnier. From here it goes past even more sumptuous shops such as Fauchon and Hediard on the place de Madeleine - not to mention the church itself. Proceeding along rue Royal, around the place de la Concorde and up the Champs Elysees as far as the Rond Point. If one doesn't already have mental indigestion with these sites, there is even more to come. Avenue Montaigne is one of the most exclusive shopping areas in Paris.

Avenue Montaigne

Either side of an under-stated tree lined avenue there are the most exclusive boutiques in Paris.Every designer name you can imagine is there and in the middle of it all is the splendid Hôtel Plaza Athénée.

Hôtel Plaza Athénée

At the end of the rue Montaigne is the place d'Alma from which there is the most magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower. New Years Eve, 2009 saw us huddling in a phone box trying to keep warm while waiting for midnight and the illumination of this great Paris landmark.

Route 42 then crosses the river and proceeds via the champ de Mars from which there are even more spectacular views of the Eiffel tower. Thereafter the route takes one through more ordinary residential areas until reaching the Georges Pompidou hospital.

Leaving the bus at the terminus we walked along the Seine only to discover a delightful park with a tethered gas balloon