Firstly our apologies for the delay in posting our Paris post....we have had some technical issues with uploading..which after five days have finally been sorted out!
As the great Cole Porter wrote "I love Paris every moment...."
We love Paris......
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| St Germain de Prés on a Saturday morning |
Unfortunately getting ourselves from Ypres to Paris didn't quite go as smoothly as planned! We had to train it to Brussels to catch a specific Thalys Train to Paris and all was going well until there was a 'tragedy' on the track of our first leg from Ypres to Brussels. The train just stopped between stations (not entirely unusual) - then the engine was cut. A couple of announcements later and we were none the wiser due to our lack of understanding of both Flemish and French! A kind traveller explained what was going on and we simply had to wait, and wait, then be sent back a few stations, hop on another train to Ghent, get ourselves to Brussels and then plead our case to get on another Thalys to Paris (obviously not the one we had booked that had departed several hours prior!). In the end we 'sat' (Well really we 'stood'!) in the luggage compartment all the way to Paris but at least we arrived in one piece, albeit many hours later than expected.
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| Ready to discover the sights of Paris |
When we were planning this trip Caz wasn't sure about including Paris as we had already been there....... but who can deny the beauty and charm of this grand city? We booked an "Apart-hotel" located in the 6th arrondissement on the Seine (In the area of Saint Germain des Pres), meaning we could share the accommodation which included a great little kitchenette. First stop on a rainy late afternoon was the local shop for bread, cheese and other nibbly bits and of course some wine. Our first night in Paris was spent indoors in our comfies, Paris Jazz radio on in the background, glass of wine in hand and a platter of goodies to share. Ahhhhh - welcome to Paris ladies...
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| Our apartment is just down on the left side of the Siene |
We stayed in a brilliant location with so many things within walking distance (walking is definitely the best way to really see Paris, even if it means sore tootsies at the end of the day). We spent our first full day wandering through food markets (pictured below), along the Seine, across the Seine, through the beautiful Tuileries Gardens, past the ridiculous line-ups for the Musee D'Orsay, along the Seine, past the equally ridiculous line-ups for The Louvre, along the Seine, across the Siene and back to our fab apartment. Georgina cooked a fantastic asparagus and french bean risotto for everyone - another great night together sharing food and wine.
Sights of a Parisian Food Market........
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| Fresh radishes |
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| Mmmm strawberries |
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| Sea Urchins |
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| View of a Fromageire through window |
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| A little friend I met along the way |
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| Caz's favourite (Raspberries) 3 punnets for €3 ($3.80 AUD) |
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| Fresh flowers |
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| A variety of Mushrooms |
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| Fresh bread and pastries |
Wandering through Paris on a Saturday Afternoon.....
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| Place de la Concorde |
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| Tuileries Gardens |
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| Caz doing her best Parisian look, relaxing in the gardens... |
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| The Lourve |
Caz and Georgina headed off to the Musee Monmottan Monet the next morning. The museum building is a beautifully restored private residence, and has the largest collection of Monet in the world (many of which are currently displayed in an exhibition in Melbourne, Australia!!) thanks to the generosity of Monet's second son, and many other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. We both love the Impressionists, and can only say that if you are ever in Paris this museum is well worth a visit....... In the afternoon we headed over to the Palais Garnier, or Paris' opera house for a self-guided tour inside the stunning building.
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| Gardens in the 16th Arr near Musee Monmottan Monet |
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| Staircase leading to Grand Staircase |
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| The Grand Staircase, Paris Opera House |
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| Opera Hallway - deliberately meant to reflect Hall of Mirrors from Versailles |
Later in the day it was time for G to get herself to the gym which meant time for wine for Caz and Caron - off to a gorgeous and just slightly posh wine bar nearby for a wonderful afternoon wind-down. We then did the most touristy thing of our trip so far - a night out at The Lido. This really was for Caz who wanted to see a cabaret show in Paris. Lots of "tits and feathers", dated music, bad miming, very little dancing, fabulous costumes and cheap French champagne - just had to be done!
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| The "tits & feathers show" |
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| Lido Bubbles |
Our last day in Paris was spent walking the streets again but this time we joined a free walking tour of Montmartre and Sacre Coeur in the morning and an afternoon walking tour of Le Marais by a group called Discover Walks. You just turn up at a specific point and are taken on a tour of the areas by a young local to see the streets as a local would; it's your choice as to how much you tip them at the end of the tour. Both tours were great, but the Montmartre tour was our favourite. Our guide even sang a couple of songs for us!
Monmarte, Sacre Coeur & Le Marais
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| Walking up to Monmarte (Paris in the background) |
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| Cafe in Monmarte |
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| Window box |
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| Playground area for families |
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| Pétanque playing area |
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| Walking the streets of Monmarte up to Sacre Coeur |
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| Sacre Coeur (with a few tourists I couldn't get to move out of the picture!) |
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| A Garden in Le Marais |
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| Public Garden in Le Marais |
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| Enjoying our walking tours |
We met Caron back at the apartment and Caz and Caron re-visited the wine bar before we all headed out for our last meal in Paris. Caz and Georgina then headed to the Arc de Triomphe to see Paris at night - the photos really tell the story of our last night in this most beautiful of cities:
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| Heading out to the Arc (Notre Dame in the background) |
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| Eiffel Tower |
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| Paris at night |
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| Eiffel Tower from top of the ADT |
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| Tomb of Unknown Solider underneath the Arc de Triomphe |
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| Arc de Triomphe |
Tomorrow we head off to Reims, the home of champagne. Reims is also where the treaty to end WWII was signed. The weather is a little dull but at least it hasn't rained too much. Fingers crossed for some more sunshine soon.
A bientot!