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Published: January 31st 2007
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I'm back it was brilliant, Here is the full lowdown of the hoedown in Paris
Arrived Monday morning about nine o'clock, had to catch a bus into the city from the airport. I settled in to my hostel and met a neighbour from Columbia, he asked me if I like to party, I was a bit scared about what that entailed for a Columbian! Headed off to my first trip, the eiffel tower. My hostel was only a ten minute walk away.
I had been in Paris two hours and it was just like the film French Kiss where you are looking for it everywhere and not seeing it then all of a sudden your in a quiet street, you look up and there it is magic! But not for long it disappears behind tall buildings, a few times till you actually get close to it. Then I stopped in suprise cos I could see the Eiffel Tower aand an Australian flag in fron of it, that spun me out where was I? The Australian Embassy was right near the foot of the Eiffel Tower so weird! I climbed the 700 and something stairs to first then second
floor, gorrgeous views, it was great to see and understand the outlay of the city, on the first floor there was a restaurant. Once I got to the secpnd floor I wanted to catch the lift to the top, it was closed because Greenpeace were staging a protest about climate change they had climbed up ith hard hats on and proper climbing equipment and put up a big banner saying "it's not too late." It was cool I was there for a historic moment for a really important message. It helped ease the guilt of catching a cheap flight!!
After that ween to the louvre it was cool saw the Mona Lisa and Venus De milo, it was nice but not brilliant, it was very dark and had lots of tunnels that made me get lost but the pyramud at the top was brilliant. Had a fromage and champignon crepe and nthen went to Monmarte and saw the moullin rouge and la noir chat. very cool! Apart from that the area is a bit gross and seedy, lots of sex shows and shops. Exhausted after yhours of walking I went back to my hostel top sleep, ther I met
my bunk buddy a nice, hot guy from Brazil. He was on the top bed and I was on the bottom, we had a great chat.
Tuesday was my one full day in Paris I rose early to a gorgeous baguette breakfast courtesy of my hostel. Wandered off to Notre Dame it was gorgeous very dark with glass windows and candles and a gorgeous nativity scene, It was built in 1163 and was the place where my hero Heloise and that idiot Abbelard fell in love. Saw the brilliant Gargoylles but no Hunchback!
Afterwards went to San Chapelle the church of lights, it was overcast and although it was beautiful I can just imagine how gorgeous it would be with the sun streaming in oh well another reason to return! As if I needed one.
Nest stop was the one place I have to visit before I die, Musee D'orsay the home of impressionist works by my hero Monet, Renoir, Lauttrec and Degas. It's a converted nineteenth century railway station. I just stoodthere amazed, I couldn't believe after all these years of adoring Monet and his paintings that here I was
standing on front of the Japanese Bridge and Waterlilies and the Roeun Cathedral series. One of the greatest experiences of my life.
Qalked across the Seine to the Jardin des Tuileries, this seems to me truly the centre of Paris It stretche from the Louvre to the palais de concorde. it has gorgeous topiary and fountains and great deckchairs which would be brilliant to soak up the sun in summer. It is also full of people trying to sell things to you who mistakenly believe if they tell you that you are sexy you will be under their spell. I had a charicature done that looks nothing like me and the guy tried to charge me forty euros! Unbeleivabl3 I jhaggled it down to a reasonable price.
At the concorde end of the gardens in the Musee L'Orangerie, anopther exhibit of Monet's and another thing on my must see list. Unfortunately it's closed on Tuesdays so I didn't get in.
Next I walked along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, it was a long street covered in french flags and full of boutiques and cinemas and cafes. At one end was the oblisque a huge
tower qith a gold pyramid on top and at the other end the Arch de Triumph. Obviously the place to be. saw many women if real fur coats wandering the streets, where is a can of paint when it would be handy. But it kind of makes you sick. the whole time I have been in Europe the news has been all about homelessness in Paris it's such a wealthy city and yet 300,000 are homeless. lots of these are Assylum seekers. Every park bench and empty doorway you look in has a person obviously without somnewhere to live. There were posters all over the city about a big campaign abiout it in the name of Abbe Pierre a french priest who was the champion of the homeless and r4ecently died in his nineties this week. At Nitre Dame there was an altar dedicated to him. The cities homeless have lost something important.
That night went exploring Montparnasse and the Latin Quarter favourite night haunts. t was all happenign there, the ment there aren's backward being forward, when you refuse to have a drink with them (because they are old) they ask you for a kiss and
when you refuse that they squeeze you arm take the opportunity to grope your breast! eeew!!!
Today was my last day in Paris I went to Cimetière du Père-Lachaise very early, it as you might have guessed is a cemetry with some very famous graves includin another hero of mine Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison from the doors and Sarah Berndhart. I went specifically to see Oscar's grave but I saw lots of people decked out in doors tshirst and it was quite obvio0us why they were there!
After that it was another attemnpt to see L'orangerie but it wasn't meant to be today it only opens at 12.30 so it was of to the airport and home, Oh well I'll be back.
Photos on their way Luv ya guts.
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Alison
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At last!!!!
A dream come true! For you to see Paris and for me to see more blog about you and your trip. Love you, hurry home! Maman