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Published: January 2nd 2008
Day 6 Monday 22nd January 2007
Early start with “bags to bus and departure” (a favourite saying from Lucky, our tour manager) for the first time. We left London via Greenwich (where the term Dutch courage comes from as when the Black Plague was spreading through the area the only people brave enough to work here were the Dutch people, hence Dutch Courage) and headed to Dover, England’s gateway to Europe. We boarded the ferry and as we sailed off we looked back and saw the spectacular White Cliffs of Dover (really just a backdrop to the ramps for the ferries) and the medieval hill-top castle. After 1 ½ hours we arrived in Calais, France, famous for Paris, croissants, wine and cheese. Time for a history lesson from Lucky as we drove from Calais to Paris. France’s early history is ‘retold’ in the Asterix comic books. The Roman Empire took control of France from 52 BC until the 5th century. Then a series of monarchs governed France, including William the Conqueror. The Reformation (fighting between the Catholics and Protestants) in the 16th Century nearly destroyed France. This was nothing compared to the events in the 1780s when the population rose
up against King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Bastille Day (14th July 1789) remembers when a Parisian ‘gang’ entered the Bastille and freed prisoners and hence we get the French Revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte took control in 1799 and decided to try and take over all of Europe, he never succeeded. And that’s about all I can remember except that Jacques Chirac is still President. (I hope all this is correct Baz, history never was my strength at school but now have a big interest in learning more!)
We arrived in Paris (or as the French say their bijou extraordinaire - extraordinary jewel) early in the afternoon so after booking into our hotel we were off exploring the magnificent avenues with their cute balconies and shutters and cosy cafes. We walked up the steep Montmartre hill to reach the Basilique Du Sacre Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart). A beautiful church but what was even more spectacular was the panoramic view of Paris. As we walked around the church we were approached by numerous gypsies, offering to complete charcoal drawings of our “gorgeous faces” (but we declined!) Back to the hotel for dinner (lots of celery covered in sour cream for
entrée, ham steaks and chips for the main and apricot tart for dessert - that’s for you Ali!) then we boarded back on the bus for Kevin (bus driver) and Lucky’s city tour at night. And what a tour it was! Drove past all the major attractions (Musse du Lourve, Musse d’Orsay, Palais du Justice and St Chapelle, Musee de l’Armee - Napoleons tomb is located here, Opera Garnier - the opera house that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, Champs Ellysees, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Pont de l’alma - memorial for Princess Diana and of course the Eiffel Tower. We were spoilt when Lucky had told us that he had organised for us to go up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. After 2 lift rides and feeling a little bit queasy about how high we were going we had arrived at the top. All sense of being scared soon left as you were overcome by the view - Paris lit up in all its glory, all the major attractions were lit up and the city just sparkled. Amazing, a sight never to be forgotten! After descending down the tower we drove across the Seine river
to the Palais de Chaillot to watch the Eiffel Tower perform its light show (and be harassed by more gypsies wanting to sell dodgy souvenirs). We drove back via the world’s largest and craziest roundabout at place Charles de Gaulle (where the Arc de Triomphe is in the middle). Here 12 avenues radiate from this roundabout and there appears to be no traffic rules when it comes to this roundabout - you just close your eyes, speed up and hope for the best! If an accident does occur your insurance company will not cover you! Thankfully Kevin is an experienced driver.
Day 7 Tuesday 23rd January 2007
Free day to roam around Paris. Very cold had to wear all my thermal-wear, both jackets, beanie, scarf and gloves to stay warm. We exited the bus at the Arc de Triomphe and bought our Carte Musse (a card that gets you into just about all of Paris’ museums without having to line up). We then explore the Arc de Triomphe, a triumphal arch built for the glory of the soldiers of the Revolution and the Empire. Around the outside of the arch are sculptures, depicting famous episodes from the Revolutionary
and Napoleonic wars (such as The Departure of the volunteers, The Battle of Aboukir - against the Turks, The Triumph of Napoleon and the Resistance). Buried under the arch in 1921 was the Unknown Soldier and the Flame of Remembrance was lit here in 1923 and it’s said to have never been extinguished. We climbed the Arc, stopping at the first level to have a look at their museum explaining the history and significance of the Arc and then continued up to the top. Here you looked out over all 12 avenues radiating out, the avenues are named after battles and famous figures relating to the military history of Imperial France. Again some great photos of Paris to be taken from this advantage point 50 metres high. We then headed off down the Champs Elysees (meaning heaven), the main shopping area of Paris. This is the place to be seen and to see people, a few of the boys from the tour were fortunate enough to meet Victoria Beckham and Katie Holmes. We headed down the Champs Elysees to the Place de la Concorde, an Egyptian memorial given to France in 1831 by Mohammed Ali. We continued on our walk
down to the La Pyramide and Musse du Lourve. Unfortunately the Lourve is closed on Tuesdays but this gave us the opportunity to get some great photos of the outside of the Lourve, in particular the Pyramid that contains the entrance to the Lourve without too many people around. Walked across to the other side of the Seine River and saw the famous bridge where Big kissed Carrie on Sex and the City. Traditional French Onion soup for lunch, complete with big chunks of onions, bread and cheese. Washed down nicely with a hot chocolate. Next we were off to the Notre Dame (Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris), the true heart of Paris. A French gothic masterpiece, famous for the story of the hunchback and being decorated with gargoyles. Inside, includes statues depicting the Old testament stories and glorious stain-glass windows, where light, colour and space join together in a conjunction of art and religion. The very top of the cathedral was closed due to the strong winds but we still braved the elements and climbed up the narrow stairs to just about the top and again viewed Paris from above. Here we also got very close views of
some of the gargoyles. We walked along the edge of the Seine River to the Palais du Justice, the film location for the Pink Panther and accidentally lined up in the wrong line as if we were going to court instead of lining up to enter the Ste Chapelle (Holy Chapel) tucked away inside the walls of the Palais du Justice. This is the most exquisite of Paris’ gothic monuments with spectacular stain glass windows. The crown of thorns was once kept here as it was designed to house the relics of Christ’s Passion. In the lower chapel the ceiling is painted with a starry sky however in the upper chapel the ceiling seems to float above the stain-glass windows. Nine columns with statues of the Apostles hide the buttresses holding the ceiling up. On the outside the spire soars 108 feet above the roof, a massive sight to see. We then tackled the metro train service home to prepare for a night out at the Moulin Rouge. To be honest the real Moulin Rouge did not live up to expectations based on the movie Moulin Rouge in its appearance and the show. Still it was a night where we
saw lots of topless girls, the can-can, a girl swimming with snakes, some singing, a few magicians and got the tune Paris Dos Dos, Paris Dos Dos stuck in my head. Once we had sampled some French wine and Champagne, the night soon improved!
Day 8 Wednesday 24th January 2007
Woke up to snow!!! It was still falling when we were waiting to put our “bags to bus and departure.” We had the opportunity in the morning to see the art housed in the Louvre. Many of the people on the tour, including Peace and I made a beeline straight for Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and then that was that, we had seen the Mona Lisa. Unfortunately not enough time to walk through the whole museum but saw paintings and sculptures from the mid 13th century to the mid 19th century from France, Italy and Spain. Back to the bus and off to Lyon. Sadly we were delayed for awhile due to road closures because of the snow. Arrived later then expected in Lyon, ‘gastro-economical’ city of the world, but still time to try some French cuisine. We walked along the cobbled streets and found what we were
told was a good restaurant. It started and ended great but the main meal was absolutely disgusting! Entrée consisted of Salad Lyonnaise (very similar to Caesar salad but with tangy sauce) which was divine and fortunately very filling. The main meal we could not translate 1 of the dishes into English so we thought we might be adventurous and try the pot luck. Wrong choice! We ended up getting pretty much pork fat, very minimal meat crumbed and then cooked. Absolutely disgusting! Can’t believe it’s a popular meal in France, but I guess what can you expect from people that eat snails and frogs legs! Luckily dessert was delicious, Fondae de chocolat! A lovely but cold walk home with some other people from the tour, passing some local prostitutes on the way, as well as the ferris wheel and seeing Lyons equivalent of the Notre Dame. Stomach took awhile to recover from the main meal even though I only took a small mouthful, just thinking about it now still makes me feel ill.
Day 9 Thursday 25th January 2007
Quiet morning on the bus as many people were asleep. I’m still not used to sleeping on the bus
so must have been one of the only ones to see all the quaint villages with their castles all covered in snow. It really brought history to life as you could imagine knights fighting to defend the castles. All the castles were perched high above the village, usually with a church in the centre and lots and similar houses spread around the church. We entered into the French Alp area and stopped at Avignon for lunch. This bustling walled city is Frances version of the Vatican City. During the 14th century there were 2 Popes and Pope Clement V fled political turmoil in Rome and established himself near Avignon. The King at the time built the city around the Pope. We walked past the huge Palais des Papes, a fortified palace for the Pope. The main street was very quiet but there were many bargains to be found in the local shops. One thing we have noticed while travelling around France is the lack of public toilets so we were very surprised to find one in the local park. Makeshift toilet paper but at least it was free! Tried a chocolate éclair for dessert and have vowed to eat them
everyday while still in France as it was delicious. Melt-in-your-mouth but filling piece of pastry, yum! Back in the bus, a bit more lively this time as everyone was excited about entering into the French Riviera, Cote d’Azur (Azure Coast). Nice, Monaco, Cannes are the playground for the rich, famous and tanned. We entered Nice and were told to watch out if we went to the beach as some parts of the beach are privately owned by hotels and restaurants and cost to enter onto. Just enough time when we got to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Monaco. Monaco is its own country and is a fantasy land of groomed streets, lush gardens and extravagantly opulent palaces. Prince Rainier III and his marriage to Princess Grace (Grace Kelly) restored Monaco’s glamour and stopped its reliance on gambling as its main revenue. We drove past the spot where Princess Grace’s car plummeted off the cliff and to her death and we were all touched when we heard that Prince Rainier used to declare his love for Princess Grace everyday by placing a rose on the steps of the church where they were married until the day he died.
Prince Albert now rules but if he doesn’t produce an heir to the throne, then France will claim Monaco back and it will no longer be a separate country. Watch out girls! We drove along part of the Grand Prix track and saw many cars slow down to take the famous hair-pin bend. Our restaurant was 2 minutes from Prince Albert’s palace, however we weren’t sure if he was home or not. We believe he was out trying to find a wife! After dinner we explored the 2 casinos, one for the rich and famous the other for the everyday person. The rich and famous casino had toilets that cleaned themselves. I spent ages sitting on the toilet or standing and watching the toilet seat move around and come back into place sparkling clean and ready to be sat on. Small things amuse small minds I know! Out the front of this casino was so many luxury cars, one can only dream of sitting in one of them and conversing eloquently with the occupants. Instead we went to the sun casino, the casino for everyone and pretended to be rich and famous while sipping on some strange and expensive cocktail!
The bus trip back to Nice was amazing - the lights from all the expensive buildings reflecting in the water and passing by perfect gardens. A great image to fall asleep with.
Day 10 Friday 26th January 2007
Australia Day in the French Riviera!! Sunny day so we walked down part of the Promenade des Anglais with its pebbly beaches. We then tackled the city’s narrow warren of streets to discover the La Chateau. A large hill, where a medieval castle was situated. Some of the relics still remain. It was a fairly tough climb to the top, up large steps but the view from the top was spectacular. Views looking out across the crystal clear Mediterranean Sea (cliché I know!). Views looking over the pebbly beaches of Nice, the port of Nice with its expensive boats. Views looking over parts of Monaco. Apparently some of the mountains in the distance looking away from the ocean are in Italy, so in fact standing at the top of La Chateau you can see 3 different countries - France, Monaco and Italy. This is also the spot where a young couple - Jules and Wade got engaged so extra celebrations
for tonight! After descending down La Chateau we wondered around ‘old town’ finding some bargains at the markets, including the biggest hot dog I’ve ever seen so we just had to have one, not very French I know but still delicious. Back to the hotel to dress up in Australian colours, where we found out that one of the boys on tour had been wearing an Australian flag all day and had caused an accident! Go Australia! Off to the pub which is of course Irish but cheap Fosters because its Australia Day not that I drank one of those, stuck to the cocktails and didn’t buy many myself. Not that the French boys would buy you a drink, they are very arrogant and would reply “No you buy me a drink and then I’ll go home with you” Very pretentious if you ask me. So we stuck with the English boys all night!!!
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