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Published: January 10th 2012
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HAVING PROBLEM ATTACHING PHOTOS AAS THE EUROPEAN INTERNET IS BAD BAD BAD. WILL TRY AGAIN IN THE AM.xxx
Paris, I need not say more (but I will of course). I am now one of those people who will just sigh when I hear the word. The city is like no other. From the landmarks to the quiet alleyways and everything in between, it oozes class, history and a life of its own.
We arrived via Versailles where we saw the palace and wandered the grounds. The extravagance is just mind blowing. It is also the first place we have had to share the area with crowds. Arriving in Paris on the 22
nd of December we understood we would hit a busy time but had become used to having these landmarks to ourselves. Even though there seemed to be a lot of people about, we did not have to wait to get tickets or line up to get in so I cannot imagine how busy it must get. As you drive up to the gates you get a sense of the magnitude of the building but once you enter you can immediately see how grand the building really
is. We did not have a long time there as we had to drop the car back in Versailles and get into Paris city but we did manage a good look through and a wander in the gardens. There was one added bonus. The night before, Bruce, the almighty Tom-Tom, told us to “grab our sunnies, wind the windows up and not to let the seagulls eat our chips” right outside the palace gates. This was not our destination as our hotel was 5min away and to this day, Ian and I still argue whether it was Bruce whom at fault or was it the human navigator, who has less to do these days, although still expects the same wages and working conditions. Either way, it was nice to witness the palace lit up in the evening, something we did not expect.
Arriving in Paris by metro was a bit of a challenge as we have all done a bit too much shopping and have now added a large suitcase to the entourage but 3 trains later we arrived ready to explore. We found a flat on Rue Lafayette in the Montmartre area. The area is a true residential
area and is full of little bars and cafes. We are getting very used to standing at the bar having an espresso or glass of wine, it will be hard to change that habit.
After dropping the bags we took the kids into the city. What we did not tell them was that we were going to the Eiffel tower. Getting off the metro at Trocadero you have sign after sign directing you to the tower, only one child noticed and she was sworn to secrecy (Bella). Watching the jaws drop as you turn the corner would have won us funniest videos hands down. Jo was just speechless. The tower is huge and dominates the skyline. I had booked tickets to go up the tower on Christmas day so this was just a look and wander around. Unfortunately we were too late for the ice skating and Marche Noel but there were still a lot of life and a great beginning to the time here.
The two days before Christmas we did a lot of walking and sightseeing. We saw the Place de la Concorde, walked the length of Champs Elysees, Arc de Triumphe, Christmas shopping at Galleries
Lafayette and Printemps, had numerous espressos and walked along the Seine. The city just draws you in and around every corner there seems to be more and more to see.
Christmas day came and after a few presents and coffee and croissants we took the metro into the tower. Buying the tickets on line was a bonus as we just turned up at our designated time and walked through the gate with no wait or hassle. We made it to the 2
nd floor and Jo and I decided that was high enough for us. We just took in the views from there while the others took off up to the summit. The views from the 2
nd level were magnificent and we picked the day with clear skies and good weather. From what I was told, Jo and I made the right decision as Ian said the lift up was a bit nerve racking, although they said once at the summit they did not feel any vertigo at all. As there was a wait for the lift down we decided to walk down the stairs to the first floor. This was nerve racking in itself as you feel very exposed
but we made it down and discovered ice skating, yes skating on the Eiffel tower on Christmas day, could not get further from our normal Christmas if we tried.
Over the next few days we saw the Louvre, D’Orsay, Latin Quarter, Pompidou, Notre Dame, Jardine Luxemburg, Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, the Antique markets and a bit of shopping. The galleries are just wonderful. The kids now are so used to them that we just give them a time to meet us and off we go. The Orsay is in an old train station and is very open as a result, you don’t feel like you are shut in at all and they have made it a space you just could sit and explore all day. The Louvre is just huge and you really need to pick your own highlights to see as you could never see it all in the one visit but we did the Mona Lisa and Venus di Milo with all the other visitors.
Our trip to the Latin Quarter and The Jardine Luxemburg was on a magnificently sunny day so we were able to see how the park must be used in summer. Sitting in
the sun in the reclining chairs was amazing, could have stayed there all day taking the sun and people watching. The locals seem to use it as a place to meet, relax, read or study as it is around the corner from the Sorbonne. Makes me wish I studied a little harder at school and I might have studied in that park…..
While wandering through the islands we found the flower markets, Pont Neuf and Notre Dame where the kids fed the birds like all the other tourists. Here we also joined the crowd watching some jazz on the street and ended up returning the following day for lunch and a bit of a shop.
We visited Montmartre and area a few times as we were living in the area. Sacre Coeur is the main tourist spot but the alleys and surroundings have its own atmosphere and feel. Ian and I had a great night bar hopping finding little bars, some quiet others teaming with locals.
New Years Eve came and we decided to take the kids into town. We asked many locals and all said head into the tower or champ al, this we did and
ended up wandering the streets taking in the party atmosphere. We did end up heading down to the tower thinking there would be fireworks there but only the sparkly lights and lots of cheering. The local set off a few and we did get to see those. The main display is at the Arc riumph and we should have headed there. However the crowd was great and everyone got into the spirit with no obvios issues, violence or hassle.
We were planning on heading out of Paris after NYE to the Loire but could not get a good price on a car so decided to stay in Paris a few more nights. Finding an apartment was a small challenge but ended up getting a flat in the 1
st Ae, near the louvre and Jardin/park. I will continue this part of our journey in Paris Part 2.
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