Paris

---

Thirty-one hours after leaving home saw us finally arrive at Hotel La Tamise in Paris. Deciding to stay up until evening to try to adjust our body clocks we possibly got a little carried away as we saw much more in our first day than we had originally planned.

Although we were too early to check into our room we were pleased to be offered coffee and croissants before we headed out for a walk. We found our hotel to be located in a fabulous spot, fairly much in the middle of most areas we wished to explore. We headed off in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe, walking up the Champs-Elysees. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. We decided to climb the Arc and were delighted at the fantastic views from the top.

We headed back to our hotel to check into our room which was small but very well appointed and had a view to the Tulleries Garden. The afternoon saw us head off the Musee d'Orsay a museum located on the left bank of the Seine only a short walk from our hotel. The museum is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a railway station built between 1898 and 1900. We wandered around happily for a couple of hours admiring the fabulous artwork and views through the old clockfaces set high in the building. Although fairly tired we decided to walk to the Eiffel Tower, when we arrived we found the lines for the lift were huge so even though it was starting to get dark and we were very tired we decided to take the shortest line for tickets which meant climbing the stairs to the second level of the tower from where we could get a lift to the top. We found the only other people climbing were probably a third of our age so we felt fairly happy with ourselves that we managed the stairs easily. The view from the top was spectacular looking out over the lights of Paris.

Our second day we decided to again walk this time heading along the Seine toward Norte Dame before heading to the Latin Quarter. We strolled the narrow streets until we stopped at a small restaurant, La Maison de Verlaine, for lunch. It was just lovely inside, cozy tables with candles and friendly waiters and delicious food. On the way back to our hotel we strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens, and were surprised to see so many flowers in bloom during autumn. Dinner was at a nearby Wine and Cheese shop, Fromagerie Danard, we enjoyed six different fabulous french cheeses and different wines to match magn

Our last day we headed off on foot again to explore the area around the Canal Saint-Martin. The weather was cool and drizzly so we were happy to find a warm welcoming Brew Pub for lunch along the canal. Checking out of our hotel late afternoon we headed to the Orly Airport were we were staying the night and joining our tour group for our next adventure in South America.

---