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Nous avons aime beaucoup Paris
Oui lala, en fin!!!!
Nous sommes arrives!!!(hi to all our French speaking friends, or those who understand)
Housesitters arrived, all tucked in.Seem like they'll be good.
21st June 4.30am said our sad farewells to Tashi, I'm sure she'll miss us?
On with the expensive backpacks and down to board the bus to Mascot.(We really missed our mate Barb, no show without punch!)
Both so very happy to have saved our Frequent flyers for the last few years, off to the lounge, just somehow makes you feel so much better!
3 movies later and arriving into Hong Kong for our 8 hour stopover, but at least we could sit in the lounge, have a shower and enjoy some of the comforts of business class, memories of old!
Cathay's beds are very comfortable,Al , but for us they are just too seperated from each other, we both felt a bit isolated, felt like we weren't travelling together?
6.35am next day we pulled into Charles de Gaulle, picked up our BP's they had travelled well and headed to the shuttle totake us into our quaint, 2 star hotel in the Latin Quarter
which scored an 9.5/10 for location, comfort
and service (thanks for the tip Pam)
As often happens Le Chambre was not ready, so off we went ,a 15 minute walk to Eiffel tower ,and it was still only 8.30am!
Up the 700 steps to the 2nd floor and wow what a view not only were we on the ET but it was a beautiful clear blue sky day and warming up to 28, sorry all you back there in winter clothes.
After taking in all the history and info we made our way to the elevatore up to the 1051ft oh and as it was awarm day plus 6 inches.
Oh and for those who like a bit of trivial , how many rivetts in it ?(Ian got it so you can too)
Here we were on top of the world 16,962 kms from Sydney all just in 40 hours!!
The views were forever and considering jetlag etc we felt pretty damm good.
Lunch at a streetside cafe, as you do, practised our very best Frenglish and enjoyed our first bit of French Cuisine.
then back to the hotel for our siesta practice.
Next day 28 again and as one does in Paris we walked a million
miles. Did the Mussee D'Orsay et Le Rodin, both were superb, could have taken a day in the D'Orsay it was incredible, we actually got thrown out at closing time, missed our Siesta, but headed out for an early dinner et home to BED!
Next day, a little recuperated we took the Metro to Galeries La Fayette for a little therapy "Just Looking", both GLF and Printemps have been refurbed(Hels, Jude, Liz and Marls, wish you were here, the shops are divine, just the best, you would all be in heaven.)
I took Ian up to The Terrasse restaurant at GLF for lunch, overlooking all of Paris, food to die for , new up and coming Chef.
We then decided to walk back to the Hotel, not such a good idea, got a little lost, but missed the siesta again.
The weather was just fantastic, we ate outside for every meal and kept practising our Frenglish, met lots of really nice French folks who all encouraged our efforts.
Every day we just loved the City more, the food the wine, the people , the architectuure, the history and the culture it was just a great experience!
Did seem strange to
think Barb had just been here 2 weeks before and now was just across about 5 countries?? Don't know how we planned that??
The food....... just want to say now that we have made a consious decision that Europe is for enjoying eating and Africa, well who knows??
But you can't come to France and not enjoy the food experience, can you??
Ian tried Steak tartare a couple of nights, calls himself a semi vege??
Jill,I did not have one pastry or croissant but I did have a few glacees and a couple of very yummy macaroons!! You should see the cake shops, OMG!!
Oh and the florist shops ,Hels you would be in Ikebana heaven!
Next day we had a lovely experience when we went and meet Renee and Laticia (Pascal's Mum and Neice) we had alovely lunch and catch up with them both, Renee looked so good, she sent her love to you all, who know hwe and we of course carried yours to her.
After lunch I went doing the tourist thing a History of Paris tour and c did some therapy. Bought my belated birthday gift ...a new Sergio Rossi Wallet,
a couple of Majestic tops
1/2 price of home!
We then metro'd back to the hotel to frock up for our night out dinner at Cafe Marley, overlooking Le Louvre courtyard (thanks for that tip Meryl and Lester, it was just as you said) and then we took the Piece de Resistance tour...the 10 pm on the Seine cruise just in time for .....wait for it ......the full moon to come up, .....all the city lights to go on and.......... the Illuminesance show on the Eiffel tower at 11pm OMG !!!! What a spectacular !!!! Hope you saw that Barb ?!
Slowly wandered our way home ,stopping for a little glacee.
Next morn it was get all the gear, plus the shopping into those $29 BP, and we did it!!! How much more can we fit in, that is the question??]
Now off to Gare de Lyon to board the first of our Eurail journeys to Avignon, Provence.
We will always have a special spot in our hearts for Paris , as it was where Ian proposed, but it was the first time either of us had been there on hols and it was different, there was time to enjoy and soak it all in
and it really is The Most Romantic city in the world and after our 4 days we really had fallen in love and we will be going back, some time soon!
Nous avons aime beaucoup Provence egalement.( You're with us Lindy, we think of you often)
3 hours on the TGV passing through the beautiful countryside and here we are in Provence, at last!!!About to begin the second chapter of our journey.
Avignon was 34. Nice and warm!
Hertz upgraded us to an Opel and with our trusty little i-phone gps off we went heading NE to Isle sur la Sorgue, .... voted one of the 7 most beautiful villages in France, rich in history and cradled in between the Mountains of Vaucluse and surrounded by the tracery of rivers and wheeled canals, this little place that we spotted on the internet as our Provence destination some 12 months ago turns out to be just everything you might imagine when you think Provence.
Our accomodation gets a 9.5/10 again, 3 mins from the action in the village square.
been a big day so we were just happy to have our dinner in, relax and read up
all the info on Isles S L S and start planning our week in Provence.
Woken next morning to the Notre Dame des Anges peeling bells and the swallows we had a quick Petit dejeuner and then headed out to .... wait for it what is considered one of the 3 best markets en Provence!! C had arrived en heaven, all those colors, smells and THE FOOD OMG, we just wandered for the first hour or so?? stopped for coffee and took it all in and then went shopping .... olives (you could choose from 12 varieties, tapenade ..yum, yum, tomatoes , like you've never seen, so plump, cheeses, oh Peter Mc you would be in heaven, cheddars 12 months old , to die for, chickens roasting in Provincial herbs, Helen you would just love it, so many memories of Italy!
This was a gastronomic adventure that anyone who loves food could only dream of!!
And then there were the beautiful colored table clothes that they are so famous for , the soaps, the flowers and last but not least ....the lavendar, I'm sure this is heaven!!!
We eventually made our way back to our little apartment and plated up!!
With a glass or two of our rose and beaujolis, no show without punch!!
Next night we were lucky enough to spot a free classical concert in a Chateau over the Chateau Neuf de Pape wine region, unbelievable it was better than many we have paid to see.
And to think we were in a 12th century Chayeau!!
And then the following days we have just walked, coffee'd, wine'd and just generally soaked up our little village and a few of the surrounding ones of Provence, we have followed the market trail, when it was available and all in all we have now also fallen in love with Provence, we will definetly be back!!
Just a highlight of the villages and places we have visited and really enjoyed, are... Apt to the East and Gordes(just amazing) , Rousillion (all built with Ohcre) Abbey de Senaque, with it's lavender fields and St Remy de Provence and Van Goghs Sanitarium for a picnic, in the fields where he painted The Irises and The Wheat..., then an Archealogical site Glanum only discovered last century that dates back 17 centuries... aamazing !!!.
We have tried to do our daily siesta but sometimes the temptations
of life are too great, Provence is just a very enticing spot, so much character, very relaxed and the sort of place where you can do lots or just relax and chill out and we have tried for both.
Well... Au revoir Nos Amis XXXXXXXX
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vicki neilsen
non-member comment
paris
How wonderful your time in Pari sounded. I love how you are both so much in love. I do believe you two have found the elusive dream. Thanks for the report and stay safe. Much love always Vic