Geo: 52.3018, 4.86694We got up reasonably early and had our complementary breakfast at Banks Mansion. Wonderful included breakfast, with a large range of cold cheeses, meat and breads, as well as an egg chef cooking eggs, pancakes, bacon and sausages etc. to order. Delicious. We then caught a taxi for our prebooked visit to the Anne Frank house. This was such a moving experience to be in the very place where Anne lived. It is an absolute must do for anyone interested in the second world war. Definitely prebook, the queues were ridiculous and moved very slowly as the house is quite small therefore it takes some time to get around.After Anne Frank we started walking around Amsterdam. We were aiming to get back to the station to purchase our tickets to Den Haag and Delft ... read more

Geo: 52.3018, 4.86694We checked out of our hotel and used the hotel shuttle to get to Gare du Nord. We deliberately arrived early in order to purchase snacks for on the train. We had booked first class seats on the Thalys, but wanted to be prepared in case we weren't happy with the supplied food. I had already emailed Thalys, and been told that even though we were on a train leaving at 10.30am and not arriving until 1.45pm, we would not be served lunch but rather a light snack. If I had known this prior to making the train reservations I would not have booked first class, but too late to change once I found out. We purchased some baguettes with ham and cheese and sat back to people watch and wait. Unfortunately the two ... read more

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097Our last full day in Paris, so felt a bit sad, but it was also our 28th wedding anniversary, so what better place to spend it! Had our usual breakfast at Cafe St Regis before heading over Pont Louis Phillip into the Marais. This is my third trip to Paris, but I have never made it to the Marais before, so was determined to do so this time. After a short look at a church, St-Gervais-et-St-Protais, we headed slowly up Rue de Veille du Temple until we reached Rue St Rosiers. It was just after 9.00am on a Saturday, but the whole area was deserted. It was lovely to walk along on a beautiful morning with simply no-one around. We loved looking in shop windows that were still closed and just generally soaking up ... read more

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097This morning, after our usual breakfast at St Regis, we caught the metro to Montmartre. After much study of Tripadvisor and reading some walking tour sites, we decided to go to Lamarck Caulaincourt and walk down the hill.We simply spent the morning ambling, walking past the Montmartre Vineyard and Lapin Agile.  We stopped in a small street of souvenir shops for a coffee break.  At this point my husband had a dreadful cold so the break was well needed.  We took the opportunity of purchasing a few souvenir trinkets here.  Funnily enough, our son had requested a poster of the Eiffel Tower.  We had looked everywhere and had been unable to find one, but found a large laminated one here.  He loves it!We continued wandering until we came to Sacre Coeur.  We had a ... read more

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097Today was the day we had earmarked for going to Versailles. I was a bit frightened of what I had read of the terrible crowds. The forecast was for rain today. We were undecided at first whether to go or not, but decided to stick to our plan, hoping that the weather would not be too bad. Fortunately for us, it wasn't.We had our usual St. Regis breakfast. This time I went for an omelette with herbs. Wow!! I can honestly say that this was the best omelette I have eaten in all my life. I had them on the next two mornings also, they were fantastic. Breakfast most mornings cost around €25 for both us for eggs, juice, coffee and croissant or baguette which was comparable to the hotel breakfast which was €13 ... read more