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Published: August 8th 2007
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Moulin Rouge
Just like the pictures! (Kate)
As you know, we had a marvellous time with Anne and Richard in the south of France and an awesome time in France as a whole- just under a month. I don't agree with the stereotype about Parisiennes- all the people in Paris we met or were served by were lovely, or supernice or just pleasant- we didn't really come across the arrogance or rude people. I do agree with Richard though- the French (or maybe just the French authorities?) love to confuse people or take some kind of secret pleasure in with-holding information....Road signs are the best example!!!
Well, we made it to Charles De Gaulle Airport in the hire car in the POURING rain on Tuesday 8 May and battled Paris traffic in terrible vision to arrive at our destination after a few accidental detours. We had been warned by quite a few people about how the signage in Paris could be better....or exist!! Not to worry- we were at our hotel (about half way between the Louvre and Monmartre) by lunchtime so we ventured out around Clichy and Monmartre and had a really fun afternoon getting amongst it and just inhaling the Parisienne atmosphere.
We gathered our brochures and armed with some French wine, did a little planning and ended up at the 11pm Moulin Rouge spectacular which was just that- spectacular! Thouroughly enjoyed it. It was great but a little awkward as traditionally, all the dancers have their busts exposed...and Leroy and I both felt a bit rude observing such a performance....I mean really- where are you supposed to look!? Hehe. We had great seats with a great view (no pun intended) and would highly recommend it. It was definitely a highlight, even though it was the teeniest bit tacky 😊
Up the next morning and off to the Louvre which was just crazy- didn't spend as long as we probably should've but the combination of our global art-museum fatigue and the 8 million other people (mostly school groups and group tours) trying to look at the same thing all got a bit much and we made a swift exit and headed for the River Seine not long after seeing the Mona Lisa. There was so much to see but after a thorough visit to the Prado Museum in Madrid which we absolutely loved, we were ready to move on. It was
View from the top
Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower- including the Arch d'Triumph a bit of a shame that the Louvre is a bit of a circus.
We used a boat along the Seine with a day pass as our transport for the afternoon and visited the Notre Dame, had lunch on the island, visited the Eiffel Tower which was WAY too busy (and it was starting to rain!) so we had a nutella and banana crepe out the front and left....but came back around 6pm and only had to wait less than 10 minutes to get the lift! Timing central- the place was empty. Had a great couple of hours up there, it was AMAZING; Paris is definitely up on top of my list of places visited so far.
We'd done SO much walking and decided to play arm-chair tourist and went on an open top bus tour around the city and most of the suburbs of Paris with commentry and a few stops. It went for 4 hours and was really worth it- we got to a lot of places we probably wouldn't have made it to otherwise. Sarkozy had been elected the week prior and was returning to his residence from holidays that same day....and the riot squads
View from the top
Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower- including Sacre Coer armed with shields and batons were out in full force. We'd never seen anything like it. See pics.
We were so lucky with the location of our hotel- we were near Pigalle, kind of half way between the Seine (Louvre) and Monmartre. Whenever we felt we needed a break or a stroll or to grab something to eat, we would always head off on foot around Pigalle or Monmarte and get lost in all the charming little streets. I just adore Paris for so many things- particularly that 'anything goes'. The people-watching in Paris is fantastic- I love the whole European concept of having the chairs at the tables outside facing out on to the street- it's a typical past-time. Blatantly people watching without the discretion or the guilt. Fantastic!
St Germain was gorgeous! We spent half a day wondering around, looking in shops, stopping for a coffee here or a glass of wine there, strolled along the banks of the Seine and stopped to enjoy some street art. The weather was PERFECT. We headed down the Champs d'Elysees one evening, stopping for a light dinner and aperatif a few streets away from all the action...not so unreasonably
Eiffel Tower Structure
We took this from the middle level priced. But as soon as we turned the corner and stopped for a bevvie opposite the Louis Vuitton headquarters, Leigh had the privelage of drinking a pint of Carlsberg....that cost 13 Euros. He was right to be suspicious of the fact that beer was not featured on the drinks menu! After we got over the shock of the world's most expensive beer (I actually thought it was hilarious...and Leigh eventually saw the funny side....), we strolled up towards the Arch d'Triumph at dusk. It was great to see the transition from daylight to twilight, and we ventured up inside the Arch to the very top to see Paris by night. The Eiffel Tower looked awesome lit up, but the real benefit (and surprise!) was watching all the little lights set-off and twinkling- it was like New Years Eve!! Lots of photos. What an added bonus.
A few nights when we were tired or only a little peckish, we would drop in to the delicatessan on the way home, pick up a breadstick and soft cheese of sorts and sit in the window of our hotel room, watching the passers by....or watching Eurovision! We were very sad to bid farwell
Eiffel Tower Structure
We took this from the middle level to Paris, but Malta awaited us!
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