Torino to Paris and more Paris

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DAY NINETEEN
Today we left Torino by train, our last day in Italy. We have loved Italy and really enjoyed the food, wine and the culture. We had a wonderful time and really felt at home in Italy. We knew what to ask for to eat and importantly what to drink! We could follow the most basic of road signs and managed to handle the crazy road rules and directions whilst driving in Italy and we were all feeling a bit sad that this part of the trip was over, but we have all agreed that we would love to come back to Tuscany to do some more exploring, oh yes and eating and drinking!

We woke up early, as so it seems did most of the hotel as the breakfast room was incredibly busy, so we grabbed what we needed and off to the station we went, with much lighter loads and happier faces. It is always a challenge at the train stations making sure that you are heading in the right direction and standing on the right platform, but have also learned to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the station and work out where we are going so at Torino it was no different and we easily found our station and were pleasantly surprised that our reserved seat were in a great position and we had no issues with our luggage this time.

We had a long train trip from 8am in the morning until 2.00pm, 6 hours on the train. We had our supplies of course to keep us going and the beautiful countryside and we went through mountainside villages where there was still snow on the mountain tops, no wonder it is still cold in Italy.

We arrived in Paris and yes you guessed it, it was raining, but one thing that none of us expected was how freezing cold it was. Especially as we had sent all our winter clothes back to Australia in Torino!! Oh well that gives us an excuse to shop for warm clothes in Paris, starting with hats and gloves!! We found our way out of the station and then two Parisian's stopped and helped us with directions on how to get to our apartment. We caught a bus to the Latin Quarter and then managed to find our apartment. Unfortunately Michael (our landlord) had left and we had to wait 1/2 an hour for him to come back. Imagine us wet, cold, hungry and tired now finding out after carrying our luggage up two flights of steps that we could not get in!! Not happy, but Michael said to leave our luggage up there and go to the bar next door. Everything was then right in the world, we had a glass of red and were warm and again happy. Michael picked us up and we went up to our great, warm apartment. We settled in and then went and found a supermarket and then went out for dinner. We were all ready for an early night but looking forward to exploring Paris the next day.

DAY TWENTY
When we woke up it was still cold but not pouring with rain so after a hearty breakfast we set off on the itinerary that Pete and Jenny had worked out the night before over a bottle of wine, Robyn and I just had our fingers crossed they knew where we were going! Anyway after all that pondering the night before we ended up hopping on a bus and went around Paris for two hours getting our bearings, finishing up at Notre Dame which is just near where we are staying. We went inside, great way to get out of the cold too!! What an amazing cathedral, we just walked around in awe. We didn't go up the top as it was way to cold. We then decided to go and find some warm things to wear so we could enjoy the sightseeing properly!! So we went shopping much to Peters delight, though I must admit he is very patient waiting outside the shops taking in the sights while we shopped inside. As usual we parted company so that we could all shop without worrying about the others and later caught up to go to dinner. This time we wandered down to a really busy section of the Latin quarter and ended up eating Greek in Paris. We had a great waiter and enjoyed our Greek food very much!! Robyn and I both really love Paris and could spend days here just wandering around watching life go by and soaking up the atmosphere.

DAY TWENTY ONE
Today was the day for discovering Paris mainly on foot so we set off for the Louvre and went through the gardens and up the Champs Elysees where we had a great time. Off to the Arc de Triompe and then caught a bus to the Eiffel Tower. We decided once there that it was better to book on line than stand in the cold lining up for tickets so we headed home to get ready for our big night out at the Moulin Rouge.
We are spending so much time out and about that we hardly spend any time in our apartment or find the time for the travel blog but hopefully the photo's will make up for the lack of detail. Remember to scroll through the pages as the photo's may go over two or three pages.

We caught a taxi to Moulin Rouge after making ourselves beautiful - make up and heels for the first time on the holiday, still it was fun and we had a cocktail before heading in, we were all really excited and looking forward to a great show. We were not disappointed, we had great seats right up the front and we could have sat through the show again we enjoyed it so much, well worth the money. We caught the taxi home, slightly exhausted but still really enthusiastic about Paris. It is my third trip to Paris and yet I am still seeing things that I did not see (or may not even have realised were there). I am trying to work out how to live in Paris even if for only a few months without giving my boss a heart attack!! Well, we can all dream....

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Photos

French Onion Soup
Jenny's favorite

The cold bag lady
After much shopping!!

Not the Arc de Triompe
At the beginning of the gardens near the Louvre

Steps up to Robyn & Pete's room
Not good after a few reds!!

Comments

[chris malcolm]

stairs
pity about the stairs BUT in would not stop me trying the red.............................................chris

[debbie and brian]

I love Paris in the summer, I love Paris in the fall,
This was the song I sang in my head the whole time we were in Paris. Even after two stays there, we would go back in an instant. I also remember even in August it was cool, so I can imagine how cold you guys are! Love your photos....I recognise those steps - they are in a few apartments in Paris. Same with the Landlord - we had to wait until someone came to let us in....good to know we weren't the only ones. C'est la vie! Love Debbie and Brian