Paris

We had an awesome long weekend in Paris.  There is so much to do there we will have to go back.  Our holiday started with the most obvious stop off - The Eiffel Tower.  We were trying to get to the Palace of Versaille but the direct train we were trying to catch wasn't leaving from the station we had gone to, so we had a quick change of plans.  The tower was packed with tourists and we couldn't go to the very top look out as it was closed with congestion.  I was quite happy at level 2 as it was high enough and offered great views over the city.

That night I couldn't sleep with excitment - we were going to Disneyland the following day.  Now not many people visit Disneyland as part of their trip to Paris but I have never been to a Disneyland and Nath was only too happy to oblige.  The park is divided into two areas - the studio's and theme park.  We only visited the theme park as we were only there for a day.  However, this means we can go back to Disneyland on future trips to Paris to check out the studio's part.  I was disappointed that we didn't see any characters walking around to have our photo with - I guess they may be at the studio's park.  We had loads of fun on the rides and we didn't have to wait too long in queue's.  On two of the roller coaster rides Nath assured me they didn't go upside down - but they did.  By the time you're in the roller coaster its a bit late to be getting out!  The second time he suffered some abuse and lost my trust so we headed over to the Mad Hatter tea cup ride for a more sedate experience. 

We had set Sunday aside for exploring the inner city but we forgot to account for the May day holiday!  We turned up to The Louvre at 9am but read that it was closed so we walked up to Notre Dame.  We walked through the cathedral but really wanted to go up the towers and see the bourdon bell.  However, tower tours were not running that day.  We then decided to head to the Palace of Versaille for our second attempt at looking at the riches of King Louis.  This time we got to the Palace but it was closed.  The Palace is on the outskirts of the city so its not just a quick trip on the metro!  We were able to wander through the gardens before we headed back to Paris. 

We headed to the district of Montmartre for lunch and a visit to the Sacre Coeur Basilica.  As the Basilica sits a top a hill it has amazing views looking out over the city.  We climbed 300 narrow steps to get to the top of the dome so you better appreciate the photos!  After we visited a famous night spot - The Moulin Rouge!  Our busy day doesn't stop there - we then headed back to central Paris for a visit to the Arc de Triomphe.  But today was not our day and it was closed so we couldn't get the famous photo of the Champs Elysees.  Our day finished with a cruise down the Seine.  It was cool to see famous landmarks from a different vantage point.  By this time we were knackered and headed home for dinner and much needed sleep.

As we had to check out the following morning we had our suitcases with us for our last morning in Paris.  We took it easy and walked down the Champs Elysees stoppping at a cafe to people watch before heading to the train station.

We found paris to be incredibly expensive!  A beer would cost between €4-6 for a half pint.  In London our local pub charges £2.60 a pint so its much cheaper.  The food in Paris was a reasonable price - we had a lovely lunch in Montmartre where I had a Lasagne for €12, but by the time you add in drinks and Nath's meal the total came to €37 which seems ok, but then if you convert to NZD thats $80 on lunch!  Something we would never spend on lunch usually. 

Back at work and looking forward to our 1st weekend at home together in 4 weeks.  We moved flats on Monday so there is still a lot of unpacking and tidying up to do.  Hoping the weather is nice and sunny so we can have a BBQ on Saturday and invite some friends around.  No plans to do anythong for a while so it may go quiet on the blog front.  Will put pics up of our new flat once we have things nice and tidy.
Michelle and Nath.