A long weekend in Paris…
We couldn’t let Mum leave this part of the world having only been to London and environs, and nan had told me to “make sure she gets to Paris. She’s always wanted to go to Paris”, so that’s where we went for a fun filled, action packed long weekend.
Getting there is always easy from here. Just a few short tube stops, and then jump on the Eurostar for a couple of hours or so, then you’re right in the centre of a brand new town.
As we left London early in the morning on the Friday (well, not that early, but a bit early) we still had plenty of time left in the day after we’d checked into the hotel, so it was off to see the sites during what we though was the best weather forecast for the weekend.
Not that we had to go too far to see one. Our hotel was about 100m from the Arc de Triomphe, so that was the first one ticked off, but only to stare at from the outside of the chaos that is the traffic around there. (Though it was nowhere near as bad as we’ve seen it before on other trips.) More on that sight later.
Then off down the road to try to find a snack for lunch. That was harder than it should have been, but we finally braved a shop to grab a baguette. And then a leisurely stroll (if that can ever be said of Bec’s walking style) down to the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. Took a few of the obligatory shots of the tower from the Trocadero, and then wandered across with a mind to go up the tower for a high rise view of town. Which we didn’t do. The queues to go up there were huge! Massive! Unbelievable! So we thought we’d go back another day.
Having given that up as a bad idea, we wandered along the gardens to the Hotel des Invalides for a look. Flagged going inside, but had a good wander around the outside and through the courtyard. And around the outside. And then back through the courtyard again… Yes, we had go ourselves a bit lost! We won’t mention exactly who it was that had control of the map at that time to spare the guilty.
And then a wander back to the hotel for a bit of a sit down and recover for dinner. Being brave, we thought we’d go French for the night, and were recommended a nearby place called P’tit Bouchon Gourmand (something to do with corks, apparently). Good food, good value. Recommend it.
Saturday we seemed to do a huge amount of walking! Starting with a wander down the length of the Champs Elysees to find a patteserie for a bite of breakfast, and then straight on to the Louvre. Not much of a queue. Yay! Spent about 3 1/2 hours wandering around there until we were all pretty much overwhelmed by it all and couldn’t take much more in. Still didn’t see anything like the whole of the place, but more than enough.
After a bite to eat, and a much needed sit down, a wander down the river to Notre Dame for a look there. Not much of a queue. Yay again! An interesting building to gawk around in for a while, and best of all, free!
Then a leisurely wander though the Latin quarter, and all the small streets there, and on to the Pont Alexandre III (bridge) where you apparently get good views. By that time I think we were all a bit vacant, and didn’t quite take them in. And on back to the hotel for another sit down and recovery. All up I think we walked for at least 7 hours. Probably a bit longer. Our feet hurt. And our legs. And possibly our backs too!
Having done all that walking, on Sunday we decided to just get a day travel card for the Metro, and do things the easy way. First stop (after a long wander trying to find some breakfast) was back to the Eiffel tower. And no queues this time! Horray! Up there for a look, using the elevators this time – Bec and I have already walked up there once, and we’re not likely to do it again – and a few piccies of Paris from on high.
Next stop, the Musee d’Orsay for a bit more culture. And as a bonus, it was free! First Sunday of every month the museums are free. Nice buildings, interesting pictures and sculptures, but I think we’d got a bit over-cultured by then, as well as having sore legs still, so we cut that tour a bit short and went to find some lunch back in the Latin quarter.
Onwards to Montmatre to see Sacre Coeur. Problem is that it sits on the top of a big hill. The biggest in Paris, I think, and there is no Metro stop at the top. And the funicular that I’d been particulary looking forward to riding up there wasn’t working either. So with a lot of grumbling (from me), it was stair climbing for us. But a more leisurely stroll down through the back streets.
As Monday was our last day, and a travel day in the late afternoon, we didn’t go too far from the hotel. But far enough to get to the Arc de Triomphe for a proper look. And what did we find there? A lot of bloody stairs! Just what I felt like. Groan. But the view from the top was worth it!
And then another last stroll through a few of the parks and gardens at the end of the Champs, and then back to get our stuff and catch the train back home again. A nice relaxing way to finish up.
A good quick break from London, and we hope Mum enjoyed it too! (She did)