P A R I S

At the end of Feb we escaped to Paris and had one of the most enjoyable holidays yet! I had very high expectations too!
Click on the images to see a larger view

We only had four days to see everything so we had to prioritize. We walked to the second level of the Eiffel Tower [115m] just before dusk, avoiding most of the queues and saving money, and got a fabulous view.

A dusk view of the Palais de Chaillot

Every hour after dark the tower sparkles for 8mins. It’s like a glittering wand!

We also climbed the dome of the Basilique Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre for another great view.


Our hotel was in the Montmartre area in which many of my favourite movies were set: Moulin Rouge, and Amelie.

Here I am in the café that Amelie worked in!

Of course we visited the Louvre Museum!

We spent six hours there and I still didn’t see everything I wanted to but I don’t think its physically possible in one day! We saw Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Michelangelo’s dying slave, the huge ‘wedding feast at Cana’ by Paolo Veronese among so many things I’d studied as well as the Napoleon appartments [which featured the most enormous chandelier I have ever seen].

We walked along the gardens of the Louvre called ‘Jardin de Tuileries’ which link the Obelisque and the Arc de Triomphe in an incredible [and photogenic] line of symmetry. There are many interesting sculptures in the garden including this 'Spider-y' one.

The Obelisque!

We also saw the famous Notre Dame and the not so famous Sainte-Chapelle.


Plus we were able to catch up with our good friend Marine, who we met in NZ. She took us to some fabulous places to eat [and helped us order in French!] It was brilliant to have her as a guide and to meet her friends Sylvianne, Ben who kindly invited us to their dinner party. I had never had a conversation about French politics before that night!
Merci beaucoup!!
[Steve must've taken all the photos - I'm in them all!]