3 days in Paris

Hearing: Sister Act 2 on TV.

I figure its about time i gave a rundown of our trip to Paris along with the promised photos.

After our problem with the hotel was settled our first day was spent seeing the sights of Paris. We started with the Arc De Triomphe and then walked from there along the Champs Elysees all the way to the Louvre. And trust me when i say it isn't a short walk. But the weather was good, Paris busy and we enjoyed ourselves stopping now and then to take photos. I had to take one of my mum in front of the fountains featured in the movie "Devil wears Prada". Up next was the Eiffel Tower and the view from the top was worth the wait in line. An unobstructed 360 degree view of the city and very, very high (i kinda underestimated it).
























We did want to see the tower light up at night especially with the blinking lights but it doesn't get dark in Paris till late in the evening - around 10pm! So we made a quick trip to Notre Dame Cathedral which actually was perfect timing. The light of the sun setting on the cathedral transformed the colours and it was beautiful. Back at the Eiffel Tower we perched on the steps of the Trocadero Gardens along with lots of other tourists to watch when the lights would transform the tower into a Paris moment. And when it lit up, a gasp of awe and surprise rose from everyone there and no, I'm not exaggerating.



































































Day 2 found us at Versailles.



We spent the whole day there. The place is massive! Apparently the Palace and grounds used to occupy the size roughly the same as that of Paris - now its not so but still its huge. The Palace itself is a marvel with paintings covering the walls and ceilings, delicate and ornate designs around mirrors and doors, statues and all sorts of antiquities. The recent movie "Marie-Antoinette" starring Kirsten Dunst is shot entirely on location there and i did see a lot of the places that featured in the movie like Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette's room, the chapel they were married in (check out the ceiling in the photo) and of course the Petit Trianon. My favourite place of all has to be Marie-Antoinette's Estate, more specifically, the little Hamlet built for her. Its as though you've stepped back in time.








































































































































Day 3 post our Louvre excursion.

Mum and i climbed the steps to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre and took a peek inside the church and at the area around it. The cafes, painters and sketch artists were all at the ready anticipating the next tourists. And though i realise its quite put on, i still like seeing it. Before quitting the Montmartre quartier i just had to stop by the Moulin Rouge and see the red windmill for myself. Its not as impressive in the day as it would be at night but still it is an infamous icon of Paris. Our day ended with coffee (naturally) in a market street called Rue Montorgueil. Its filled with cafes, grocers, bakeries and the sort and i actually think the whole trip would have ended on a good note was it not for an altercation i had with some idiot.


Mum and i were walking to a metro stop, arms linked talking away when some french idiot steps in my way and on my foot! I was about to apologise when i realised it wasn't my fault and i stood there a few seconds expecting an apology from him but he didn't say a thing! No "Pardon" no nothing AND he didn't even move! As i waited i realised he wasn't going to move, HE was expecting an apology from ME! I lost my cool and did something that i normally wouldn't have done - i pushed him out of my way and continued walking. He did not like that and started yelling in french which i can only imagine to be profanity and insults and yet again most unlike me i stopped walking and turned around and yelled back that he could "Bite Me!" and that he was an "A$$hole". I was so mad! Honestly, the nerve! After that (I'm sorry to say) i was very happy to be heading for the airport and out of Paris. I guess i cant let little things like that spoil an otherwise pleasant trip but they do get to me. I guess as time wears on I'll only remember the good and hopefully forget the bad.

Anyways, that's enough from me, there is more in this post to try even the most attentive reader. I'm off to plan a little surprise for mums birthday tomorrow, she doesn't want anything just a cup of coffee with me (aren't mums sweet? they all say that) but I'm sure i can do more than that.

VP