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London to Paris

11.05.2008 | Permalink | Posted in France | By: Dave & Jenny

No time for an entry while we were in Paris, so here is a summary of the last few days

(With a few images at the end !)

• Monday, 5th: St Pauls Cathedral - stunning inside & stunning views from the top. Walked across the Millenium bridge and a quick squiz at The Tate and The Globe
• Tuesday, 6th: Quick train trip to Newbury ( 50 miles West of London and the headquarters of Vodafone) to visit Jen's Nephew Dan and his Wife Linda and their two week old baby Girl Maya - & 4 year old Sam.
• Wednesday, 7th: Early start, back to London to catch the Euro-Star to Paris. 300 kms an hour, but it is so smooth, you hardly realise you are moving. Found nice Hotel in Montparnesse, in the Left Bank District. A great area - Dozens and Dozens of Restaurants, Bars, Creperies etc...
• Thursday, 8th: Red Tourist Bus - a great way to see the sights - hop on and off whenever you like. Climbed the Eiffel Tower ( to the second level - too long to wait for lifts to go to the top !); Then to Notre Dame Cathedral & more serious climbing to stunning views of Paris; Wonderful night out dining traditional French meal.
• Friday, 9th: Our Arty day - The Louvre, saw the Mona Lisa, The Venus de Milo & The Winged Victory; Onto the Musse D'Orsay - The impressionists. Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir and so many more. In the evening, we dined at a Creperie where we induldged in traditional Buck Wheat Savoury and Sweet Crepes - Yum!
• Saturday, 10th: Visited the Pompidou Centre, the home of Kandinski ( Andy Warhol was supposed to be there, but he was packed away for a recess !). Saw a stunning spider like sculpture by Louise Bourgeois. Last night in Paris, so we indulged in a more upmarket restaurant. Pate de Foie Gras was stunning, followed by Duck and Potatoes to die for...
• Sunday, 11th: Left Paris on the TGV for the French Alps. Same quality train as the Euro Star. Currently on the local train from Annecy to Chamonix. Stunning views of the mountains and country side - We are writing this blog on the train.

Paris Observations:

• Paris starts late - no one around until 9:30ish, but people start dining very late in the evening.
• The Metro ( Paris Underground!) is good - easy to navigate, but not as slick as the London underground.
• Parisiennes were very friendly, a lot of people speak no English, but happy to try to help.
• We had an interesting experience one night. There was a imminent demonstration of some sort and the Police were out in huge numbers. Particularly around a big Shopping Centre called Lafayette where we came and went from a lot (for the Metro). There were literally hundreds of Police vans parked and travelling around and also some army troups amoungst them. It all seemed a bit over the top as whatever it was for did not seem to make any news and we never heard what it was all about - we asked 3 or 4 people and got 3 or 4 different explanations! (One person suggested it was a Teachers strike!)
• Internet Access has been good. Free wireless access in our Hotel (as in London). This train we are currently on (as do most) have power points (most Cafe's also have power-points at some tables) so you don't use up batteries...
• The traffic pollution in Paris is not as bad as Dubai and London - but some areas are very smelly ( e.g. when you pass through certain stations on the Metro the smell wafts in).
• Love the small shops - particularly the 'Fruits et Legumes' (Fruit & Veggy), which are tiny shops that are no more than two people wide, but seem to stock an amazing array of products inside.

All for now - a few images to end on...

Dave & Jenny at the Louve - no sign of Tom Hanks or Audrey Tautou :))

Some people just can't get away from work !

Toy shop window in Paris !

Spider in the park!