Paris Jan 8th-

Today we walked to the canal near the hotel and then walked beside the canal to the Science Museum where we spent many hours playing and learning.

Canal boat on the canal

As we walked to the science museum we found some local vegetable and fruit markets. They were crowded with haggling locals and "Morroccan" looking men selling delicious fresh produce, and shouting in very foreign tongues.

An olive stall

Sweet delicious clemintinas

The science museum with Geode outside. The geode houses a movie theatre where huge rounded screens display huge movies some of which are three 3. The one we saw was a wildlife one, it wasn't 3D but the seats are on a very sleep slope, slope backwards and the screen gives a 360 degree view. It feels as if you are in the movie, and sometimes almost causes vertigo for those of us who are usually quite OK with heights and strange sensations.

Hilary discovering about light and sound waves

Hilary in funny mirror

The canal by night light

Paris 9th January

Starting out for the day, our hotel is in the background with the blue sign, between the motorbikes and the white van

 Today we decided to meet up near Moulin Rouge with a free guided walk leader for a walk around the Montmarte area. It's quite a good system where there isn't a charge per se, but at the end of the tour you give the leader however much you think the tour was worth. I think we were possibly generous compared to others, but I think we gave a fair price by French prices.
It was quite an interesting walk, only an hour or so long, but they are led by young university students (predominantly) who are Parisians and therefore have grown up in the city and have local knowledge which they intersperse with a bit of "tour book" speak. We learnt about a few of the people who have made the area home over the last hundred or so years, including painters and entertainers, and a few quirky stories.
After the tour we had a wee look around The Sacre Coeur, the "artists" at work in a square, and then a few of the tourist trap shops.

Outside the moulin rouge

Sculpture of a man who could reputedly walk  through walls (we didn't ever find out hsi name)

Sacre Coeur in the background

Pretty pink buildings

An artist, looking the part

After our walk we headed off down the hill and caught a metro over to the Military Museum and Napolean's tomb. 

Hilary and I spent an hour or so exploring the armour, weapons, and learning a bit of history while Diana sat and had a cup of coffee and relaxed in the cafe. 

Then it was my turn to relax while Diana and Hilary went and looked at Napolean's tomb. 

A large cannon and ball

The Military Museum and Golden Dome of the Chapel where Napolean is entombed.


After our museum visit it was getting pretty late so we made our way back to the hotel by metro and settled in for the evening. It gets quite tiring being a tourist, so we don't do many late nights.

Paris 7th January

Saturday we headed into Paris with Jackie and Josie to go ice skating in front of the Hotel de Ville on the public rink which is set up there. It was Hilary's birthday and that is what she requested as her outing. Not bad a request to be able to grant, ice skating in Paris with your second-cousin.

As you can imagine it was pretty chilly hanging out watching, but the kids loved it. Unfortunately half way to Paris on the train, Jackie felt a bit worried as she had left Nick's work truck parked on a two hour limit parking spot, and she had visions of it being clamped or towed, so as she couldn't settle she decided to catch a train back to Fontainebleau, move the car and rejoin us for a skate herself. It is a forty minute train ride each way, and as Jackie is wont to do she missed the first train and had to wait another half hour for the next one!! However the girls had a lovely practice skate first and then when we could drag them off the ice with the promise of hot food and drinks we organised to meet the returning Jackie at a cafe across the road from the Hotel de Ville. 

Gare de Lyon where we had a cup of very expensive coffee while we helped Jackie  fill in time until the next train (which she missed)

Cousins on the ice

Getting more confident

Hilary and Josie getting up speed

Hilary and Jackie

Two new 10 year olds


After we had lunch the girls and Jackie went and had another  skate,  Di watched I went for a quick walk and  bought a few postcards and patches.  After a cup of afternoon coffee and a piece of French pastry it was time for Jackie and Josie to head back to the train station and Fontainebleau and home to Milly. We were staying in Paris for a few days so caught the metro off to Vilette where our ETAP hotel is. ETAP is a chain of very basic but clean and comfortable hotels scattered through out the world but especially in France. It is the chain we stayed at in Fontainebleau also, where depending on who is taking our money it is between 50 and 56 euro for us all for the night. In Paris it is slightly more, 62 euro a night which by Paris standards is very reasonable indeed. As I said, the rooms are functional with shower and toilet, power, air conditioning/heating, clean beds and a t.v. Perfectly adequate and with us carrying our kettle, cups, teabags and milk where ever we go, who needs more?
Anyway, we settled into our hotel, went out for a delicious Indian meal for birthday dinner, and then went to bed exhausted, where we slept soundly until late(ish) morning.