Paris 10th Jan

We decided to do another guided walk today, this time we were to meet on the steps of the Paris Opera at 10am, quite an effort for us on holiday mode, but thankfully only a quick metro ride from our hotel. When we arrived at the Opera House itself we walked around to try to find the appropriate meeting spot, for a while we lined up with an ever increasing group beside the statue second below, before we thought perhaps we were in the wrong place as we couldn't see anyone with a "pink jacket" the sign of the tour operator on these "by donation" walks. We made our way around to the other side of the building and sure enough there was our woman, at that stage it was just the three of us on the tour. I've forgotten her name already, but she started with a talk about the Opera and the surrounding streets. Napolean bowled all the buildings around the area in the 1800's because disease and crowding was an issue at the time with the narrow streets and close living, and he organised for the new streets to be significantly wider (with co-incidentally meant the views to the Opera (his design) were sweeping and made it a much grander looking affair.  We didn't go into the building on this tour, but Di and I had been there with mum and hilary six years earlier, it is very grand inside with plush red velvet seating and wonderful golden layers containing viewing boxes for the rich and famous. We will go back sometime and have another look, but there is so much to see and do still that we will be able to travel back to all these places another time and still see and do lots of new things. 

Huge golden statue on top of the Opera

At the start of the tour, outside the Opera

Our walking tour took us through some of the most expensive shopping and dining areas of Paris, we dribbled as we looked in shop windows at glittering pieces of jewellery, no prices though under the law all articles for sale must display their price. They get away with it by classing them as "art" which is the one exception to the rule!! and I must admit many of the pieces are indeed artworks.
We walked to the square illustrated below which is where the Ritz (last place Princess Diana had food and drink) is located, and also a huge column with Napolean atop.
We wound our way over to the Tuillieres Jardins and the Seine where from a vantage point outside the Orangerie Museum (more in a future posting) where we could see all the way down towards the Arc de Triumph (English spelling sorry), past the huge ferris wheel, Concorde obelisk down the Champs Ellyses (poor spelling sorry).

The Ritz on the right

Napolean's Column

Eiffel Tour

When the tour disbanded we headed off towards the university district and Eiffel Tour in search firstly of a coffee and then the Eiffel Tour as we had ensured Hilary we would ascend it this time (she has been wanting to go up it since we were there six years ago and didn't because the queues were too long on a balmy evening when we visited).
After our coffee we stopped off briefly to look at the outside and shop of the Musse de Quai Branly which apparently has fascinating exhibits about different cultures and which which to Hilary's delights had an exhibition about Maori.

Sculpture outside Musee de Quai Branly

Posing outside the shop

The gardens and building of the musee

Just around the corner was the Eiffel Tour so that is the direction we headed. The queues were reasonably long but moving quickly, so we bought our tickets to go up by lift, and then waited our turn.

Waiting patiently in the queue.

Can you tell Di hates heights?

The Trocadero from on high

Military museum and golden dome of Napolean's tomb location

When we were going up the tour we noticed that on the first floor they had an ice skating rink set up, so once we had been to the top and second floors and admired the views we headed back down to the first floor where Hilary pulled on some skates and then spent probably close to an hour skating around. We met lots of Australians on this day, three joined our walking tour and there were at least 3 other groups ice-skating with us. I guess it was their summer holidays and so many had travelled to Europe for Christmas, but they were definitely the majority of tourists that we saw/heard around the city at that time.

Ice skating on the Eiffel Tour

After our time at the Eiffel tour we walked back around the river on the northern bank back to near the Opera. Though the photo below implies night time it was only about 4pm I think when we reached La Fayette Galleries, a big and poncy shopping centre

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.