Paris holds the key to your heart

The title of this post is a little shout-out to a certain film. A wheel of cheese and a Gold star to the first person who gets it!

So, easily one of the best, if not THE best things about living in Europe is your proximity to, well, Europe. Handy that.

A few weeks ago Mark and I went to Paris. It was, unsurprisingly, GREATNESS. We hadn't visited the city of love since the 1998 Pembroke Choir and Orchestra Tour, so we were very excited to be back, over 10 years later.

Being money conscious as we are (*cough-have to be-**) we found the cheapest way to get there was actually to catch an overnight sleeper train that left around 9.45pm and got in to Paris around 7.00am. It was ok, the "couchettes" are comfy enough and the train rocking motion is oddly soothing, but it's still not a way I'd like to travel all the time. Yeah yeah, harden up princess, but anyways.

We made our way to our hotel via...a slight detour. I'd looked at the maps and went for easiest path....which meant we walked for about 50min when we could have either gone one metro station or walked about 15min. Doh. Stupido. While walking M pointed out ever-so-gently that it was a good thing I'd mucked up, as if he'd made the mistake that had me unnecessarily traipsing around, he'd be dead meat.

Touche.

We dumped our stuff and raced of to meet Tori and Anthony who had been staying with us in Cannes - we had a great time with them! We met them at Notre Dame and started on our bike tour. I would thoroughly recommend http://www.bikeabouttours.com/ our guide, Christian, was so lovely and they really showed us "their" Paris - not just all the big monuments that you can easily see on your own. We had a brilliant time, it was such a gold way to site-see. Hang on.. sight-see or site-see? Your are seeing sites but....... ah, fook it. Anyway, I loathe bus tours, personally, much prefer walking and now - riding!

Our bike tour group and Christian

However, they told us their bikes had extra comfy gel seats. My arse they were comfy! And my arse should know, it was killing by the end of the tour! I can't remember the last time I rode a bike - and I now the cliche is that "it's just like riding a bike" - i.e, you don't forget, but someone needed to tell that to, well, my va-ja-jay and butt region. OUCH.

The rest of the long weekend was jam packed with lots of site seeing, plenty of walking and a butt-load of stair climbing - especially around Monmartre and Sacre Coeur. We had a wonderful time and as we caught the TGV 'home' to Cannes, we were very thankful fo the opportunity to live in France.

Highlights?

• Seeing the Eiffel Tour at night, it really is something special.


• The hot chocolate at Angelinas and M's hilarious reaction to the price.


• Musee d'Orsay. I love me some impressionist art.


• Shakespeare & Co Bookshop. I wanna have its babies. LOVED IT.
  
• Ile St Louis, so cute and the famous Berthillon icecream - deliciouso.


• Stumbling along a man practicing his opera singing in one of the acoustically domed entryways to the Louvre. He was amazing!


• Just walking around Paris and soaking it all up.
  

Some photos for your viewing pleasure! Lots more on M's fbook.

The fabulous Musee d'Orsay

Some big monument

Sacre Coeur

Louvre Pyramids at night

Thanks for stopping by!