Paris - Brisbane

Thursday 8 January

Not much to say really - it is all over. Everyone a little sad to be at the end of a wonderful experience, but a bit of a spring in the step and keen anticipation to be back in our own beds.

Up early and downstairs to wait for the shuttle to the airport. He is a few minutes late, but we allowed plenty of time (surprise surprise). And really, all the rest of trip was uneventful - no hassles getting to the airport, flight was on time although we had to go back to the gate for a malfunction to be looked at, but nevertheless, we left an hour or so late but arrived in Singapore about 20 minutes later than scheduled. Flight to Brisbane all on time and uneventful. Baggage presented itself fairly promptly, marvelous trip to immigration and customs - and all of a sudden we are out in the beautiful, WARM, Brisbane air.

The car is waiting for us - it starts first time and we are on the road (left hand side of course!) to home. A peek inthe door shows that the power is truly on, the lights work - Bliss! Everything is good.

We are home!

Paris - Winding down

Wednesday 7 January

Not sure if it is because we are going home tomorow, but the energy levels are very down. Mind you, we have done a huge amount in the last 4 and a half weeks and have walked our feet off here in Paris.

We stumble out the door and do a quick walk around the Marais - catch the 'Defender of Time' clock, wander past Nicolas Flamel's house (Yes - the hero character in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Yes he was a real person and Yes he was an alchemist who theoretically discovered the Philosopher's Stone, but No, he was actually born in 1330). Flamel's house is the oldest in Paris dating from about 1400. Next we wander over to St Chappelle to finally see this magnificent cathedral, but alas it is closed once again for 'security' reasons - it is not to be, we will just have to come back another time if we want to see inside. A bit of souvenir shopping and we seem to be at a loss as to what we should do next, so we simply give up, go back to the apartment have a bite to eat before starting the packing exercise.

A quiet afternoon in the apartment - seems a shame because it is such a beautiful sunny day outside (although, Yes, it is still very cold), but given what we have seen and done, it doesn't seem to matter. Dinner is a quiet affair at a local restaurant, but after a bowl of delicious minestrone and some pasta, we are ready to call it a day.

Paris - Napoleon and Rodin

Today started off with no snow - we looked out our window & it was clear sky, so with blithe hearts we set off, however one step out the door and we were in for a rude shock. Temperature was -4 deg. and absolutely freezing - even the stalwart Steve was shocked into complaining of the cold. The footpaths were slippery death-traps - full of ice. We hot-tailed it down to the comparative warmth of the Metro in our devious plan to hit the Eiffel Tower early & beat the crowds. Our plan was extremely successful - we reached the Eiffel Tower - which was surrounded by white snow to find minimal crowds. We soon discerned that the lack of crowds was more to do with the amount of ice on the platforms and that the Tower was indefinitely closed as a safety issue......oh well, our second attempt & once again no further to the top.

Not to be deterred, we braved the cold & snow and walked through the gardens to Les Invalides. It was SOOOO cold. Ground was icy, feet, legs and faces were either numb, or once passed that point, then just throbbing with the cold. We stopped for a warming coffee to partially thaw out, before heading back into the freezer and icy ground to Les Invalides. First stop was Napoleon's tomb - a huge monument for a physically little man. The building was massive, the tomb in the crypt visible from the ground floor, surrounded by 12 large statues keeping eternal vigil on the massive sarcophagus - more fascinating than anyone had anticipated. Next visit was the exhibition of ancient armour - sounds dull, but was surprisingly interesting (keep in mind it was warm & indoors!).

Once again we ventured out. The day was still clear, but bitterly, bitterly cold. We headed to the nearby Rodin Museum, a gorgeous repository of Rodin's massive sculptural output, all housed in his original Paris abode. Some gorgeous examples of Rodin's work - pieces we hadn't known about as well as those pieces that have encapsulated Rodin's eternal fame.

From Rodin it was a quick Metro ride back to our warm haven. Rose & Steve took the opportunity to rug up and head out to our nearby outdoor skate rink while it wasn't busy (most normal people were warm and indoors). While they were skating, the sun came out and while still bitterly cold (temperature had risen to nearly 0 deg) it was a gorgeous afternoon. We then took the clear afternoon opportunity to visit St Chapelle (the one place in Paris that Bron REALLY wanted to see) - alas, St Chappelle was closed for the 2nd day in a row for "security reasons" - tomorrow is our last chance! Thwarted by St Chapelle's security (we figured that they were just too cold to man the doors), we headed back to Simon's favourite spot in the world - Shakespeare's Book Shop - to smother ourselves in it's warmth & drown in it's literary ambience.

Simon acquired another book. Back to the apartment for some down time, then dinner in a nearby bistro. Tomorrow is our last day.......

Paris - Louvre

Monday 5 January

Up and on the road at 9. Now some may say that we should have stayed in because the snow was fairly heavy and covered most everything we could see, but no, we ventured on.

We get to the Louvre - hoping that now that the European vacation period is over (and also because of the crappy weather) that the crowds would be down. We turn the corner and spot the pyramid and there is no queue...we wonder if the Louvre is open, but no it is Monday, the Louvre closes on Tuesdays...it is open and there is no queue. We venture in and head downstairs to get tickets - only one other person in front of us at the ticket queue. Bliss!! We have tickets, we check our coats and venture in to the Louvre amongst crowds that must be one tenth of the crowds experienced over the last week.

We head straight to the Mona Lisa - a few people around the famous painting, but we are able to enjoy it. We continue on through the Apollo Gallery to see the crown jewels, through the apartment of Napolean III and all the other major attractions and as everyone who ever visits the Louvre seems to, we go into overload with the extraordinary volume of outstanding works of art. We end up drifting from room to room of masterpieces, barely pausing to notice, let alone appreciate, the works by Van Gogh, Delacroix, Raphael, Botticelli, and so on and so on and so on. But enjoy the moment we did. Simon and Rose both overwhelmed and exhausted from the sheer size of the Louvre and its collection.

Despite some general exhaustion and continuing snow, we walk up to Gallerie Lafayette do a little shopping, pick up some produce from the 'Gourmet' section (i.e. food hall) and then head back through the shopping arcade of the Palais Royale back to the apartment to dry off, warm up and settle in for the night.

Paris - Down and Out

Sunday 4 January

We leap out of bed at the crack of dawn (OK, so that means 9am here) and gather for another attack on Paris. This time Simon is leading us on another walking tour through what used to be 'down and out' Paris. We cross over the Ile de la Cite and strangely there is no queue at Notre Dame so in we go. Again, we seem to have struck gold with our random church visit - being Sunday morning there is a mass on, but this is the Gregorian Mass and we are treated to some superb Gregorian Chants and music in this iconic cathedral - a truly wonderful start to the day.

We continue on to Bd St Germaine and criss cross a couple of streets before getting to the Pantheon (Yes - there is one in Paris, No - we didn't do a side trip to Greece). Once a church, it was transformed into the National Pantheon where the great would be honoured and so now it houses Voltaire, Louie Braille, Victor Hugo, Rousseau, Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas and many others. The Pantheon was also the scene of a very famous experiment by Foucault and a pendulum where he proved that the earth rotates around the sun, not vice versa.

We wander on and along to 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine - home to Ernest Hemingway. Every friday night a writers party was organised in the cabaret underneath Hemingway's flat. The novelist Jean Rhys wrote of the 'sour smell of drunken bodies' and the 'dangerously cheap brandy' at these parties. Next on to Rue du Pot de Fer where, at no. 6, George Orwell wrote 'Down and Out in Paris and London' - and yes, Simon got the book for Christmas and has read it during our travels.

We finish our wanderings by going through a local Sunday morning market and pick up some yummy looking goodies for dinner at home tonight. A ride on the metro and we are back at the apartment to drop off our purchases and to consider the afternoons activities.

Out and about again - this time to the Conciergerie. This was the main prison during the 'Reign of Terror' and was used to incarcerate alleged enemies of the revolution before they were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal in the Palais de Justice next door. Among the 2700 prisoners held here before being sent of to the guillotine was Marie Antoinette. A very interesting littel piece of revolutionary France.

Children have had about as much fun as they can stand in one day, so they head back to the apartment whilst Steve and Bronwen head off to the Museum of the Middle Ages where an very interesting collection of 10th and 11th century objects is displayed. Most notable is the tapestry of 'The Lady with the Unicorn' - a series of late 15th century tapestries from the Netherlands.

Even Steve and Bronwen have now had enough fun - back to the apartment for a well deserved Vodka and Tonic. Dinner in with a good red and a peaceful nights sleep.

Paris - Montmartre

Saturday 3 January

Despite best intentions, we don't quite make it out and about by 9, but 10 wasn't too bad. Down to the Metro and up to Montmartre. It is a beautiful day and the dome of Sacre Coeur glows in the sunshine. It is a little hazy, but the view of Paris is beautiful. As we wander around inside Sacre Coeur, a glimpse of a nun in full traditional habit talking on a mobile phone was an interesting juxtaposition of the old and the new!

Out to Place du Tertre with all its artists and nothing appears to have changed - paintings are the same tourist paintings, hawkers wanting to do cutouts and portraits of everyone are still everywhere - this really is tourist central. We grab some petit dejeuner and start walking down the hill - we spot the last remaining vineyard with the Lapin Agile below, wander past 54 Rue Lepic where Vincent Van Gogh lived with his brother for a couple of years and finish in Place des Abbesses where a mosaic wall has 'I Love You' in 311 languages symbolising romance, street art and international cooperation.

Back on to the metro and a re-visit to Pere Lachaise cemetry - this time it is open. We pay a visit to Abelard and Heloise, Jim Morrison, Chopin, Rossini, Edith Piaf, Gertrude Stein and Oscar Wilde's tomb covered in 'kisses' among others, but again, despite the sun, the cold is taking its toll and we head back to the apartment for a break. The cold shouldn't be effecting us too badly though - an indicator on the way back tells us the temperature has rocketed all the way up to 3C!!!

Bronwen feeling a bit of the toll of poor sleep, cold and walking so takes a complete break while Steve, Simon and Rose take a gamble that the Eiffel Tower won't be too much of a nightmare. Well, you think we would have learnt by now - Saturday afternoon on the (hopefully) last weekend of the European holidays and the queue to get up to level 2 is about 1 1/2 hours with a lovely little electronic sign telling us that the wait to get from level 2 to the top is '> 45 minutes'. A quick discussion and we decide that we will try our luck another day - but we are up close and personal with 'La Tour' and this seems to provide a degree of satisfaction to Rose and Simon. Pizza picked up on the way back to the apartment provides a fine end to the day.

Paris - Versailles

Friday 2nd January

Today we set a new record - on the street by 8am, which in this part of the world is before dawn. We march bravely off to Gare St Michel just as it starts to snow and yes, it is very cold. A mixture of thoughts - are we complete lunatics? Wow isn't this snow wonderful? Wow, isn't this snow crap! But comments are generally kept to ourselves except for Rose who is reveling in the conditions.

We find the right train line and board the train to Versailles. Yet again our theory of getting out early to beat the crowds seems flawed - we arrive at Versailles and there is the queue - not too bad though and it moves pretty quickly. We buy tickets to access the main palace, Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon and a tour.

On entering the palace, the crowds are bad - a number of self guided tour groups trying to make their way through in groups of 20 or 30, moving through is difficult at best. However, we glance at the rooms, push our way past the bulk of the tour groups and the crowds lighten up a little for us to enjoy a few of the rooms and the Hall of Mirrors. We wander off to the garden and enjoy a walk about before a coffee and then join our guided tour. The tour is very interesting and takes us to parts of the palace where there is no public. A very pleasant sojourn.

We emerge into sunshine and blue skies - perfect for a walk down the grand canal and over to the Grand Trianon. Not many people have bought the full 'passport' to the palace so the crowds at the Trianon are negligable - wonderful - and a beautiful place it is too. On to the Petit Trianon and the crowds are also substantially reduced so we are able to enjoy this little cottage (comparatively speaking of course) where Marie Antoinette spent so much time.

The walk back to the palace and off to the train station is still bitterly cold despite the sun, but we safely arrive and catch the train back home. After a brief rest, we venture out once again and cross over to the beautiful little Isle St Louis where we find a wonderful little restaurant for a lovely meal.