Paris

14th May

Today we caught the tram to catch the bus to catch the metro to catch the train to get to our accommodation in Paris. It was an all day affair. We left our accommodation in Antwerp at 8am and arrived in our accommodation at 4.30pm. Unfortunately we managed to miss the train by a minute and had to wait half an hour for the next one. Due to the train strikes the trains were running less frequently.

We met Carole and her family. They were all lovely. They even cooked us dinner.

Luckily Carole told us about a local train pass as it was half the cost of what we would have to buy otherwise. The day passes are very expensive.

After a lovely evening chatting and learning about the best French food we went to bed.

Billy (the dog) loves Chorizo. She was practically dancing with excitement at the hope that she might get some  

15th May

We set off for the city at about 8am because it'd take a little over an hour to reach the Louve Museum.

The local RER trains carry slot of people 

When we arrived there it was very quiet. We couldn't find the entrance and a helpful passer-by told us where to go and also that it was closed.

Where are all the people? Louve is shut on Tuesdays 

So we decided to make the most of it and check out the gardens nearby.

After that we walked to Sainte Chapelle via Place Vendome.

The stained-glass windows on the second floor were amazing. Jay and I were impressed.

After we took a quick peak at the adjacent Palais de Justice.

From there we walked to Cathedral Notre-Dame. The size of the cathedral was impressive. It was huge.

Bread festival by Notre Dame 

After that we walked to Thermes Et Hotel De Cluny only to find out it's closed till July.

Then we checked out the nearby Latin Quarter. Jay had a kebab and I had a crepe.

Next we caught the metro to Arc De Triomphe. We climbed the stairs to the top. I enjoyed watching the crazy traffic as well as the views.

While we were seeing monuments we decided to see the Effiel Tower. It was a short walk from the metro. Jay wasn't very impressed with it and neither was I - no more impressive the second time around.

We then took the train to see Versaille Palace. We weren't sure what to expect as we felt we'd seen enough palaces already. However we were impressed. It was a fantastic palace and we were so pleased that we went to see it.

To get back home we caught a bus. It was so crowded for a good part of the journey. We were lucky because we got a seat because we'd hopped on at the first stop.

Once we were off the bus we took a detour to find a supermarket to find ingredients to make dinner. We cooked pav bhaji.

It was a really good day.

16th May

This morning we were pros at getting to the Louve. When we arrived there was a huge queue. However it was processed quickly and we didn't have to wait too long.

We did what everyone else does and went to see the Mona Lisa first. That done we explored the rest of the museum.

It's really big so we ended up seeing half of it before we decided we'd had enough. To be honest I like the rooms more than the contents most of the time. They're gorgeous.

What it's really like by the Mona Lisa! 

A short walk from there was Musee d'Orsay. It's once was a railway station but now it's an art museum. We went there to see the beautiful room, the clock and the view from the terrace. Unfortunately the terrace was closed as it's too cold (it's attached to the café).

Crossing the bridge on our way to the Orsay

It was shut on the terrace  Photo through the window.

After that we headed to Notre Dame because we learnt that there are towers that you can go up. We found the entrance to the tower on the side of the building. You have to take a time to go in. It was an hour to the first available time slot.

As it was lunch we headed to the Latin Quarter and had a three course meal. I had French onion soup, beef bourguignon and chocolate mouse. Jay had a cheese crepe, chicken and ice-cream.

Very full we returned to the tower. We had to climb about 400 steps. Fortunately for me there was a break in the middle for the first viewing platform!

Going down stairs is so much easier than climbing up them! 

Next we headed to the Pantheon stopping in at the church opposite.

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

The Pantheon was humongous. It was also beautiful. We climbed yet another set of stairs and enjoyed 360 degree views of Paris.

Tired we headed back home.

For dinner we were lucky enough to have a bbq cooked for us followed by crepes for dessert.