Paris

On our first night in Paris, Ali our B&B host took us to Montmartre, a very busy and and lively street art and cafe area, and also the site of Sacré-Cœur Basilica which overlooks Paris, as it is on a hill. This cathedral has lots of gargoyles around the outside.  We enjoyed the buzz of the area, and as it doesn't get dark until after ten at night, places are open late and people are still out and about, you easily loose track of time. 

Paris was all that we expected and after figuring out the metro we made our way to the Louvre the next day from our b&b which was reasonably central. The Louvre Museum is massive and to do it justice you could spend a week there alone. However we had a couple of must sees and visited The Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, and then just wandered mainly through the old masters. 

Having to call it a day there we headed down the Champs-Élysées towards the  Arc de Triomphe stopping several times on the way to do small detours, so much to see. 

From the Louvre you can catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, this got us reasonably excited. We headed there later in the afternoon and again had a few detours on the way, one of note it the huge fountain in front of Place du Trocadéro next to the Eiffel Tower. We waited on the banks of the park while it went through its sequence of water displays. Plus we needed a wee rest.

We had decided to the top of the Eiffel Tower was the only choice, so we had prepared ourselves to line up for hours, however we were at the top in just over an hour which was sooner than we expected. Absolutely worth the line up and the view was spectacular, and made you realize the vastness of the city. After heading back via the metro completely exhausted and a slight confusion about what line to take, we headed back to the B&B.  Jim chose where to have dinner and it was an excellent choice, plus France was playing soccer and won so there was added excitement.

Norte Dame Cathedral was our destination the next day and again taking the metro. Well worth the visit and I was impressed by the beautiful stained glass windows throughout the cathedral. The cathedral took 200 years to build and is 800 years old. 

We then headed back to get the car from the parking area which we had left it in for the two days, knowing it was going to be expensive, but safe and not having to worry about getting towed or broken into while we were here. As you can appreciate parking is at a premium in all big cities. (52€)

We headed to Versailles Palace and gardens just outside Paris. unfortunately the Palace was closed on a Monday,  but we had a good look around the grounds, most impressive. I wouldn't want to be mowing the lawns though! 

Overall a city to visit and though we only scratched the surface, I would be keen to come back again if I had the opportunity.