Pilgrimage to Paris

Phew. Just returned from a pilgrimage to Paris - although hardly a pilgrimage with a 45 minute Easyjet flight and 10 minutes on the train....but it sounds impressive, doesn't it? Again, the worst part about this trip was having to get up at 5am - we had a taxi booked for 5.30am so couldn't afford to be late. Dragged ourselves out of bed, and discovered that I had woken up with a severe head cold. Typical. Murphy's law....anything that can go wrong, will, when you are trying to have some time out without children!

We landed in Paris at 7am and were seated in a cafe outside Notre Dame cathedral by 7.45. It was still dark, there was a huge frost and it was freezing, but all that aside it was a lovely place to have breakfast! We ordered coffee and pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) and it was the most expensive breakfast we have ever eaten, so we took our time and enjoyed the view. After breakfast we went for a walk, then returned to the cathedral and climbed the stairs to the top.

Let me just say (very quietly, of course) that I am OVER climbing stairs! I've lost count of how many we have climbed, and am groaning at the thought of another two weeks in England with many more stairs to be climbed. How unfair is it that the best views of any city involve at least 40 minutes of walking up hills or climbing stairs? Although I do admit it is always worth it for the view! And then of course there is the added benefit of walking off all the wonderful french bread and croissants!

After Notre Dame, we went to Sainte Chapelle - one of the most beautiful churches you can imagine with incredible stained glass. It is situated in the middle of the Palais d'Justice (which used to be a palace for the french kings prior to Versaille being built, but is now the law courts). Then we walked along the Seine to the Eiffel tower, and on the way had a peek at the famous tunnel at Pont d'Alma where Princess Diana was killed. Took the obligatory photo, but really there is nothing to see. There is no specific memorial there, although the public have modifed another memorial and now use it to leave flowers for her. All a bit tacky, really!

Our hotel was two or three streets away from the Eiffel tower, and because I was feeling so miserable we decided to do what the french do, and have an afternoon siesta. There is really no point wandering around in the middle of the afternoon anyway, as most of the shops shut and everything quietens down. We woke up at about 5pm, just in time for the sunset, so we walked to the Eiffel tower and took some photos just as all the lights came on, then went to the top where we were rewarded with wonderful views of Paris at night. Glad to say we caught the lift...
After that, we walked to the Arc d'Triomphe and along the Champs Elysee - the longest and most expensive street in Paris. We peeked in all the windows and eventually decided to have dinner in one of the restaurants - lovely french food, but we avoided the escargot and frog's legs, as we weren't feeling too adventurous!

This morning we used the metro to get us to Montmarte to visit Sacre Coeur, where we again enjoyed breakfast in a cafe with a spectacular view. It was at the foot of the hill, and much cheaper than yesterday's! This cathedral is very beautiful with lots of side chapels, but is not as nice as Notre Dame and neither really compare to St Peter's in Rome.

So, now we are back in Geneva, exhausted but glad to have had a break away on our own without the children, and packing our bags to leave for the UK tomorrow morning. We are well and truly on the downhill run now with only 2 weeks to go until we leave for home, and three weeks until we are all back at work/school. We are NOT looking forward to getting back to reality, but we are looking forward to catching up with family and friends.

I'm not sure whether we'll have much internet access in England, as we are travelling round a bit. I will try and check in when we can.