PARIS - The city of LOVE

So after a year of talking about going to Paris for our first wedding anniversary we finally did it!!
We organised a day off from work of Friday and flew out of Southampton Airport to Charles De Gaulle in Paris!!
On our first train ride in the city of love we were serenaded by an accordian player!! FANTASTIC!! Our hotel was in central Paris near the church of Madeleine and the Opera House. We walked all around the Left bank on day one and took a cruise on the Seine River. The guide spoke 6 different languages. For dinner we visited the Saint-Germaine area and Greg ate snails for the first time. So MUCH garlic!!


On day two we ate breakfast at Cafe madeleine. Coffee and croissants. We did make the mistake of thinking the price on the menu included the whole basket of croissants. An expensive breakfast of 32 euros! On the right is a picture of the Madeleine church. Seems really out of place with its Roman columns.

Then we walked to the Eiffel tower. The sky was clear blue but the high winds meant that the top level of the tower was closed. We were quiet happy just going to the first level and spent a good hour spotting the sights from our high view.

Next we walked to the Arc De Triomphe. 12 avenues exit from this roundabout!! And what a roundabout it is. Napolean comissioned the Arc to be built in 1806 and it was finished in 1836. It's 51 metres high and soon it'll have a museum at the top. We were able to climb to the first level which is still very impressive.
















That night we happened to be seated next to another Australian couple at dinner. We spent a lovely evening hearing all about their travel plans and their experiences living in London.

On Sunday morning we woke up early to get to the Louvre. Once there Jane pointed out that the queues above ground next to the pyramid were not a good sign since the ticket desks are all 20 metres below. We couldn't see the masses of people waiting to buy tickets. A surprise awaited us. Once we'd queued up top and gone through the entrance in the pyramid eveyone walked straight into the gallery. Sundays are free!!! Well it was great for the bank account but there were so many people making the most of the free visit. We made a beeline for the Mona Lisa and then relaxed and sat infront of a few famous paintings for much longer, taking in all the details. If anyone can tell us what the ?glass? orb is that's seen in many religious paintings we'd be thrilled to find out. Its often held by angels in the sky above the king or queen or biblical character depicted below.
This fountain is in the Place de la Concorde.

Then sadly we had to fly back to Southampton where the rain was pouring, the car was still in the garage and we were still living in a nasty old rotten house in the red light district. But not for much longer....