Sunday
We woke up this morning with aching legs & feet . All the walking wed done was taking effect and today wed planned even more on a walking tour of Paris. After another filling breakfast in the hotel we headed off for the Eiffel Tower, Ruth still wanted to go up but as ever, I wasnt keen. Our hotel was under a kilometre from the tower and we could see that the top of the tower was covered in mist. Personally, I was praying it would be closed!
A view up the tower from the second level
Unfortunately, it was still open so I agreed to join the queue and go up to level 1. This didnt appear to be too high and, crucially for me, there looked to be a mesh / barrier running all the way around. As we stood at the end of the queue I felt a pull on my shirt, I turned around to be greeted by Hannah, Rebecca and the rest of the family wed met on the plane. What were the chances of that happening?! The next 40 minutes in the queue for the tower were great. As we snaked our way to the entrance I did the parents a favour by keeping the girls occupied the girls did me a HUGE favour by taking my mind off going up. There are 3 levels of pricing for the tower, 4, 7 & 11 euros depending on how high you want to go. We both got tickets for the top just-in-case I would make it. Yeah right.
On entering the lift with around 50 other people I froze and began looking at the floor. It moved smoothly upwards and then came to a stop. Then started moving again I kept staring at the floor. When it stopped again people began to get off so I shuffled to the door and was expecting to be on the first floor surrounded by mesh yet all I could see was an unadulterated view across Paris. GULP
What I hadnt realised was that we had gone to the second level which is split into two. A lower deck that has mesh around and a smaller, upper level which has none. I freaked and grabbed the nearest piece of metal / girder I could. What a wuss
but thats the way I feel about heights. Ruth managed to calm me down before going off exploring and queuing for the lift to the top of the tower. To be perfectly honest, I dont remember much about being up there; I spent most of the time staring at the floor or walls. A very kind guide from the tower escorted me to the lift so I could go down Id really had enough and just as I reached the safety of Terra Firma, I got a message from Ruth to say shed reached the top for this kind of view:
From the top ...
It took about an hour for Ruth to make her way down, I was just happy to people watch on the ground. Hannah, Rebecca and their family came out not long after Ruth and theyd been all the way to the top:
Hannah, Jade and their Dads
I congratulated them for being so brave, its not something you could pay me to do! We said goodbye to them but both Hannah and Rebecca gave me a big hug which made me feel a lot better about being such a chicken on the tower
We then started to walk across Paris to join up with a guided walking tour about "La Resistance" and the German occupation during WWII. We stopped for a bite to eat near the National Assembly building before crossing the Seine and back through the beautiful Jardin De Tuileries. We met the tour guide near the Tuilerie Metro station and paid 10 euros each for the tour.
The tour took abut 2.5 hours and we were shown buildings used by the Germans & the resistance, we heard about Von Sholtiz (last German commander before Paris fell to the Allies) and how he managed to save much of what we could see today. Apparently, Hitler had ordered that Paris should be destroyed if the Allies got near. Buildings, bridges and monuments were wired with explosives ready to be destroyed but Von Sholtiz didnt give the order to use them. If he had followed Hitlers orders the Paris we see today wouldnt have been there and that wouldve been such a shame.
We heard of the innocent Parisians that were hounded by the Germans. The Jews that were rounded up and shipped off to their deaths. Stories of ordinary people being whisked off to work for the german war machine in factories 100s of miles away. The talks were interspersed with pictures of what the buildings and streets looked like back then so we could compare the old with today. Even bullet holes were pointed out to us from the fighting!
Bullet holes!
We saw the Ritz hotel where some of the Germans and Coco Chanel stayed during the occupation. Allegedly, Miss Chanel was very fond of the Germans, staying in the Ritz and fraternising with them. Shes even thought to have made some speeches denouncing Jewish people and agreeing with their deportation. She might be dead but Ill never buy any Chanel products for my wife again
After the talk / walk we were back on the Champs Elysees and ready for a drink and something to eat. A hot dog and crepe later we headed back to the Metro and our hotel. Talk about aching feet! After a shower and the obligatory British cuppa, we got changed and went back out into a horrible downpour The plan was to go back into the centre for a meal but the rain put a stop to that. We went to a restaurant about 100m from our hotel and after perusing the menu asked for 1 of them and 1 of them by pointing at the menu. We had no idea what we were ordering but as long a it was escargot I didnt care! We had ordered a steak and veg liver and veg. You know what? They were gorgeous. I thought the Americans knew how to cook meat but this was far better than anything Ive had in the USA or the UK.
After a lovely, romantic meal here we decided to brave the rain and head into Paris again. Luckily, it had died down so we didnt get too wet. Not knowing exactly where we wanted to go I suggested going up to the Sacre Couer church as this was high on a hill giving a great view of the city below. We used the metro to get there and as usual, there were no escalators or lifts. Normally, this isnt too much of a problem as the Parisian metro doesnt feel that deep. However, coming off at XXXX there was a very long spiral staircase that we had to climb. Upon exiting the station and checking a map, the Sacre Couer was even further up hill! We managed to find our way to the back of the church whose white stonework was illuminated in the sky by powerful lights. Its easy to see why this is a special place for Parisians.
We made our way to the front of the church to look over Paris below us. If you want to know what it looks like during the day, watch the end of the Renault Clio advert where they compare Britain to France. The final The most romantic city in the world Lets see scene was shot on the road in front of the Sacre Coeur. After spending some time up here marvelling at the city below us we went to one of the side streets where Ruth had a look around some of the gift shops and I had a pint of Guiness in an Irish bar. Well, I have to get my priorities right! We used the Funicular Railway to come off the hill and back down to the main roads. Our intention was to get to a metro and make our way back to the hotel as it was getting late.
We made a decision to turn right as it appeared to be the quickest way back to a Metro. Unfortunately, this took us straight back through another seedy district. Sex shops, lap dancing bars and other dubious establishments. At least it meant that Ruth stayed very close again!.
Both needing a drink, I saw the friendly golden M of a McDonalds. Id been telling Ruth for weeks that I wanted to try Le Big Mac to see if they really did taste the same. Begrudgingly, she allowed me to try one but gave me grief as I was having Le Big Mac after the steak from earlier. It didnt however, stop her from going to the patisserie next door and getting some apple and strawberry treats! Knowing that we werent that far from metro we made our way there and saw the front of the Moulin Rouge and that was all we wanted to see! Back onto the metro we made our way back to the hotel to eat our pastries with yet more tea before crashing out again for the night.
We woke up this morning with aching legs & feet . All the walking wed done was taking effect and today wed planned even more on a walking tour of Paris. After another filling breakfast in the hotel we headed off for the Eiffel Tower, Ruth still wanted to go up but as ever, I wasnt keen. Our hotel was under a kilometre from the tower and we could see that the top of the tower was covered in mist. Personally, I was praying it would be closed!
A view up the tower from the second level
Unfortunately, it was still open so I agreed to join the queue and go up to level 1. This didnt appear to be too high and, crucially for me, there looked to be a mesh / barrier running all the way around. As we stood at the end of the queue I felt a pull on my shirt, I turned around to be greeted by Hannah, Rebecca and the rest of the family wed met on the plane. What were the chances of that happening?! The next 40 minutes in the queue for the tower were great. As we snaked our way to the entrance I did the parents a favour by keeping the girls occupied the girls did me a HUGE favour by taking my mind off going up. There are 3 levels of pricing for the tower, 4, 7 & 11 euros depending on how high you want to go. We both got tickets for the top just-in-case I would make it. Yeah right.
On entering the lift with around 50 other people I froze and began looking at the floor. It moved smoothly upwards and then came to a stop. Then started moving again I kept staring at the floor. When it stopped again people began to get off so I shuffled to the door and was expecting to be on the first floor surrounded by mesh yet all I could see was an unadulterated view across Paris. GULP
What I hadnt realised was that we had gone to the second level which is split into two. A lower deck that has mesh around and a smaller, upper level which has none. I freaked and grabbed the nearest piece of metal / girder I could. What a wuss
but thats the way I feel about heights. Ruth managed to calm me down before going off exploring and queuing for the lift to the top of the tower. To be perfectly honest, I dont remember much about being up there; I spent most of the time staring at the floor or walls. A very kind guide from the tower escorted me to the lift so I could go down Id really had enough and just as I reached the safety of Terra Firma, I got a message from Ruth to say shed reached the top for this kind of view:
From the top ...
It took about an hour for Ruth to make her way down, I was just happy to people watch on the ground. Hannah, Rebecca and their family came out not long after Ruth and theyd been all the way to the top:
Hannah, Jade and their Dads
I congratulated them for being so brave, its not something you could pay me to do! We said goodbye to them but both Hannah and Rebecca gave me a big hug which made me feel a lot better about being such a chicken on the tower
We then started to walk across Paris to join up with a guided walking tour about "La Resistance" and the German occupation during WWII. We stopped for a bite to eat near the National Assembly building before crossing the Seine and back through the beautiful Jardin De Tuileries. We met the tour guide near the Tuilerie Metro station and paid 10 euros each for the tour.
The tour took abut 2.5 hours and we were shown buildings used by the Germans & the resistance, we heard about Von Sholtiz (last German commander before Paris fell to the Allies) and how he managed to save much of what we could see today. Apparently, Hitler had ordered that Paris should be destroyed if the Allies got near. Buildings, bridges and monuments were wired with explosives ready to be destroyed but Von Sholtiz didnt give the order to use them. If he had followed Hitlers orders the Paris we see today wouldnt have been there and that wouldve been such a shame.
We heard of the innocent Parisians that were hounded by the Germans. The Jews that were rounded up and shipped off to their deaths. Stories of ordinary people being whisked off to work for the german war machine in factories 100s of miles away. The talks were interspersed with pictures of what the buildings and streets looked like back then so we could compare the old with today. Even bullet holes were pointed out to us from the fighting!
Bullet holes!
We saw the Ritz hotel where some of the Germans and Coco Chanel stayed during the occupation. Allegedly, Miss Chanel was very fond of the Germans, staying in the Ritz and fraternising with them. Shes even thought to have made some speeches denouncing Jewish people and agreeing with their deportation. She might be dead but Ill never buy any Chanel products for my wife again
After the talk / walk we were back on the Champs Elysees and ready for a drink and something to eat. A hot dog and crepe later we headed back to the Metro and our hotel. Talk about aching feet! After a shower and the obligatory British cuppa, we got changed and went back out into a horrible downpour
The plan was to go back into the centre for a meal but the rain put a stop to that. We went to a restaurant about 100m from our hotel and after perusing the menu asked for 1 of them and 1 of them by pointing at the menu. We had no idea what we were ordering but as long a it was escargot I didnt care! We had ordered a steak and veg liver and veg. You know what? They were gorgeous. I thought the Americans knew how to cook meat but this was far better than anything Ive had in the USA or the UK. After a lovely, romantic meal here we decided to brave the rain and head into Paris again. Luckily, it had died down so we didnt get too wet. Not knowing exactly where we wanted to go I suggested going up to the Sacre Couer church as this was high on a hill giving a great view of the city below. We used the metro to get there and as usual, there were no escalators or lifts. Normally, this isnt too much of a problem as the Parisian metro doesnt feel that deep. However, coming off at XXXX there was a very long spiral staircase that we had to climb. Upon exiting the station and checking a map, the Sacre Couer was even further up hill! We managed to find our way to the back of the church whose white stonework was illuminated in the sky by powerful lights. Its easy to see why this is a special place for Parisians.
We made our way to the front of the church to look over Paris below us. If you want to know what it looks like during the day, watch the end of the Renault Clio advert where they compare Britain to France. The final The most romantic city in the world Lets see scene was shot on the road in front of the Sacre Coeur. After spending some time up here marvelling at the city below us we went to one of the side streets where Ruth had a look around some of the gift shops and I had a pint of Guiness in an Irish bar. Well, I have to get my priorities right! We used the Funicular Railway to come off the hill and back down to the main roads. Our intention was to get to a metro and make our way back to the hotel as it was getting late.
We made a decision to turn right as it appeared to be the quickest way back to a Metro. Unfortunately, this took us straight back through another seedy district. Sex shops, lap dancing bars and other dubious establishments. At least it meant that Ruth stayed very close again!.
Both needing a drink, I saw the friendly golden M of a McDonalds. Id been telling Ruth for weeks that I wanted to try Le Big Mac to see if they really did taste the same. Begrudgingly, she allowed me to try one but gave me grief as I was having Le Big Mac after the steak from earlier. It didnt however, stop her from going to the patisserie next door and getting some apple and strawberry treats! Knowing that we werent that far from metro we made our way there and saw the front of the Moulin Rouge and that was all we wanted to see! Back onto the metro we made our way back to the hotel to eat our pastries with yet more tea before crashing out again for the night.
