Paris

Last weekend Sarah and I caught the Eurostar to Paris. Sarah promptly fell asleep, but I'm not sure she missed much - the journey itself was nothing too dramatic...but the destination was worth it!

We had packed light (only a small daypack each) and so were able to head straight into a whirlwind of sightseeing. Stop one was Montmatre and Sacre Cour. Sacre Cour is a relatively new church, and seems to have been scrubbed recently as it gleams white atop the hill. The artwork on dome inside and the decorations are spectacular, and it still feels like a place of worship - touches for tourists are few and far between and tastefully presented.

We climbed to the very top and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city, including the Eiffel Tower standing very much by itself - it truly dominates the landscape. Around Sacre Cour was the Montmatre district, complete with cute art markets, restaurants and a real buzz.

Stephen at Sacre Coure

We headed back into the city to check out Notre Dame, which was quite a contrast. Not just the architecture and the style of the artwork (which was awesome, but more gothic than the cleaner lines of Sacre Cour), but also the degree to which it was targeted at tourists - it was a bit overwhelming and meant that it stopped feeling like a church and started feeling like it was just a tourist monument.

Stephen outside Notre Dame

On the bridge over the river Seine

We headed back to the hotel to check in and freshen up (via the Arc de Triomph, where we spotted some guys in tanks and APCs left over from the morning's parade) before hunting out a fantastic little French restaurant. Authentic French, complete with a menu that we couldn't decipher without the phrase book and the risk of accidentally ordering raw beef mince with a raw egg on top (like the guy next door did, although I think he actually wanted it). It was fantastic food - great quality ingredients cooked brilliantly.

Sarah at the Arc de Triomph

French troops clowning around

Paris, home of fantastic food and pastries

The highlight of the evening (and the trip, for me) was the Bastille Day fireworks. We followed the sea of people as we walked out of the restaurant and ended up with a good view, complete with a line of sight to the Eiffel Tower. It was a fantastic show, rivalling Sydney's New Years Eve, though I've never been so close and the fireworks have never been so concentrated in one area - and the booms echoing around the city streets made it seem even closer.

Fireworks by the Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower

After an enforced sleep-in on Sunday morning (after I forgot to change the time on my alarm clock to Paris time) we hurried down to the Louvre, where we walked for miles past many brilliant works of art and fought the enormous crowds to get a look at the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo

Sarah with the Mona Lisa

Stephen in a statue garden at the Louvre

Our final tourist stop was the creepy Catacombs, where the bones of thousands upon thousands of Parisians were relocated following a cemetery overcrowding crisis in the 18^th and early 19^th century. The sheer volume was overwhelming, as was the fact that you walk for a mile, 20 meters below street level, and popped up in an unassuming side street half a mile from where you begin. And that is with only a small section of the tunnels opened up...

Sarah with some skeletons behind her

We were sad to be heading back to London so soon, but will definitely be back - we still have to see the Musee d'Orsay, climb the Eiffel Tower, walk the Champs Elysee, visit Versailles...we can't wait!