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Trip Start
Jun 23, 2012
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16
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Trip End
Jul 14, 2012
Paris, Île-de-France, France
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Emerging from the metro and turning around the odd street, we found ourselves on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées amid the bustling shoppers and glamorous storefronts (though unfortunately being splattered by the odd few drops of rain). With the Arc de Triomphe rising up on one side (a lot bigger than expected) we went off in the opposite direction and did some window shopping (though definitely not buying), we popped into the Renault store to check out Webber's F1 car and the zippy new electric city car prototypes, and wandered across numerous crossing to get a shot of the Arc down the street (having to drag Shenae off the road before she was cleaned up by a bus or car). After getting some photos in front of the beautiful and intricately designed Arc and watching the utter chaos of the eight lane roundabout beneath it, we took the tunnel that would take us under the road to the Arc itself. A short line and some discounted tickets later (Blake still has no idea what he said to get us the reduced price) and we were ready to get a brilliant view of the area - as soon as we climbed the very narrow, very steep and very long circular stairwell. At the top we could see in all directions and I finally got to see the Eiffel tower in the flesh rising up from across the city. The Champs-Élysées, and the other avenues in the area, stretched away with the greenery lining the roads and the beautiful buildings of Paris unloading in all directions.
Back on the street, we stopped at a restaurant and had the most French meal one could probably imagine - the snails to start, a French duck steak with pepper sauce and a wine to accompany, and an espresso coffee to finish that off. We sat in the little restaurant for a time and enjoyed the decorative surrounds as we did a little brushing up on our practically nonexistent French.
After that we took the metro to the next station to go and see the Eiffel tower a little closer up. The giant mechano set is a remarkable feature of the cityscape, though getting a shot from a good angle requires a little bit of jostling. Deciding to look for some better views of the tower and other city sights, we jumped on a tour ferry that would take us for a ride up and down the Seine. The trip would take us past the beautiful riverside apartments and gardens, under famous bridges and past such notable buildings as the Louvre Museum and Notre Dame. The great thing about the tour - beside the magnificent views - was the audio commentary that definitely filled some gaps in our knowledge of Parisian history. By the time we departed the vessel I'd gotten a much better picture of the scope of the city (utterly massive) and was ready to sit and take it in.
After grabbing an Ice cream on the wharf we walked underneath the tower itself (weaving through the longest queue one could imagine to climb the tower - one of the lifts was broken) and headed off into a park. We added a bit of greenery to our photos and had a gander at some buildings and fountains of note a little further down. With the weather starting to hint at a nice turn, we stopped at a cafe for a beer in the afternoon/night sun (which had finally emerged from behind the clouds). Becoming naturalised, we sat in a line facing the street and drank our drinks as we watched the flow of pedestrians pass us by. Realising we needed to meet Blake's girlfriend Corinne at the station, we popped on the metro again where and headed back to the apartment, leaving him to find her in the crowd. They showed up shortly after with bags of food - as it was unlikely to find a restaurant open on a Sunday after 9pm, whipping up a traditional French meal in the apartment seemed like the best bet. Assisted by her experience with wine (doing a Master's in the area) we drank a delicious drop and ate a home cooked French meal in the 'proper' order: pâté and baguette, the meal, fromage on baguette, yogurt, water. Before calling it a night we did some quick research and made some plans for the next day (weather permitting).
Comments
Very impressive. They have similar buildings in Jerilderie!! My mouth is watering and my stomach rumbling. Cheers. Did you buy your mother a handbag at Louis Vuitton? lol.