Man that was a great holiday. What's that saying, "When man is tired of Paris, he is tired of shopping?"
Look, I know other people's holidays can be dull unless something goes wrong but nothing did, so this post is going to be boring for some. I suffer from vertigo (as does Janis) but Nathalie doesn't so I went on the huge Ferris Wheel in the Tuilleries - and was fine until she said "Dad, look how small Mum looks," at which point my legs suddenly vapourised.
Great for vertigo sufferers everywhere!
Oh and just to prove that it wasn't a one-off I walked the 284 steps up to the top of the Arc De Triomphe - now that was scary because it has one of those spiral staircases where you can see all the way down. I clung to the wall so tightly I actually grazed my knuckles on the way down and when a lady in front of me stopped to take a photograph I couldn't move a muscle until she had finished.
Paris is such great value for money, not just the transport system but the museums, restaurants, shops and it's all so beautifully clean. I was walking down from the Louvre towards Concorde and these two big American guys behind me summed it up beautifully when one said to the other "Man, what kind of genius does it take to design such a beautiful city like this," to which his buddy replied, "No idea but it can't get any better than this, anywhere."
I went out to Stade de France on the Sunday morning, I couldn't do the Parc De Princes, which is the stadium Mags referred to as being dirty and covered in graffiti . It was 38 degrees in the shade, Stade de France station is closed on non-match days so I had a twenty minute walk along the Canal St.Denis to the stadium. I was Billy no mates on the tour, which was just for English speakers at 10:30 a.m, so I had the lovely, very lovely, Fatima to myself. Fatima is a former gymnast turned teacher who showed me around the stadium, took a couple of photographs of me in the changing rooms and was all you could ask for in a guide.
We stayed on the right bank, the closest we got to the left was a walk from the Louvre down to the Ille de Citie taking in the annual Paris Plage. Our flat was fine, a studio apartment that was the perfect crash pad at the end of each day. We are hoping to go back next year and stay on the Left Bank to take in that sides attractions.
It's nearly thirty years since I spent anything longer than a few hours in Paris and whilst my soul may be married to London I think the French capital would make a perfect mistress.
2 comments:
Happy that you enjoyed Paris so much Paul.
We walked to the top of the Arc too. Did you notice the reworking of history in the little museum at the top...about how Napoleon could have beaten the Brits but cared more for his soldiers and their commitments and illnesses?
We were only talking about the Place De Concorde the other day. The one thing that really sticks in the minds of my children was the little piece of graffiti underneath a button for one of the pedestrian crossings over to the Champs Elysees; 'press here, wait and run like f*ck!' So true.
Paul, I don't even know where the Parc De Princes is, let alone walked past.....are you sure? Sounds like you rather liked Fatima!
Hi Mags. It's a funny thing with the French and their memorials because they lost so many victories, territories and influence that seeing the way the Arc is decorated comes as a shock!
I actually drove up and down the Champs and around the Place De Concorde towing a caravan when I was 19 - that's the thing about youth, no fear.
Fatima was great, so enthusiastic about the Stadium, she actually went to the 98 Final because a lot of tickets were given to students. She admitted to supporting Brazil because she had a thing about Ronaldo, but as she said that was probably as much a girl thing as a football issue!
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