Before arriving in Paris we booked (well I really should say Stef and Leigh booked) a hotel room in the Latin quarter right next to the Bastile monument. Pretty simple hotel but close and easy. We arrived in Paris in the evening so it was straight to dinner for us all. It was Stefs last night in Paris so we decided to eat in style, so we ate at the oldest resturaunt in Paris called Bofingers. Fairly nice dinner although after the previous nights standard we all decided it wasn’t as nice but good none the less. After dinner we walked down to the Notre Dame cathedral to see it at night in the process checking out the Hotel de Ville (mayors office) and a few other purdy buildings. A nice introduction into Paris I must say.
Following morning we went to La Fayette to do a spot of shopping although nothing was purchased. Leigh saw a T-shirt which cost 200+ euro so you can imagine the price of most things. La Fayette was pretty much a time kill while we waited to sadly see Stef off to the airport. This was a sad one as for the past 3 weeks we were living out of each others pockets. Group dynamics change and you get used to how it all works, when someone leaves, as I said in when the Turkey trip finished, it is a fairly sad moment.
So after pushing Stef through the train turnstyle and throwing her guitar over the barrier we all legged it to Notre Dame to see it in daylight and so we can go inside. It really is a nice church, so far in every place I have been in France I have seen the local Cathedral, this one is a nice one although I really liked the Duomo in Milan. I think the crowds in Notre Dame took away something… Oh and here is a tip, if you are going to visit Notre Dame, get the audio guide; I didn’t and regretted it. Highlights are the massive stained glass windows, the little alters devoted to certain Saints, Stations of the cross, treasury where you have to pay extra to see but it is worth it. We didn’t climb to the top, not sure why but I think you get to a point when queues are just plain annoying and I couldn’t be assed waiting around any more. I also think I am cathedralled out!!! Moving on from Notre Dame we decided to catch a bus tour for 22euro which allows you to take a bus around to all the major sites for 2 days. Leigh and Maia met an american guy at the wedding who recommended it so we figured why not. We didn’t really have much time to see everything so it was an easy way to check out the major sites. Hopped off at the Navy Museum to get a great view of the Eiffle Tower, some postcard shots and then to climb it. I had darryls thought in my head about how the queue for the stairs was shorter, for some reason we ended up lining up in the queue where you couldn’t climb the stairs, you could only take the elevator. The queue wasn’t that bad, bareable 30 minute wait to see something pretty spesh. I must say it was worth it, great views and something that is a must do in Paris. Not really much else to say about it apart from it being a nice view.
Afterwards we had some dinner and a place nearby, probably one of the worst places we have chosen so far. Surrounded by Americans with very plain food, even though all that we wanted was salad. We sat next to a guy who ran with the Bulls not once but twice in Pamploma. Actually did it that morning before driving to Paris. We walked back from the Eiffle tower not realising how knackered we all were, nice little 1.5 hour walk so we pretty much got back to the hotel and crashed.