After the previous days power bus tour, we decided to do it again earlier so we could see the sites. First stop, Musee D’Orsay, museum with many famous artworks from ye olde artistes such as Moset, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, list goes on. Some cool stuff, some crap stuff, spent about 3 hours checking it out before we got bored and hungry, so we wandered to find lunch and dessert.
Next stop, had a brief look at the famous Opera building, big, old, detailed. Gotta get some photos out – soon my pretties … soon … Then onto the Arc De Triomphe, huge arch, with allegedly the largest round about in the world … or maybe Europe, or Paris, can’t remember which, but it was pretty impressive. Pat and I climbed the 200 and something stairs to the top with views of Paris in every direction. Then made it down in time to see some guards and the lighting of the flame of remembrance.
Then back to our favourite stop at Notre Dame to hunt for sustenance. We stumbled across a bar at happy hour, so we made ourselves happy with some beer. Then happy hour ended, and since we were happy we ordered some more beer. This continued for several hours, later finding out that Maia was supplying most of her beers to pat and I. Me and my usual uncoordinated self put half a beer on my legs, so the lovely waitress supplied me with free beer, did I mention I like French waitresses? The night also contained Karaoke, with Pat getting 2 girls to sing to him in French, he didn’t give them much choice by sitting in front of their screen.
Allegedly at some point we were singing We Are The World with some French guy who may or may not have been gay. At the end of the night we found Chinese food, and some American guys to listen to us crap on. Then Pat and I woke up the next morning lying on the double bed, width-ways (at opposite ends of the bed, don’t get any ideas) – in what must have been the exact same position we landed.
Begin the final day in Paris, Bastille was pretty quiet for Bastille day. Unfortunately since we only found out the day before that Bastille day was on Friday, and that was the day we were going to visit Versailles, we missed out because it closes, as do many of the sites around Paris. But we found out that the Hotel de Invalides, a place, big, old, hmm … I sense a theme … it was built for 4000 injured war dudes in the 17th century, enough history I’m babbling now.
Outside there were tanks and soldiers, some Bastille Day remebrance things, and some army recruitment by the looks of things. Then we wandered around the inside for a few hours visiting the war museums, checking out the cool old armour and weaponry. Then it was time to hunt down food, we found escargot and cheese … only fitting for your last day in Paris. Afterwards, we meandered, or continued meandering our way to Champ de Mars (big grassy area near the Eiffel Tower) and found drinks before continuing on.
As was our goal for the day, we made it to Champ de Mars to sit and wait with tens of thousands of other like minded fools for the sun to set. The time came, the sun disappeared, night set in about 10.30ish, the classical music began and permeated the entire area as the lights on the Eiffel Tower were turned off, the sky lit up behind us in the most awesome fireworks display any of us had ever seen. It must have lasted almost an hour, but seemed to go so quickly.
This marks the 3rd time fireworks has seen us off (fireworks on our last night of the Turkey tour, and once again on our last night in Mykonos). Europe loves us.
And yey, it was an awesome holiday. I leave it here, Pat has a couple days left. It’s 2am now and we have to be up at 7 for our flight. See you all soon.