Two Go Wild in Paris pt 1

Steve & Fi bought us a rather wonderful Christmas present last year; a weekend for two in Paris, travelling on the Eurostar (first class no less), while they baby sat for the weekend (brave and kind, but just a little foolish maybe?).

So it was that we were driven to Ashford to catch the 10:58, and enjoyed the luxury of first class travel all the way to Paris Gare du Norde. En route we were treated to breakfast that included Champaign (Debbi foolishly asked if it was little early in the day for Champagne, to which the steward wisely replied "eet eez neverr to early for Champagne". From that point on we knew we were living by French rules rather than English!

After being conducted to our hotel by our tour guides, we decamped at our four star hotel in Porte de Saint Cloud in the the 16th arrondissement.

We caught eh Metro back in to town in the afternoon to Hotel du Ville and visted Isle de La Cite, including Notre Dame, then back over Ille Dt. Louis and to the Marais where Steve wanted to visit the Shoa Memorial, but being Shabat, it was closed (d'oh). However the wall ot the Righteous of Nations (Mur Des Juste) outside the memorial that comemorates all the French who sheltered, rescued and evacuated Jews from under the noses of the Nazis, was truly moving - so many who stood up and risked their own lives to help their Jewish friends and neighbours!

After that sobering stop we walked up through the rush hour around the town hall and on to the Pompidou Centre (which is quite a bizzare structure!), on to Les Hailles and L'Elgise de Saint Eustance and on to le Palais de Louvre. Although we did not go in to the Louvre museum (it was late in the day), we did enjoy the stunning architecture and the grounds. We wandered from there over to the Rive Gauche and to a small (overpriced) bistro on the Boulevard Bonaparte in St. Germain for a well earned dinner. Then replete, tired and full of wine we headed back to the hotel for a long sleep.