After some frantic packing and crazy ride across Paris in a taxi we made our train to London by the skin of our teeth.

The train ride was a welcome, relaxing break from the hectic sight seeing of the last few days. The man at passport control warned me that London would have changed a lot from when I saw it 25 years ago and he was right! St Pancras, or Kings Cross station, is really modern and packed with people everywhere. Our plan had been to leave our luggage at the station for a while, but at 10 pounds a bag we thought better if it! Chris bought a SIM card, we called my nephew John, and took the underground to his house and dropped the bags there instead.

After half an hours rest at his lovely apartment overlooking a Lake, we got back on the tube and met him on the steps of St Paul’s. His son, James, is a student at St. Paul’s School and sings in the choir there so we had the opportunity to sit in Old St. Paul’s during evensong, listening to the beautiful choir. The kids found it hard going, but Chris and I really enjoyed it.

The temperature in London was really hot so we decided to walk across the millennium bridge to south bank and have dinner at a pizza restaurant there. London was alive with people everywhere, drinking, eating, walking around. The vibe was very similar to Melbourne on a warm evening and I feel really at home here. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of it tomorrow.

The day began by walking down the Eiffel Tower, waiting in a queue for 1 hour (which is apparently pretty good!) and catching the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Michael was scared of heights (and Chris confided to me that he is too), but we all decided to take a second elevator to the Summit anyway. You could see for miles, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and everyone agreed that it was a total highlight of our time in Paris.

Because the kids ( and let’s face it, us too) we’re completely shagged we took the afternoon off. Such a beautiful and hot day, so we strolled down to the local shops in Rue de Commerce, bought some SIM card for our phones, and had a cup of coffee in the sun watching the gorgeous Parisians stroll past.

Late in the afternoon we took the metro to the Jardin Des Tuileries. Chris and I counted out the last of our money for the day (22 euros) which was just enough to buy a baguette for each of us (yes more baguette!) and sit under a tree and soak up the peace and relaxation.

We then strolled to the Lourvre next door, walked straight in (no queues!!!) bought an audio tour and spent the next three hours wandering the gallery. I cannot describe in words how magnificent and overwhelming the gallery is in very way. Everywhere you turn there is an amazing masterpiece (Bottecelli, Da Vinci) , the ceilings are decorated in amazing frescos and the salles lead on one from another. If we had a week it wouldn’t have been enough time there. We thought we’d pop into the Egyptian Exhibition for half an hour, but a day wouldn’t have been long enough here. Whereas Melbourne has one, decaying and sad looking mummy, the Lourvre has dozens and they come from different periods in time and you can look at them all at once. The kids were dying to leave after a couple of hours and Chris was nearly beside himself with disappointment at having to leave – he keeps saying we will return and soon!

The day finished with a stroll along the Seine as the sun set (around 1030pm) and a train ride home. My feet were so sore that I was limping and hobbling like a crippled old lady.

While I remember I wanted to add a word about the food and people in Paris.

Firstly, the food! Everything tastes so, so good here. Often we would exclaim “that’s the best baguettes/croissant/omelette/cheese/butter ” I have EVER tasted. The baguettes (of which we had many) have a delicious crusty exterior and the inside melts in your mouth like candy floss. Often when I’d pick them up in the morning they’d still be warm. We’d slather them in butter which tasted like cream. The croissants were out of this world – melt in your mouth and no need for an accompaniment. Just amazing. Don’t even get me started on the cheese! So plentiful and so cheap. Chris and I bought a big slice of creamy Gorgonzola for 5 euros and it oozed all over the plate. It disappeared in 10 minutes. I have never tasted anything so wonderful! Even the fruit taste different – sweeter and more flavoursome. I don’t know why perhaps one reason is that the Parisian consumer demands freshness. All the fruit and vegetables (even the meat) on display was wonderfully fresh even in the local corner stores.

My second pleasant surprise was the people. I remember Parisians being very rude 25 years ago. What we found this time is that they are lovely – very polite, friendly and warm. A French/Australian national on the plane advised us to remember to always say Bonjour when we entered a store and Au revoir when we left ( as well as the obligatory pleases and thank yous). I think this made all the difference – we found the French really love their pleases and thank yous much in the same way that I love “the wave” when I let someone in in traffic. We always started talking French and to be honest we found it surprisingly easy to convey what we wanted in French – but almost without fail, we found they spoke English – really well – and quickly addressed us in this way to assist us.

Paris is such a civilised city. The people are really well mannered and we noticed all sorts of telling things, such as the gardens are full of beautiful art which no one defaces, the Jardin Des Tuileries is full of chairs for people to use and no one steals them, cyclists are everywhere and no one is required to use a helmet, there are tons of people in the city but the traffic works really well, if you catch someone’s eye they hold it, no one on the train is looking through their smart phone ( they read books, or look out the window), the women are slim and stylish but don’t appear to wear much makeup, there is a cafe within 20 seconds walk, no Parisian seems to live more than 10 seconds walk from a boulangerie or Boucher, they are very, very proud of their city. We absolutely loved it.

Today to save our feet and wallet we decided to use the Metro to get around. It was absolutely fantastic – fast, cheap and easy! We started the day at Notre Dame and proceeded to Sacre Coeur. The boys were truly sick of cathedrals by that stage so we had a lovely picnic lunch (yes baguette and cheese again!) in the sun and watched some Africans scamming the tourists (the scam involved grabbing a tourists hand, asking them to hold some string while they plaited it, tying it around the tourists wrist so that it couldn’t be undone and then demanding payment!). It was very interesting watching the reaction of all the victims – no two responded the same way.

After lunch we explored Monmatre, which is the medieval and bohemian heart of Paris where the great French artists like Renoir lived. It was unbelievably gorgeous!

Our exploration included the Moulin Rouge which logically, but disappointingly, is in the heart of the red light district with tall building on either side overshadowing it. (And Ewan McGregor nowhere to be seen). Despite the kids pleading to go home after that, we couldn’t resist torturing them some more by dragging them to the Museum D’Orsay to look at some beautiful Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh paintings (actually both boys sat on a chair and refused to walk around the gallery with us – but Chris and I got a great culture fix). By that stage we had run out of money so we walked (dragged ourselves) home and collapsed. Dinner was purchased on the way home at our local artisan boulangerie – pizza, quiche and four different tarts to sample. Chris and I will finish with a glass of wine at the cafe across the road. Bon Soir.

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We finally gained entry into our apartment. It was 10 o’clock at night, Michael had fallen asleep slumped across a couple of chairs and I was feeling pretty desperate and just about to check us into the Ibis down the road, when our host showed up. The apartment is lovely and now that we are here it’s a bit of a relief.

Despite my certainty that we may never wake up the next morning, Chris and I awoke at 5am and decided to explore before the rest of the city before it awoke. We strolled through empty streets to the Eiffel Tower. It was so huge, and quiet and majestic. We strolled a little further along the Seine before returning home to grab the children and start our adventures. Breakfast included the best baguette we had ever eaten and a truly excellent omelette. And then our excursion led us to the Arc de Triomph and Champs Elysee where a huge Bastille Day parade was in progress. I was expecting floats with people in Bastille Day costumes – instead I found the biggest military parage I had ever seen. Dozens of fighter jets flew over head, tanks rolled down the main thoroughfare and soldiers marched in formation while the military band played. Escaping the parade turned out to be quite a mission – we diverted along the Seine and found ourselves walking for miles before we could get out again, finally end up at the Jardin Des Tuileries and the Louvre. The gardens were absolutely magnificent, bordered by grand old buildings and including a giant Ferris wheel. We couldn’t resist sitting in a cafe in the gardens to eat ice cream (Michael), cherry tart (Chris) and a glass of champagne (guess who).

I have been to Paris before but I don’t remember it being so incredibly grand and beautiful. We are constantly stopping to gaze at some gorgeous building or to admire a wonderful garden or gaze in absolute awe at the statues and monuments. I think we are all quite blown away by Paris.

When we finally got home, having walked somewhere between 10-15 kms today, it was very hard to leave again to see the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower (easily another 5kms walking there and back). We decided to have our picnic at home. Baguette, jambon, grapes and cheese is starting to become our favourite meal. Shopping at a local supermarket was a total delight – three aisles devoted to cheese and none priced at more than 2.5 euros ( we bought 4 different types). The food is so fresh, plentiful and inexpensive. Michael (known to anyone who has tried to feed him, as Mr Fussy), has declared all French food to be totally delicious! I know many would agree .

After 30 hours of travel, including a 5 hour stop over in Dubai and 2 hours of sleep, here we finally are at the end of day sipping tea at a lovely cafe across the road from our apartment ( which we are yet to enter). What an adventure it has been already. When we arrived at our accommodation we were greeted by the hostess who told us the reservation had been cancelled because her father had just died. Downstairs we went to a friendly cafe with free wifi, to search for new accommodation. We were concerned about finding something suitable last minute the day before Bastille Day but we did manage to find a lovely place that was available. There was a catch though – the host can’t let us in until he finishes work at 9pm – around 5am Melbourne time. The children are ready to collapse despite the excitement of exploring Montparnasse while we wait. I had forgotten how unbelievably beautiful Paris is. Despite extreme tiredness, it is so lovely sitting here and admiring the gorgeous view (beautiful Parisian apartments, and a boucherie across the road). Wish us luck for finally meeting our host and gaining entity to our apartment. Hopefully not too long to go….and tomorrow is Bastille Day!

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