The thing I love about travelling in the van is that you can be flexible and change plans really easily. With the recent rain storms and snow we decided that the best thing to do was head for some city sightseeing. Although from a morning of snow the weather had improved dramatically.
We had both visited Paris briefly years ago and fancied a return visit – why not now? We found an Ibis hotel in a Northern suberb called Saint Denis which allowed us to park the van safely and use the Metro to get into the city to see the sights. It only took half an hour from our door to the centre and only cost €3.80 for the two of us, each way, – perfect!
Arriving in the afternoon the forecast looked driest that evening so we headed in to see the sights all lit up at night. First we arrived on the Champs Elysees and headed up the Arc de Triomphe.
Next we walked to the Eiffel Tower past all the huge embassy buildings and posh hotels. We took our place among all the hawkers and selfie sticks to gain our our views and obligatory photos.
It is strange that you can no longer walk underneath the Eiffel Tower without going through security checks. Just a sad sign if the times.
Next day we were up and out to enjoy more sights before the forecast rain. We headed in on the Metro and then walked along The Seine.
Our first destination was the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is huge and has some lovely stained glass and sculptures – and huge doors!
Next we walked through the city just towards The Musee de Louvre but without an exact route taking the opportunity to enjoy the architecture.
When we reached the Louvre we weren’t sure we really wanted to go in (not being art buffs, it being €17 and with such long queues). As it wasn’t yet raining we decided instead to admire the outside of the fantastic building and enjoy the gardens (les jardins de Tuileries) .
After a well earned stop in a little, busy cafe we decided to go on a bit further even though the rain had arrived. We walked past the Grand and Petit Palais which were both stunning and then decided to call it a day.
This visit, we both agreed that we definitely appreciated more what Paris has to offer. We have both been to a lot more cities in between and could see how impressive the architecture is and how well preserved the buildings are. Every street corner some impressive statue, bridge or building to turn our heads!
I dread to think how busy it gets in the summer as, even on a dreary October day, there are tourists just everywhere – them and their selfie sticks and pouts 😉
