Getting back from the Champs Elysees to the hotel was quite straightforward, all we needed was to find a metro on the Champs. even though we had a guidebook COULD WE FIND ONE, NO. Hioked a whole metro stop to eventually find one on whose journey included a ridiculously serpentine interconnection. But we made it of course. Surprising how eloquent Nicky and Jemma can be in French. I said nothing. After more respite in our tiny hotel, then on Saturday we tootled off to the Latin quarter, passing even the average sort of street like this:
Of course we cheated and went by metro again, fortunately Jemma had demanded that as soon as we struck Paris we each bought a pack if metro tickets which SO shortened the hassle of finding our way. Winding up on I'le de la Cite guess what this is with it's winding queues:
It's windows:
And it's vaulted ceilings:
We had morning tea in a delightful cafe in the Latin quarter in a beautiful old square:
And after a browse around the little marketplace and a pounce on the best gourmet shop we could find, we went off to eat our takeaway lunches on the banks of the Seine:
After lunch we took off by metro to the Place de la Concorde (no not the aeroplane, silly) to the place where the average palace looks like this:
And even Petit Palaces look like this:
Anyway we walked around a bit To the Rond Point at the other end of the Champs Elysees from the Arc de T but it was totally spoilcd by the preparations for the Tour de France finish with all its barriers and railings:
Anyway we moseyed off along the Jardins de Tuliaries, grabbing a superb ice cream on the walk and eventually finished up at our hotel. time out for a bit before up to the centre? of Montmartre for tea. Long arguments with Jemma who felt we would do better eating on the flat in a very picturesque Abbesses area, but no, Dad prevailed and we finally wound up where we had been around earlier within sight of the Sacre Coeur:
OK we probably paid more and Jemma's could have been better (but my boef de thigammy was really good!) Actually the real reason I wanted to eat there was because there was a big plaque in the wall which listed all those impressionist painters who used to be regulars there, viz:
So everyone else had to put up with my idea.
The evening was brilliant more pics from the Sacre Coeur:
And finally the Moulin Rouge:
Nic was crafty enough to take a movie where the sails go round. I never thought to do that, maybe she'll blog it someday.
Well it was late after our extended evening walk and the security people were beginning to be musclier? and their guns larger as it got dark. So on our last evening in gay Paree, we crashed.
We weree up again on Sunday bright and lively and off we went on the metro:
To Stalingrad (yes really) and yes it looked abit like it too. But when we finally sorted out our bearings wefound the delightful canal walk that our Jem had insisted we took:
We tootled along the banks and over the bridges and stood for AGES looking at the tour boats going through the locks:
Anyway after our charming walk, back on the tube for extracting our bags from the chambre de valises and off we went down the streets again for the Gare du Nord:
Of course wther was the wait in the international department:
then off for a longish ride home toLee where little Charilie's nose was pressed on the front window! What a great time we had! All due to Nicola who fixed it all and negotiated, Jem who seemed to know exactly where to go and could rustle up some choice phrases and Pen of course who nicely prevented me from spending 3.5 days in the Louvre (no not the Loo)
took the kids along the prom to the playground:
We watched the inter base field gun challenge:
And decided it might just fire!
We went to posh (but nice) peoples barbies and cooked the food!
