home and getting there (part one of paris)
It seems I have returned to prime critter season, not only fending off a huntsman easily the size of my hand upon days of arrival, only this morning seeing the shadowed approach of massive legs and cephalothorax across the opposite side of the shower glass and even rescuing a meter long grass snake from the clutches of my cat but three days ago - you'd never be expected to do anything so gauche in France.
Our stay in Paris was characterised by typically dismal weather (though the occasional splurge of bright blue across the sky kept us hoping against hope for a warm change amid the drizzle and icy wind) and a desperate attempt to see every inch of the city, again, before the fortnight was out.
Mum and I were quite the prime sight seeing machine - with Caitie too, before she sadly had to leave us earlier than planned for unexpected problems with uni, poor duck - while dad preferred to linger around cafés or a good few steps behind us, munching on a baguette or trying to keep his industry sized video camera dry. We had some grand moments. Let's see if I can sum up our entire Parisian experience in a few photos:
On the flight over from Venice, Caity and I sat with the Venetian hockey team, all of whom were (mysteriously) travelling via Easyjet.
We stayed in Montmartre on the rue l'epic, which is literally a few meters up the hill from the Moulin Rouge - a quite heavenly part of Paris, if a little naughty at times!
Further up the hill was the glorious Sacre Coeur and the first time I asked Caity to pose for this photo she tripped over the little stone step she's standing on and fell flat on her face. Poor duck!
The view across Paris from the Sacre Coeur is amazing - but I digress, this is only day one! I shall never get through Paris at this rate!!
Evidence of some blue sky that fortnight. Lasted just long enough that day to get down the Champs Elysée. En route we decided to try some typically Parisian fare so Caity and I went to McDonalds whereupon we discovered that, unlike the wide and at times extreme inclusive variety of the English, the French have no need or desire for vegetarian customers.
Then a tramp stole one of dad's gloves and the day turned grey (two totally unrelated coincidental events) so we went to the pub across the road from our apartment. Le Caffé des Deux Moulins - from Amélie fame, as chance would have it (not really chance of course, since M&D knew it was there, having stayed there before, but maybe chance once upon a time).
The next day, we found a glove, though it wasn't Dad's.
And went to the Jardin des Plantes to see les animaux (les pauvres) in their cages
Even went to the monkey house - though it was (mostly) empty
Then on to the absolutely freezing Luxembourg Gardens for an entirely (hopefully) unrepeatable experience of cold weather. Not quite comparable to the utterly glorious weather when I was last here
On Caitie's second last day we went to Sainte Chapelle, which was unbelievably (although maybe not so unbelievably, given the time of year and the weather) quite empty of tourists.
And then (for some inspired reason at the time - eminently regrettable later) Mum, Caity and I decided to climb the towers of Nôtre Dame.
Afterwards we were well knackered and had to go and eat.
Energy renewed we did what any selfrespecting tourist would do. We climbed (I say "climbed", there was an elevator involved) the Eiffel Tower.
It was foggy, so we only went to the second niveau. But it was just beautiful.
Here's a très blurry picture of Dad and Caity.
Little Caity posing in front of Moulin Rouge at Blanche mètro - our apartment was up the hill fifty meters to the right!
In the Louvre.
dad reading newspaper - in the louvre
Off to see the Monet with the scary curators (I say curators, they were more like hired muscle) who positively shouted out sans flash whenever someone went to take a photo - even though they already knew! - but who (in a moment of paranoia, worthy of the old US administration) kicked a woman of the gallery out for putting her bag down by her feet and then taking a step back from it to take a photo.
But all that besides they were beautiful.
Then on Caity's last day we went to Versailles and my camera ran out of battery (bad planning, Jessie).
But not before I got a photo of us hiding under some topiary, eating our lunch where we weren't supposed to!
That's Part One of Paris - stay tuned, or at least keep checking periodically, for Part Two and Beyond!
Our stay in Paris was characterised by typically dismal weather (though the occasional splurge of bright blue across the sky kept us hoping against hope for a warm change amid the drizzle and icy wind) and a desperate attempt to see every inch of the city, again, before the fortnight was out.
Mum and I were quite the prime sight seeing machine - with Caitie too, before she sadly had to leave us earlier than planned for unexpected problems with uni, poor duck - while dad preferred to linger around cafés or a good few steps behind us, munching on a baguette or trying to keep his industry sized video camera dry. We had some grand moments. Let's see if I can sum up our entire Parisian experience in a few photos:
On the flight over from Venice, Caity and I sat with the Venetian hockey team, all of whom were (mysteriously) travelling via Easyjet.
We stayed in Montmartre on the rue l'epic, which is literally a few meters up the hill from the Moulin Rouge - a quite heavenly part of Paris, if a little naughty at times!
Further up the hill was the glorious Sacre Coeur and the first time I asked Caity to pose for this photo she tripped over the little stone step she's standing on and fell flat on her face. Poor duck!
The view across Paris from the Sacre Coeur is amazing - but I digress, this is only day one! I shall never get through Paris at this rate!!
Evidence of some blue sky that fortnight. Lasted just long enough that day to get down the Champs Elysée. En route we decided to try some typically Parisian fare so Caity and I went to McDonalds whereupon we discovered that, unlike the wide and at times extreme inclusive variety of the English, the French have no need or desire for vegetarian customers.
Then a tramp stole one of dad's gloves and the day turned grey (two totally unrelated coincidental events) so we went to the pub across the road from our apartment. Le Caffé des Deux Moulins - from Amélie fame, as chance would have it (not really chance of course, since M&D knew it was there, having stayed there before, but maybe chance once upon a time).
The next day, we found a glove, though it wasn't Dad's.
And went to the Jardin des Plantes to see les animaux (les pauvres) in their cages
Even went to the monkey house - though it was (mostly) empty
Then on to the absolutely freezing Luxembourg Gardens for an entirely (hopefully) unrepeatable experience of cold weather. Not quite comparable to the utterly glorious weather when I was last here
On Caitie's second last day we went to Sainte Chapelle, which was unbelievably (although maybe not so unbelievably, given the time of year and the weather) quite empty of tourists.
And then (for some inspired reason at the time - eminently regrettable later) Mum, Caity and I decided to climb the towers of Nôtre Dame.
Afterwards we were well knackered and had to go and eat.
Energy renewed we did what any selfrespecting tourist would do. We climbed (I say "climbed", there was an elevator involved) the Eiffel Tower.
It was foggy, so we only went to the second niveau. But it was just beautiful.
Here's a très blurry picture of Dad and Caity.
Little Caity posing in front of Moulin Rouge at Blanche mètro - our apartment was up the hill fifty meters to the right!
In the Louvre.
dad reading newspaper - in the louvre
Off to see the Monet with the scary curators (I say curators, they were more like hired muscle) who positively shouted out sans flash whenever someone went to take a photo - even though they already knew! - but who (in a moment of paranoia, worthy of the old US administration) kicked a woman of the gallery out for putting her bag down by her feet and then taking a step back from it to take a photo.
But all that besides they were beautiful.
Then on Caity's last day we went to Versailles and my camera ran out of battery (bad planning, Jessie).
But not before I got a photo of us hiding under some topiary, eating our lunch where we weren't supposed to!
That's Part One of Paris - stay tuned, or at least keep checking periodically, for Part Two and Beyond!