Sunday 12th
We obviously didn’t have enough walking yesterday so decided to set off to a creperie that Rhiannon & Andy had seen advertised. It is situated on the smallest island in the Seine & was a lovely place for a late breakfast/brunch to start the day.
We crossed the 2nd & larger island that holds Notre Dame cathedral & onto the Latin Quarter. This is an area full of restaurants (many seem to be asian), winding narrow streets & interesting shaped buildings.
Another interesting looking church & The Pantheon were the next sights to be seen. The Pantheon holds the remains of many famous people including Marie Curie. The nearby buildings also seem to be dedicated to the famous Parisiennes.
A few streets along brought us to the Sorbonne. This world famous university is in a really pretty area with another fountain of course. I don’t know how many buildings it consists of or what are covers but it is huge.
A couple of streets away are the Luxembourg gardens & palace. These are said to be the most beautiful gardens in Paris & I believe it. It is a really relaxing place with parkland areas, formal gardens in front of the palace & public tennis courts. There is also an area for children to ride ponies or donkeys or to have a pony cart ride.
We then walked past one of the oldest churches I have seen - Church of St Pultice & through the St Germain area of high class shops & motels (called hotels throughout Europe). This is a nice area but if I ever stayed here I would prefer to stay closer to the Sorbonne.
We then found a patisserie for a cake stop (this is the first cake we have had on our trip) & then we walked to the are known as St Michel. This is a real night-time area with heaps of restaurants & night clubs. Our feet are really sore now, so we decided to head back to the apartment for a break – only about another 20 minute walk.
After a break, drinks & nibblies we headed off to try our luck at the Eiffel Tower again. It’s late Sunday afternoon so hopefully won’t be so busy. It’s still light as we wanted to have a look around in the daylight but by the time we got to the 2nd Floor area of the Eiffel Tower the sun was setting & we had the best views of Paris with the lights on. We timed this really well & other groups were saying the same.
The wait for the lift up was less than 1 hour so not too bad at all. We decided against going all the way to the top as the views are actually worse & it was quite windy. The views from the 2nd floor are better & the wait shorter. It may be a cliché but anyone visiting Paris has to go up the Eiffel Tower for the peace & the views.
It’s late now & Trevor is starving so we are off for a late dinner. We found a really nice spot close to the apartment & everyone enjoyed their meal – my prawns were delicious.

Saturday 11th
After a late start we headed off for another day of sight-seeing – we walked, then we walked, then we walked a lot more.
That’s not quite right – we caught a train to Montmatre to visit Sacre Couer (Basillica) & the surrounding area. We found some quaint streets & a couple of market stalls. This area is on the side of a large hill & the streets are very steep & narrow.
A train back into town brought us to the Tuilleries and the Obelisk. Then the walking really started - along the Champs Elysees bought us to the Petit Palais & the Grand Palais, a magnificient bridge over the Seine, the Hotel de Invalides (old soldiers hospital) & Napoleon’s tomb.
If that wasn’t enough walking we went to the Aussie Pub for a drink or two then found a restaurant for dinner. We then walked to a train station so we could see the Trocadero area & the Eiffel Tower. Just as we walked up the steps at The Trocadero to view the Eiffel Tower with it’s lights on – the twinkling light display at the Tower started. This starts at 9 o’clock & lasts for a few minutes every hour (not sure what time the last display is). We couldn’t have timed it any better.
There are some really great buskers around the Eiffel Tower & various other areas of the city. I can’t say the same for many, many people selling souvenirs – they are pesky & some will follow you.
We then walked past the fountains, statues, gardens & over the Seine to see the Eiffel Tower up close. As it was a Saturday night it was the busiest night of the week & the queues to go up were horrendous so we decided on a relaxing river cruise instead.