Paris

Our week in Paris is nearly over and what an exhausting week it has been. We have walked miles and miles every day, as well as climbing steps, so I think we have earned our pastries.

So now, from the beginning. We arrived in Paris on Wednesday and were met at the train station by a driver who spoke English, (which was a huge bonus as I never did do those French lessons  that Cam told me to). He took us to our apartment on the island right in the middle of Paris (Ile St Louis), a great location that seems close to everything.

Our first two days passed in a blur as we got our bearings and just wandered the streets admiring the beautiful buildings. We got our Museum pass and transport pass
and enjoyed a boat cruise on the Seine (in the rain).

Friday we caught the train to Versaille, wandered through the palace and the gardens and were amazed at the opulence of the surroundings; chandeliers, painted ceilings and the the size of the rooms were unbelievable. Absolutely incredible.

We then caught the train to the Arc de Triomphe, walking up the 284 steps to the top (50 metres high) to view the 5 lane roundabout (thank goodness, I'm not driving that. SCAREY), and the beautiful view.

And a quick visit to the Louvre before dinner. (More stairs) We only looked in the Egyptian gallery (3 floors and 30+ rooms, and we still didn't finish it) before we came home for dinner, exhausted.

Today we visited La Concierge, which is a building that was originally was a royal palace, but became the courtroom and jail during the French Revolution, (Marie Antoinette was held here before her execution).

This afternoon we spent searching the shops for a camera battery and walking around the island.

We've also seen the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral, but the lines are so long, we've only looked from the outside.

Update
Sunday we tried to climb the Eiffel Tower, but after spending an hour in line and it not moving (something was wrong with the computer system), we left and went to the catacombs. They were amazing. Bones were originally placed down here when they had run out of room to bury bodies in the cemetaries, back in the 1780s, and the plague was rife in Paris. There are over 16 000 000 skeletons arranged here now creating all sorts of displays.