Monday, July 8, 2013

Paris - July 5-7

Paris

What can I say about Paris? Well, it turned into a fast and furious weekend. Frustrating at times but still a lot of fun.  I learned that the Tube in London is SOOO much better than the Metro in Paris.

Friday July 5


We started with a neighbourhood tour of sorts.  We started at this old Roman arena that had been excavated at one time.  Then we moved on to a more medieval part of Paris.  After the tour I visited Notre Dame.  It was absolutely beautiful inside.  


After Notre Dame, we ventured to the Louvre.  I saw Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Venus de Milo.  I saw a lot of other fantastic art as well.  I wandered around for a few hours looking at all the fantastic artwork.  I was amazed we were able to take photos without a flash.  



After the Louvre, we had dinner at Le Pot de Terre.  Translated this means The Clay Pot.  It was really good food.  I had an appetizer of Cheese Croutes.  At least I think that is how it is spelled.  Basically these were fried balls of a light cheese which I believe was either Camembert or Brie.  For the entrée I had Duck Comfit   The duck was delicious but I was a little disappointed that it was served with fries.  For dessert I opted for the Apple Crumble.  I also got to taste the Chocolate Mousse.  Both were heavenly.    We also had a nice Sauvinon blanc wine with dinner.  The house red was a nice Merlot. 

Saturday July 6

This morning when we arose, we got on a bus to visit Versailles.  The palace was truly amazing.  We zipped our way through in about an hour and a half after standing in a crazy winding line out in the sun for nearly half an hour.  Beautiful amazing artwork throughout.  Lots of art on the ceilings.  I liked the fact that all the rooms were named after Roman gods and goddesses.  

Versailles

The King's bed

The Queen's bed

The Gardens

Versailles was really quite lovely.  Wish we could have spent a little more time there.  My small group, the 5 librarians that went to Paris, decided to hit Hard Rock Paris for lunch.  It was awesome.  I got a great cheeseburger with mac & cheese as a side.  The Pina Colada also helped take away some of the sting from other small mishaps during the weekend.  :)  Later that evening we met a large group to take a cruise down the Seine.  It was marvellous!



   Views from the cruise...

Sunday July 7

Sunday morning was a bit more relaxed.  We went out and got a bite to eat and made our way across town to see the Moulin Rouge.  It was great!   When it was time to leave, we headed back to Calais from Paris to catch the ferry.  There was some beautiful coastline along France as we left the English Channel.  We ate lunch on the ferry and then sat outside to watch the sea go by.  As we came into Dover, we got a magnificent view of the White Cliffs of Dover.  

Moulin Rouge




Dover and the cliffs

After that long weekend I came home, did laundry and went to bed.  

That is all for now...
  

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