After checking in and a quick nap for Nick, we went out to look around the area and find some dinner. The thing I love most about Paris is that while it is as modern and cosmopolitan as any major city, they have managed to keep local areas very local with small independent specialty traders and cafes which bustle with business right throughout the day. Not far from our hotel was a lovely street lit with Christmas lights and still full of activity. The wine merchant -
The fishmonger -
For dinner we went to Founti Agadir - highly recommended for its Moroccan Food (and the same place Michelle and I went when we were in Paris last year).
The following morning we slept late and then took the Metro to Montmartre for breakfast at Coquelicot des Abbesses, the very lovely bakery/cafe Michelle and I discovered last year, and also where Mum and I went earlier this year. Big coffee in bowls and fresh baguettes - delicious! From there, we climbed the very steep steps up the hill to Sacre Coeur and although I have posted a very similar photo before, I couldn't resist yet another -
From there we went to the Center Pompidou, famous for the inside-out architecture which was groundbreaking in its day (finished in 1977).
Nick on the escalator which you can see above on the outside of the main structure -
We went up to the top levels to the Musee National d'Art Moderne, home of France's post-1905 collection.
From there we wandered around (making a failed attempt to see Musee Picasso which was about to shut) and got some dinner before heading across town to the Eiffel Tower as neither of us had been up to the top of the tower before and thought it would be good to do it at night. From Parc du Champ de Mars -
The queue for tickets was fairly long (although not nearly as long as I have seen it before during the day in summer) but moved quite quickly so it wasn't long before we were in the elevator going up the second floor. Once there we changed to another elevator which took us right to the top. Although it was absolutely freezing (Paris was cold anyway, much colder than London with the addition of a chilling wind 300+ meters off the ground), the views of the city were amazing. Nick and I at the top -
After a hot chocolate in the restaurant on the second floor, it was back to the hotel to thaw out!
We figured Monday would be our best opportunity to go to the Louvre (the weekends are packed and it's closed on Tuesdays) so the following morning we set off there first thing to see as much as we could. Apparently you shouldn't try to see everything - it's just too huge - but focus on a specific section. So after seeing a few highlights we focused on the 16th - 19th century French painting. The Venus de Milo -
Nick: 'I thought it would be bigger'...
The real Mona Lisa on the wall behind the huge crowd of people -
The much debated Grande Pyramide by IM Pei -
After a few hours we had seen enough and left to find some lunch. After the ubiquitous Croque Monsieur toasted sandwich, Nick hit some record shops and I went back to the Musee Picasso, the current exhibition focusing on Picasso's cubist period.
Some street art -
After that we headed back to the hotel for a couple of hours rest before a quick dinner at a local cafe and then off to Bruce at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy.
The next day we walked from our hotel through St Germain du Pres, where we got breakfast, to Notre Dame -
After a quick look we walked along the Seine to the Musee Rodin. The Thinker -
Nick doing his best impression -
The Kiss -
Nick taking advantage of an empty pedestal to demonstrate the famous Karate Kid 'Crane Kick' pose, something Rodin was seemingly unfamiliar with. Quelle surprise.
From there we went back to the hotel to collect our bags and then to Gare du Nord to catch our train back to London.
