Left Melbourne on 21st April at 3.45pm on flight SQ228 bound for Singapore. Arrived in Singapore at 11.55pm and had a three hour wait for our next flight to Paris SQ334. Finally arrived in Paris at 6.20am. We had a smooth transition through Customs and Immigration. Taxi was waiting and it took over an hour to travel 25 kms to our hotel - the Crowne Plaza Republique. We checked in at 7.30am on 22nd April. Our Room was on the fourth floor and was very small with a tiny 3x2 window so we asked to be moved with a room with windows that opened. There were renovations going on in the square which were really noisy. We were given ear plugs to help us sleep. At 8am we walked to the metro which was right outside our hotel and purchased a Carnet (10 tickets) and began our exploration of Paris City. Our first stop was Mont Marte which is a hill in the north of Paris and is 130 metres high and gives its name to the surrounding district, in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district. The other, older, church on the hill is Saint Pierre de Montmartre, which claims to be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded. Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. We walked up the hill and climbed the stairs to the top of the church then walked around the village. There were lovely views of Paris. There were also annoying beggars (pick pockets) selling bracelets and paintings. The ambience was very arty with artists everywhere selling the paintings and sketches. There was a little train that took you around the area and a fenicular tram that travelled up and down the mountain if you wished to save your legs. We chose to walk. We had lunch in a chic basserie - steak and frittes for Pete and Spagetti Bolognaise for me. Back onto the metro after lunch to Etoile station to see the Arc de Triomphe.

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Élysées and honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

The monument stands 50 metres in height, 45 m wide and 22 m deep. The large vault is 29.19 m high and 14.62 m wide. The small vault is 18.68 m high and 8.44 m wide. We walked under the road and stood under the Arc by the eternal flame which was decorated with many wreaths. There were street beggars, gypsies, buskers and performers everywhere. We had a great view down the cobbled Champs Elysees.

Next stop was the Montparnasse Tower which is built on top of the Montparnasse - Bienvenüe Paris Métro station, the 59 floors of the tower are mainly occupied by offices. The 56th floor, has a restaurant called le Ciel de Paris, and three floors up is a the terrace on the top floor with a view covering a radius of 40 km. It only took us 38 seconds by elevator to the 56th floor and then walked up another three flights to the 59th floor for a 360 degree panoramic view of Paris, it was absolutely spectacular. Then we travelled back to our hotel in Republique, found Amini convenience store, bought some Jack, Coke, fruit, yoghurt and water. We had dinner in a Chinese cafe near the square of our hotel. It did not get dark until after 8.30pm.