Dear loyal readers,

We started the day by grabbing a quick snack from the local boulangerie (bakery) - it was very tasty and the deserts looked tempting but we were on a mission to see some of the big sights so we couldn't be slowed down so early in the morning.
First stop was the Louvre. The first thing we noticed was that this was not your typical gallery. It was a massive palace that had been converted into a labyrinth of corridors displaying some of the worlds most treasured pieces and an enormous variety of collections from all over the world. We saw the 3 masterpieces - the Venus de Milo statue, the Victory of Samothrace sculpture and the Mona Lisa painting. The most surprising thing was how small the Mona Lisa was. I'll be the first to admit that I don't know anything about art but it did occur to me that the Mona Lisa was much like watching MJ in his final years, it wasn't that impressive but you wondered whether everyone rated it because of the artist's former work. It has been stolen many times and bounced from pillar to post but it is now more famous for it's history rather than the quality of the painting. We then wandered the corridors for a few hours checking out ancient and antique collections from the mighty civilizations of the past.
The next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral. This was a fantastic looking church that was built about 700 years ago. It was amazing to think that these large stones were raised so high and moved into place without the use of today's machinery. There was also an angelic choir soundtrack playing during our visit which created a very solemn atmosphere.
The first two stops had taken their toll and we were now quite hungry. What else would you have than crepes? We found a little crepe stall and ordered both the savory and sweet varieties - very yummy :)
At this point, we wanted to go home to cool our heels and have a brief rest but on the way, we decided to walk the most famous street in Paris - the Champs Elysee. We needed to make a quick pit stop so we walked into this high end mall that had boutique designer toilets, albeit for 2 euros. Once we got home, we had a quick drink before setting out for the Eiffel tower again. This time we were determined to get to see Paris from the heady heights of the tower that has stood there majestically for 122 years. After a 45 minute wait, we finally reached the observation deck. The views were spectacular and well worth the wait and the dodgy Eiffel tower memorabilia salesmen.
We finished our day with a nice dinner at a restaurant near the hotel. It really hit the spot :) and we then went home to get ready for our champagne trip.
Until next time readers xoxo - B