Perfectly Paris
Paris was the perfect end to our Europe tour. We had been there before, so we knew our way around and could spend our time visiting our favourite sights. The sun was out, the flowers were in bloom and we could do nothing but have a good time.
We arrived in Paris on the afternoon of 1 May. After a bit of a rest in our strange hotel room, we headed to one of the most famous streets in the world, the Champs-Élysées. It would have to be one of my favourite spots, and it was looking particularly stunning on that Thursday afternoon. Maybe one day I’ll get to see it filled with cyclists on the last day of the Tour de France…here’s hoping.
Champs-Élysées
We went to the Place de la Concorde, at the end of the Champs-Élysées, a couple of times during our stay and wandered the gardens in front of the Louvre. I particularly loved the artwork that was dotted around, although unfortunately our photo of the big spider is a bit blurry.
Gardens near Musée du Louvre
Gardens by the Louvre
Another one of my favourite spots in Europe is the Arc de Triomphe. I am not completely sure why, but it looks amazing and I love how the name sounds. Walking from the Arc, down the Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre…I’m not sure it gets any better than that.
Arc de Triomphe
Musée du Louvre
We spent some time by the River Seine, which - along with wandering around the Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis islands - provides the quintessential Parisian experience. We had divine baguettes by Notre Dame, and were really glad that we had been inside the cathedral before because the line to get in was extraordinarily long. I particularly loved Île Saint-Louis, it is so picturesque, so french.
Île de la Cité
The back of Notre Dame
We had fun mucking around by the Eiffel tower, although we were careful to behave ourselves around the guys with guns on patrol under the tower.
‘Touching’ the Eiffel Tower
The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is located at the highest point in the city and is simply spectacular. We climbed the hill and spent some time inside the Basilique before heading out to view the magnificent Paris skyline.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
We appreciated Paris so much more the second time around. It was the perfect end to a wonderful 4 week holiday.