Bonjour, bienvenue à Paris

Bonjour from Paris. We have been in Paris now for three days, and each day is underwhelmed by the next. I wouldn’t even attempt to describe the Champs Elysess at night, or the Palace of Versailles, or the Seine River as the sun is setting, or even the excitement of Pigalle by night, with it’s girlie clubs and bars; no words could convey the ambiance of Paris.

I'm pretty sure I don't need a caption here - if you don't know what it is, you're obviously not from planet earth.

Arc de Triomphe, built to commemorate the Napoleonic Wars (the bit on the top right must have been built to commemorate their losses)

We spent a great deal of yesterday on the Seine River, taking in the many sights; including the Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louve, Notre Dame,  Latin Quarter, Sacre Coeur etc. The river instead is beautiful, and affords easy access to many of the ‘must sees’. Fortunately, our weather has been magnificent, a real bonus after three weeks of fairly ordinary British weather.

The beautiful Champs Elysees, looking towards the Arc de Triomphe

 

The Seine River, just around dusk.

We use the Metro here all the time. It is incredibly crowded, and typically for the French, they push and shove to get where they want to be. Alison has assumed the role of our navigator, and she hasn’t missed a beat so far.

The gardens at Versailles, looking towards the Palace. These gardens are so large, they hire electric carts to the public in which to travel around them. I'm thinking of redesigning back home in this style.

Today we visited the Palace of Versailles, or the Chateau, as the French prefer to call it. I have never in my life visited something so ostentatious, yet magnificent at the same time. And if the Palace itself is magnificence personified, the gardens are beyond mere words. Needless to say, I was awe struck. They literally stretch as far as the eye can see in all directions. In the Palace, built by Louis IVX, every room is lavishly decorated, with the painted ceilings being most prominent. Alison commented that they would never do at home, as we would never be able to spot the huntsmen spiders, regular visitors to Glenmaree. 

One of the many fountains at the Palace (none of which work on Fridays - pooh). Even in the time of Louis IVX, they could never all be turned on at once, such was the volume of water needed.

Tonight, we packed a picnic of baguette, salami, camembert, and cheap French wine and mixed with the locals along the banks of the Seine for a late evening dinner, as the sun set. You could easily think you had died and ended up in heaven, as I’m sure nothing earthy can compare with the experience.

Alison at our picnic, trying very hard to conceal the baguette sticking out the side of her cheek - what a guts!

Alison has noted on many occasions how I have taken to the French women. They are, to be very honest, the most beautiful and sensual women on earth (not including the women of Yarrunga, of course). I don’t think she’s got much to worry about; I could easily pass for their grandfather. And just to be fair, she has drooled more than once at the very French men (personally, I can’t understand what she sees in them – far too metro-sexual for me). The French people on the whole, on the other hand, are a completely different kettle of fish. They are rude, arrogant, unfriendly and indifferent, and these are their better qualities. I guess when you live in a country as beautiful as France, you can afford to alienate foreigners, something like, ‘I live here, you don’t, so get over it’.

The Grand Palais, Paris

Our hotel room is an experience in itself. It is so small, I’ve had to go outside to change my mind. The bathroom is so small you can only sit on the toilet sideways, or else your knees hit the wall in front. To be blunt, it is a dive, and not that cheap either. Nevertheless, the locality is brilliant, right in the heart of Montmarte.

A typical French alley, not far from where we are at Montmatre

Sunset on the Seine - no, it's not a postcard, it's my phone!

We’ve got two more days in Paris, and plan to spend every last minute taking in the sights, smells and sounds of this, the most beautiful city we’ve visited (I know Aberdeen is going to be devastated to hear this).

One more photo, just to make you even more jealous. As the French would say, 'I'm here, you're not, get over it'. I can't believe how French I'm becoming.