This story is brought to you by the letter p. P for Paris.

As I mentioned in the last blog, we (Dan) booked the wrong dates for our arrival so we got an extra few days in Paris as a bonus. Only for a moment were we homeless/room less in Paris. Then we rocked up to the hotel we were booked into and luckily they had vacancies. As it turned out, it probably was for the best. Who would say no to an extra 2 days in Paris?

For the four days we took it really easy and pretended we were Parisian. We ate baguettes, croissants and talked French with varying degrees of success, we really could live here! It is getting easier though. We’re now able to negotiate most conversations in French and don’t have to revert to English too often which makes the whole experience all that more rewarding.
After a really good sleep in after the tour we went for what would be many walks around the city. We got to the Eiffel tower and decided the lines were too long, so we grabbed some food from a vendor and sat in the Champs de Mars. Actually, I read while Dan had a sleep in the park. He can sleep anywhere – I don’t know how he does it… we had to save our energy for the show we were seeing that night!

We continued to work out the credit card with a bit of shopping and we even helped locals move a lounge on trolleys along La Sienne – they started with a case of beer and were more than half way thru when we helped them. They had been moving the lounge on top of two trolleys for over an hour!

Yes, you may have guessed it… we saw the Moulin Rouge (cue the music!) it had everything… of course the dancers and the can-can, but also a ventriloquist, a juggler person, even a lady who swam with huge snakes in a giant aquarium. We did the dinner show and it was worth every cent. The sets and costumes were amazing with platforms descending out of the ceiling and stairs rising out of the floor. Just think of one of Kylie’s shows with massive plumes of feathers, add steroids, get their tits out, stir a little and times it by 10! It really was awesome.
After the show we didn’t want to go home so we hit the streets looking for somewhere to drink! (as you do).

At the second bar we met some nice locals who at 2 am, as the bar was closing, realised they had to work tomorrow. We were also taught some of the nuances of the French pronunciation. I couldn’t and still can’t tell the difference from La Sienne to La Sienne (something about the ne sound)… ask Dan about how to pronounce Enchante’ for example… he got a 5 minute lesson on that word alone. Apparently he has a beautiful French accent though according to the lady we were chatting to.

The next day after a sleep in (thank goodness for dark thick curtains) we made our way to the Musée du Louvre complete with secret entrance (well not secret), rather the second, little known about entrance. No line for us, we bought tickets and straight in! We did all the usual things and we reckon the real Mona Lisa was not on display – people cameras were flashing everywhere, right in front of the guards and they didn’t do a thing… thankfully not that many people there when we got to it, I walked up to the front of the rail to get a sort of good look – she was still a bit away…

Dinner that night was wine, cheese, meats (and foie gras for Dan) and of course a baguette by the shores of La Sienne, topped off with a layered chocolate/coffee pudding and egg custard tart. We saw the locals do it when we went on our cruise on the first night of the tour and we just had to do it as well. The wine and nibbles tasted great with an awesome setting.

In our attempt to avoid the queues we went to the Eiffel tower 30 minutes before it opened. Our patience was rewarded as we first the first lift to the very top of the tower. It was great to take in the view without the crowds which arrived soon after. When we left the queue to get to the summit was very long and we all know how much Dan and I like to wait in line.

Again we went out for a nice dinner to mark our last night in Paris. We found a nice ‘jazz’ place on the island. Well if you call a solo piano player who seemed to just speed up his standards ‘jazz’. Definition aside, it was great – food was exquisite and a perfect way to end four fantastic days. It was sad to say good bye to Paris but we were looking forward to seeing some more of the country. First stop, Orleans.

Observations

• In the Marais district, in the mornings, there is an overwhelming smell of disinfectant through the streets as they disinfect the paths and out front of restaurants. More than can be said for some of our cesspit bars at home!
• Even homeless people walk around with a baguette, yes true
• There are a lot of Laundromats around the Marais.

Learnings

• The French do not use the word ‘sweet’ when describing red wine. Dan asked which was the sweetest red on the list and she said, “No sweet for rouge. Rouge is soft or heavy. Sweet is for white”
• If a croissant has curved ends it has been made with butter, if it is straight it has been made with margarine
• There is a buzzer warning just before the doors slam shut on the metro for a reason. Also the speed of the doors slamming will leave a nice bruise on your arm.