Paris 1-4

We started our Paris experience in the underground subway - off we went flying from one district to another with Mia playing the part of Captain and navigator.

On our first day in Paris  we did a free 3 ½ hour walking tour covering all the main sites and listening to some great stories including: Notre Dame de Paris, Eiffel Tower, Tulleries Gardens, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and so on. We listened to stories about Napoleon, King Henry the IV, Mona Lisa, the burning of Paris,  and ….  history came alive for all of us but especially for Georgia as she got to see and hear some of what she recently studied at school.  We had about 10 people in our group and our guide was a wonderful story teller and able to make the tour fun and interesting, it was a great introduction to what was where.

That evening we decided to do another tour of the Montmartre District (where we were staying), only 3 hours this time  and with the same guide  and most of our morning group.

We got to hear stories about  the history of the area as well as visiting Van Gogh and Picasso's place of residence and places they  spent time at. It was great walking around and being shown all the laneways and back streets. We visited the  inside of the  Le Sacre-Coeur and from there we got to see a great view of Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower light up. We visited the  'mountain of the martyr's and saw the statue  of Saint Denis   - he owes this name to the martyrdom and was decapitated on the hill around 250 AD. He's the patron saint of France and doesn't  look to bad holding his own head in his hands :-)

There is a  saying that goes “there is not a lot of  Paris in Montmartre but a lot of Montmartre in Paris', as this is where plaster of paris originated and was used all over Paris to fix things.

The next day we spent a few hours inside the Louvre and same with the Musee d’ Orsay and  saw the Mona Lisa and other wonderful art works and sculptures  - all very overwheling and wonderful in a short period of time. Had to  have a break in between,  so we visited a wonderful patisserie called Laduree to take tea and experience some French macaroons - very nice!