Bonjour!
Take a stroll with me around Paris, on a beautiful sunny day, to see the magnificent buildings and monuments that make the City of Light famous...
Please hold onto your handbags and wallets, and take care with the traffic. There will be no time for straying into shops...no matter how enticing...the shopping tour leaves later in the week...
Our first stop must be the Eiffel Tower...standing proud on the Champ de Mars...
Notre-Dame needs no introduction...such a beautiful example of early Gothic cathedral...but alas no Quasimodo!
Around the corner is the baroque fountain of the Place Saint Michel....home to many protests and social uprisings. Even today you may see a peaceful protest taking place...
Standing proudly at the end of the Champs Elysees is the The Arc de Triomphe home to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...
A pair of golden topped colonnades sits at each end of the Alexander III Bridge spanning the River Seine.
The glass pyramid at Musee du Louvre...a unique entry point to a magnificent collection of artworks and treasures.
The Palais Garnier houses the Opera National de Paris and is well worth a visit...
Housing the tomb of Napoleon I is the Saint-Louis des Invalides Chapel. Alongside this magnificent building is the Musee de L'Armee which exhibits an extensive collection of objects relating to French military history.
Strolling across the Pont Neuf with the Eiffel tower in the distance you may stumble across the odd Aussie tourist. Approach with care as they may try to babel away incoherently in an attempt to speak French!
Along the banks of the River Seine you will find the 'bouquinistes'. These merchants sell predominantly old books, but will astound you with an array of old postcards, maps etc., as well as tourist souvenirs.
Remember if you get lost from the tour just hop on the Metro to return to your accommodation...
Love padlocks on the Pont des Arts Bridge, where couples attach locks etched with their initials. Often the couples will throw the keys into the Seine as a sign of their undying love.
In the Place de la Concorde the sun is setting on the golden topped obelisk. This area was once soaked in the blood of the victims of Madame la Guillotine. Among her victims here was King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
With the light fading it is time to return to your hotels...
order a champagne and sit back and view the distant light show...
Au revoir!
