Last time I saw Paris...

Well not quite ... but this is our last day here. Two eventful days ... more successes.

Firstly we managed to book train tickets to Rouen ... so we'll be heading off into more unknowns tomorrow. We spent some more time around the beautiful Mont martre area ... bought some delicious food for luch and ate our picnic in the middle of the street ... well a small triangle in the middle of a street.

Trains and boats.... (no planes at this stage)

Last day of our 3 day rail pass too so we made the most of it ... I think I like the metro. We tried to do a bus leg as well .... but that is more difficult than the trains. We were heading down to the Latin Quarter ... stopped off to have another look for the cache we'd been chasing the day before ... then decided on a boat ride on the Seine. Magical ... we now have LOADS of photos of bridges and sights through bridge arches (you will only see a small number in flickr).

Snails ... just had to try them once ... and that will be enough. They didn't taste bad, but not great either. We had dinner in a narrow, but very busy street in the Latin Quarter ... so vibrant!!!

Our goal for the day was to get some pictures of the city sights lit up. No mean feat when it doesn't get dark until 10.30pm .... and like Cinderella, our rail pass was due to expire at midnight!!! It was a rush. We walked to Notre Dame ... then along the Left Bank past some of the bridges .... took a train to the nearest station to the Eiffel Tower ... rushed up and snapped a few pics ... back to the station to catch a train before midnight. By the time we got home at 12.30 .... and walked up 3 flights of stairs ('cos the lift is too noisy and banned from use between midnight and 6am) we were stuffed and fell in to bed. End of another day!!!

Today ... Friday, I think...

STEPS, steps and more steps

Mission for the day was to get to the Louvre early to beat the rush .... another day pass on the metro so we could get there in time ... and not wear ourselves out AGAIN!!! But the Metro is FULL of steps. You go down, and down some more and along and then up and sometimes down again..... deep down in the bowels of the earth sometimes. System is very efficient and fast.

Slight detour to finally find the cache Lex had been chasing. Success at last. Not so many muggles ... only a nearby shop proprietor ... who we hope is in the know.

Then off to the Louvre ... very little line up ... but once through that, we realised that was only the entry point for scanning. Once downstairs under the pyramid, there were people everywhere and still had to line up for tickets. Only a small line. By 10.30 ... there were people everywhere ... soooo many people .... so many tour groups and soooooo many school groups ... kids as young as 6 years!!! Actually we have seen school groups everywhere ... London, Edinburgh .... and Paris.

The Louvre itself is unbelievable ... not enough superlatives.... it is HUGE and full of HUGE things. We were in overload!!! STUNNING! We spent about 4-5 hours there ... rushed through as much as we could. Couldn't read the French signs anyway... not much in English. We tried to follow a plan .... but ended up wandering. Did see Mona Lisa ... and although I'd read that it was much smaller than people expect ... it still struck me like that. Small!! BUT IT IS GIVEN A WHOLE WALL TO ITSELF!!!

The opposite wall had a painting called "The wedding feast of Caen" or something ... which is bigger than our hotel room! Massively big painting covering the entire wall.

Thought we'd follow up with a look at Bercy Village, which is out past where we are living. More Metro rides .... really fast ones this time. Raining by the time we got there. Very pretty village ... but bit trendy ... full of cafes and restaurants and wine shops. Home on the metro ... via Gare Saint Lazare to check out how we are going to get there tomorrow .... and just because we could ... we have a day pass to go anywhere and we had to change lines anyway. Just as we were thinking how good we are getting at riding trains ... and arriving at stations withing minutes .... we hopped on a train heading the wrong way!!! Hopped off at the next station ... all good.

Back home ... to our latest local ... with free wifi. Time to check the route for the Tour .... not far from where we'll be ... but maybe more than a walk!!! Something else to think about. We have our sleeping bags after all ... could camp out by the road!!!

off to Rouen tomorrow.