Christmas 2009 in Paris
There might be some browsers where my Polaroid photos are not going to display/work the way it should… updated your browser (IE is not too kind with this post).
My family lives in the southern hemisphere. Making a turn at the south point of Africa was not in the itinerary for 2009. What to do for Christmas? 2007 I was on an adventure of my own through Belgium. 2008 I went to Prague. I have not been to Paris before. “Christmas in Paris” sounds nice. Busabout from Radical Travel offered a great itinerary.
Thursday, 24 December 2009
My first day of holiday was an early rise to make it in time for check in from 7:15, at the Busabout headquarters in Victoria, London. With a group of over 40 people, 7:30 sharp we were ready to hit the road to Dover, UK. The guide introduced himself and gave us a bit of inside track and history of Paris. After mostly sleeping on the bus, everyone was happy to mingle on the ferry, crossing the channel to Calais, France. The approximate 1.5 hours was enough to stock up on coffee, brunch and the necessary shopping in the duty free shops. We reached Calais, France at about 12:30 (GMT +1:00). The snow was still thick in the country side and a bit fog on the road. We made a 20 minute pit stop to make it in good time at our accommodation, St Christopher’s in Paris. Most people did not waste too much time freshening up for a welcome drink, that was followed by dinner. After dinner we were back on the bus for the guide’s own ‘Paris by night’ tour, taking in all the sights the great city has to offer. The bus made a stop at the Eiffel Tower and in time for the light show. We had to wait 20 minutes before our group could head up. All the entrepreneurs trying to sell souvenirs was more overwhelming than the rain at that time. The view from the middle was colourful with all the lights from Paris. Unfortunately, right at the top we ended up in a cloud, with absolutely nothing to see half a meter away.
Pit stop on the way to Paris
Light show of Eiffel Tower
Absolute top of Eiffel Tower
Friday, 25 December 2009
Xmas day! Clear blue sky! After a quick breakfast for me, it was time to get out and about in the breathtaking city. First we head out to the Château de Versailles for a wander around the spectacular gardens and a mid-morning snack. After Versailles I decided to have a wonder along Avenue de Champs. From The Obelisk of Concord, through all the Christmas markets, making a u-turn at the Arc de Triomphe. After sunset, dinner at St Christopher’s was a traditional roast meal (including Foie gras) and all the trimmings. Not long after the Christmas dinner, armed with a couple bottles of wine, we head through the little streets of Montmartre filled with artists and restaurants. From there we had to climb a (great) few steps up Montmartre hill to get a closer look at Sacre Coeur. The Sacre Coeur looked amazing with the spot lights over the famous white finish. From the front of Sacre Coeur, a great view of Paris can be seen.
Château de Versailles
Avenue de Champs
Arc de Triomphe
Sacre Coeur
Saturday, 26 December 2009
After a few baguettes and strong coffees it was time for the day’s itineraries to start. I jumped on a Fat Tire bike and experienced Paris in a pack of over 40 bikes through streets and parks of central Paris. The tour guide has been living in Paris for over 8 years and had a great knowledge of the history of the city and other interesting stories to go with the scenery. All the bikes were parked for lunch in Tuileries Gardens. Then we head off with our bikes to board a river boat to see Paris from the water. Passing places such as the Grand Palais, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Louvre Museum, Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame. By late afternoon we dropped off the bikes and there was a little bit of time to stray off the pack. “The National Lampoons Louvre Trip in 60 Minutes” had to fill this gap. With limited time we had to make a bit of a run through the Denon and Sully area to capture at least the most popular pieces; Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and The Winged Victory of Samothrace. The evening was topped of by dinner at a local French restaurant Le Marmite. The onion soup (with a layer of cheese on top and pieces of french bread underneath) is highly recommended!
Fat Tire Bike Tours
Notre Dame
Louvre
Le Marmite
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Au revoir, Paris!
Update
When I downloaded my photos of Paris (cut and paste), all of them was corrupt. I was rather upset and disappointed without thinking clearly. With a lot of good advice and suggestions from people I was able to retrieve my photos with MjM Free Photo Recovery Software. It worked like a charm. All the photos in this blog post was taken by me. View more photos of this trip at my Flickr Photostream or Facebook.
