Pauline, Mum and Dad, day 2… Versailles…

On day 2 of the great parisienne adventure, the 3 travellers set off to Versailles Palace via metro and RER (regional train).  They left Pigalle in the morning to Invalides where you change from the metro to the RER, then it takes about an hour to get to the Palace (from what I can remember ).

It looks as though our travellers arrived quite early as the gates were closed in this photo.

That is my dad (Rod) the tallest one with the white hat…LOL.  Mum said they spent all day in Versailles and were exhausted by the time they arrived back to their hotel. 

Versailles Palace is wonderful and huge-a-mungous, it took us about 3 hours to walk through and see all the rooms and wonderful works of art (we did have 2 children with us too).  The gardens take more than 1 day to explore.  There are several areas with different houses and fountains to see.

Here are a couple of other photos:

Sacre Coeur from day 1 and Moulin Rouge.

Eric Kayser patisserie: Yummo, look at that Mille-feuille with the strawberries.  Yumm again!!!

Landed safely in Paris…

Today at about 1720 our time Pauline, Mum and Dad (Helen & Rod) landed safely in Paris.

If they follow my itinerary for them they will check in to the hotel on Blvd de Clichy very near the Moulin Rouge.  They will be walking down the street to go up the hill towards Rue des Abbesses to have morning tea at Coquelicot Cafe (a cafe I fell in love with). Then a walk further up the hill through Montmartre to Sacre Coeur.  There will be time for them to wonder in awe at the church and the views of the gorgeous city.

      

They will need a little rest after this, so it is off down the funicular and back to the hotel for a little time out.

The Eiffel Tower is just a 2 train ride from the hotel and the afternoon is a great time to go to the top.  Pauline has been up the Eiffel Tower and may just walk around the square and find a nice place to enjoy a cuppa while Helen and Rod go up.

          

After the Eiffel Tower it is time to head back to the hotel, get changed and find somewhere nearby for dinner.  And a stroll down Boulevard de Clichy to see the windmill on the Moulin Rouge lit up.

The great Paris and river cruise adventure begins…

This morning I woke up at 4.30am to go and pick up Pauline, Mum and Dad to take them to the Brisbane International Airport for a 6.10am check in to depart at 9.10am…(yawn).

At the moment they should be sitting comfortably in their economy seats aboard a Singapore airlines flight on its way to Singapore.  They are meeting up with a friend in Singapore for 2 nights for a private tour. After 2 nights in Singapore they will depart for Paris and arrive there 15th August.

I have set up a 4 day sight seeing itinerary for them while they are in Paris for 4 days before setting on the river cruise to Prague (Praha).

So watch this space for updates on their adventure…

Rue Mouffetard Market, Paris

This market looks amazing. I will definitely be visiting next time I am in Paris.

I have permission to write about my parents trip to Paris and beyond...

Mum, Dad and Pauline have all said that they don’t mind me writing about their travels.  Pauline has expressed her interested in adding some of her travel journal as well. I am looking forward to that.

I am also going to do up an itinerary for the 4 days they have before the tour starts.  They may or may not follow it but if they do they will let us all know if I am good at setting itineraries or not…. eek!

They land in Paris at Charles de Gaulle at 730 and I have told them they are not to go to sleep until it is dark.  They are lucky to have a shuttle bus take them straight to their accommodation Timhotel Saint Georges in Pigalle on the border of the 9th and 18th arrondissements (districts of Paris).

Pigalle is the old red light district just metres from the Moulin Rouge.  There is a metro stop there and if you head up the hill behind the hotel you are in Montmartre the art district.

I believe Mum and Pauline will be attending a Moulin Rouge show.  Dad is a bit hard of hearing and is not sure if he will cope with the “noise”.

The tour they are doing starts in Paris with a “drive by” tour on the bus… a drive by the Arc de Triomphe Paris, a drive by the Eiffel Tour and a drive by this and that with little time to take photographs or explore the area.   And definitely no time to go to the top of the Tower.  So I will be incorporating some of these into the itinerary.

Now to go and do some research for the big trip…. wish I was going too.

maleena

xxx