Paris in the Spring
The views from the 56th floor were excellent and even though it was a bit cloudy and very windy we headed on up to the glass-screened rooftop for an uninterrupted panorama, staying out just long enough to avoid hypothermia and see the city lights.
On Easter Sunday and Monday we made great use of our hop-on-hop-off bus tickets heading first to the Sacre Coeur. After a cloudy Saturday we were blessed with warm, sunny days although, being Easter weekend, everywhere was very busy so, with the exception of the Eiffel Tower, we decided not to join any lengthy queues and hopefully avoid frayed tempers - and it worked! Notre Dame was extremely busy both with tourists and pigeons and we walked along the riverbank to see the Pont des Arts, Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor and the Pont de l'Archevêché, famous for the thousands of padlocks which adorn them.
We saw so much from the upstairs of the hop-on hop-off bus - The Louvre, The Pompidou Centre, The Moulin Rouge, Musée d'Orsay, Panthéon, Arc de Triomphe and around almost every corner loomed the Eiffel Tower, there was just no escaping it!
We had a pre-booked time to jump the never-ending queues and were whisked straight up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower and whilst this probably saved 3 hours of queuing at the bottom there was still a good hour to wait to get to the third level so, if you have plans to visit Paris, avoid busy weekends! And don't forget the queue to get back down again!!
On our final morning we relaxed aboard a river cruise, getting a different perspective from the top of the bus, boarding close to the Eiffel Tower and travelling along the Seine to Ile de la Cité, home to the Notre Dame, circling round and returning to base.
Bobbi had decided she was going to try snails for lunch so we returned to the café we'd had lunch in on Monday as we'd seen them on the menu and escargots were promptly ordered for her. Bobbi is usually quite adventurous with new foods but I really didn't think she would eat them once they were put in front of her - how wrong can you be, not only did she devour them, she ordered a second helping!! As soon as the first plateful arrived I beat a hasty exit, I couldn't bear to watch!!
Even though we probably picked one of the busiest weekends of the year to visit Paris we still had a great time and will no doubt return to immerse ourselves more in this beautiful city. We barely scratched the surface, as is usual with many short breaks, so it is always worth staying an extra night or two.
If you're looking for a romantic weekend, a family break or a dose of culture please do get in touch, I'd be delighted to help plan your ideal break.