France - Day 2 (Paris)

Monday, 5 September 2011

As you can see from the previous piece, our hotel was quite close to the Eiffel Tower.  So on our first real day in Paris, we strolled down cobblestone alley ways lined with bakeries, pubs, bicycles and flower baskets towards the Eiffel Tower.  On the way, we picked up croissants and coffee for breakfast.

The Eiffel tower was certainly an impressive sight.  Photos and postcards cannot do it justice.  Not afraid of looking silly to get the best photos of this masterpiece, Jason laid on the ground on his back with the camera in front of hundreds of people.

We then went in search to buy an international SIM card and Australian adaptor with the assistance of Jason’s best French.  We kept getting directions to a shop that was supposed to be within walking distance.  After an hour and a half of walking and asking for directions, we hailed a taxi.  The driver advised us that he knew of a closer shop where we could get one, so we agreed for him to take us there.

15 minutes and 10 Euros later, we were on the other side of town.  But, at least this misfortune resulted in us being within a stones throw of the Arc De Triomphe.

After purchasing the adaptor and “international SIM card” (which we later discovered could not be used outside of France), we took a walk down what seemed to be France’s equivalent to

Rodeo Drive

.  It was a high end shopping district with all the best designer stores.  Every shop on this street was a high end designer outlet.  Armani Emporio, Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabana, and Louis Vuitton where salivating, fashion-hungry ladies formed an endless queue out onto the street.

For a late lunch, Sarah tried a froggoir salad at a nearby restaurant.  Froggoir (unsure of spelling) is a type of small bird used in French cuisine.

As we were eating our lunch, and much to Jason's amusement, a trap door opened in the floor, centimetres away from Sarah’s chair.  Jason was quite amused and took photos of this, including some rather unflattering ones of Sarah in the foreground.

We finally headed to the Arc De Triomphe, the centre of Paris, for an aerial view.  It was a clear day and we could see several famous landmarks.  We took turns using a telescope and experienced our first Parisian sun set.

But the strangest and most amusing thing we saw from the top was the traffic below.  The Arc De Triomphe is in the middle of a roundabout, and a dozen roads shoot off from this.  There are no traffic lights, signs, markings on the road, or rules it seems.  Kingsford nine ways eat your heart out!

We polished off the day with a light dinner served with crusty bread and some quality chardonnay.