Our first stop in France was Monaco – not a bad place to
start! We visited the Monte Carlo Casino
first – having been here before I knew what to expect. What I hadn’t anticipated were the Christmas
decorations in the forecourt, stunning, but you would expect nothing less. We spent a little while wandering around the
outside of the casino and looking out at the view of the sea. Another impressive view were the array of cars
circling around the Casino. To me they symbolised
dollar signs on wheels – Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royce’s – to name a
few. Driven casually around like we
would drive our Toyotas back home! Super
impressive. We stayed long enough, in Monaco, to drive the Grand Prix track and
visit the Christmas Market at the marina.
The drive in and out, of Monaco, is one to remember too – like driving
down into a money pit!
Between Monaco and Paris we had 3 nights – the days were spent driving north along spectacular valleys or up through the alps – along the Napoleon Way. No matter where we were there was always something to look at, out the window. We stopped for the night in Sisteron, Boune and then Versailles, on our way to Paris. Each very different but all the same in their unique beauty. It was a busy few days but worth the effort of packing up and moving on each day. We finished our few days on the road with a visit to the impressive Chateaux Versailles. The Palace was closed but the gardens were open for visitors to wander through. The photos don’t do it justice,
The day arrived for us to make our way into our Paris apartment and to meet up with Mum and Dad and welcome in the new year. We'd been looking forward to this day for a while now. As we drove, with the anticipation of arriving into Paris, suddenly the symbol of Paris loomed large. The collective sigh of the entire car was magical – to match the sight - the vision of the Eiffel Tower is one that never grows old. Just as exciting and magnificent as the first time.
We negotiated the streets of Paris (with the help of the GPS) – even driving around the Arc de Triumph round-a-bout – the only place in the France no car is insured to drive!! It’s a crazy place.
Our apartment was in a fantastic location – easy walking distance to The Louvre, Pompidou Centre, Notre Dame and more. Which was handy considering there was a serious, on going, transport strike in Paris. To say the strike was annoying was an understatement – it made moving around Paris much more difficult and a lot slower – which effectively means you see less. On the up side our step count was through the roof for the 4 days!
We managed to see Sacre Coure, The Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, la Tuileries, Royal Palace, Paris Opera, Gallerie la Fayette, The Louvre and lots of Paris in between these sights that we may not have seen had the metro been running. In our 4 days we also managed to catch up with 2 different sets of cousins – it was a wonderful 4 days.
Our airport transfer arrived at 6AM on our departure day,
the only way to get to the airport due to the transport strike, and we bid
Paris a fond farewell. Edinburgh here we
come!
Between Monaco and Paris we had 3 nights – the days were spent driving north along spectacular valleys or up through the alps – along the Napoleon Way. No matter where we were there was always something to look at, out the window. We stopped for the night in Sisteron, Boune and then Versailles, on our way to Paris. Each very different but all the same in their unique beauty. It was a busy few days but worth the effort of packing up and moving on each day. We finished our few days on the road with a visit to the impressive Chateaux Versailles. The Palace was closed but the gardens were open for visitors to wander through. The photos don’t do it justice,
The day arrived for us to make our way into our Paris apartment and to meet up with Mum and Dad and welcome in the new year. We'd been looking forward to this day for a while now. As we drove, with the anticipation of arriving into Paris, suddenly the symbol of Paris loomed large. The collective sigh of the entire car was magical – to match the sight - the vision of the Eiffel Tower is one that never grows old. Just as exciting and magnificent as the first time.
We negotiated the streets of Paris (with the help of the GPS) – even driving around the Arc de Triumph round-a-bout – the only place in the France no car is insured to drive!! It’s a crazy place.
Our apartment was in a fantastic location – easy walking distance to The Louvre, Pompidou Centre, Notre Dame and more. Which was handy considering there was a serious, on going, transport strike in Paris. To say the strike was annoying was an understatement – it made moving around Paris much more difficult and a lot slower – which effectively means you see less. On the up side our step count was through the roof for the 4 days!
We managed to see Sacre Coure, The Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, la Tuileries, Royal Palace, Paris Opera, Gallerie la Fayette, The Louvre and lots of Paris in between these sights that we may not have seen had the metro been running. In our 4 days we also managed to catch up with 2 different sets of cousins – it was a wonderful 4 days.
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