Au Revoir Paris!

We woke up this morning to the loveliest day since we have been here so after packing our bags and storing in reception we set off.

We have got to know our way around quite quickly and headed towards the Arc de Triomphe and the Avenue des Champs Elysees where the serious shopping happens! There are up market shops all along the avenue - we were drawn in to the BMW and Peugeot display shops - Mal can dream can't he????


We got some shots of the Arc in the sunshine and then headed off towards the river and the Eiffel Tower.  Its a nice area around there especially on a nice day despite the crowds. After circumnavigating a reasonable part of Paris on foot we jumped in a taxi and headed back to the part of town we have been staying in for lunch. Neither of us were game to try the escargot so opted  for the near normal stuff again!









We then went hunting for our last lot of macarons - I really don't know how the French stay thin with all these pastries and yummy sweets everywhere  - perhaps the high smoking rate has something to do with it. We ate these slowly - not sure we will ever find any to match these again!



We then joined other Parisians and sat sipping wine outside a cafe and people watched - what a great way to waste an hour or three!

We are now waiting to be picked  up to begin our journey back to NZ - yippeee - 30+ hours of travel!!!!!

Moulin Rouge - our last night in Paris!

We did the dinner and show deal and had reasonable expectations of each after reading a few blogs - well they were well and truly exceeded!


We had a drink in a pub nearby to the show first and it started raining while we were there. By the time we walked down to the show it was pouring down with thunder! We had a voucher for the show that I brought online at the end of last year and had been a bit sceptical about using but we were ushered straight out of the rain no problems.

The tables in the show are close together and you get seated with others but it wasn't an issue. Funnily enough we were seated between two Russian couples who didn't know each other - one couple couldn't speak english and the other couple only a bit.

The food was good and served really quickly and the bottle of champagne wasn't bad either. There was live music while we were eating and a few couples got up and danced - including a youngish French couple who looked like they were going to undress each other on the dance floor!

The show started on time and it was action packed from there. The dancing was fantastic, the costumes awesome (feathers literally flying, and lots of boobies for Mal (but tastefully done). The fill in entertainment was great too, although one guy unfortunately picked the wrong asian guy out of the audience to be part of his act and was accused of being racist - he handled it well though and managed to finish his act tactfully.There were huge water snakes and little ponies as part of the show.It really was one of the best shows I have ever seen - a must do if you find yourself in Paris

Montemarte and the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur

We headed off late this morning up to Montemarte which is an area of Paris on a hill that is 130 metres high. There is a little train that goes up and down but we thought we would walk off 6 weeks of overeating instead. Its pretty easy to find as you just head uphill. Its a nice area of Paris, lots of apartment buildings on the way up, many with window boxes and colourful shutters. Also cobbled streets so its very quaint.





Up the top is a cluster of touristy shops and cafes. Lots of men walking around with sketch pads trying to talk the tourists in to having their portraits done. They attempt to flatter the young girls in to it coming up to them and saying how amazing they look and how they must draw them- they left me alone - I am officially old :(

The view of Paris from the top infront of the Sacré Coeur is amazing. Luckily the weather was clear and the sun even came out for a bit.




We went in to the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur. Its a lovely church with beautiful stained glass windows. The nuns were doing a service and singing - it all sounded lovely in French!

We had a look around the shops after then started heading down - unknown to us though we had headed over the other side of the hill and got lost! How happy were we to find out we had to walk back up the hill to get back over the other side.

As I type this we are both exhausted lying on the bed - have to build up to our next outing LOL!!

Paris

Our trip on Eurostar was very quick and comfy although my ears kept popping with pressure as we went in and out of tunnels and obviously under the chunnel. Only took just over two hours - amazing really. The countryside coming in to Paris was lovely especially as the sun came out.


After a bit of haggling with taxi drivers (love it how they think they can rip you off) we got to our hotel. Its in a great area close to restaurants and cafes and the Montemarte area where Moulin Rouge is. We had dinner in a restaurant on the corner and practised our French! If you make an effort the French are wrapt!

Today we walked round to the Opera area and got on the sightseeing bus. The weather has been wet on/off today but we got round the main sights without getting too wet. There are heaps of tourists here and the traffic and how it flows is just mind boggling - not as bad as what we saw in Asia a few years back but its amazing there is no road rage incidents.
















We found a large mall type shopping centre where there was a group of shops selling the most delicious looking food. We tried the macarons - OMG!!! Mal went back and got more - we reckon they are the most delicious things we have ever eaten.



Tonight we checked out the band that had set up and started playing just down on the corner. While we were there the police turned up - reckon they weren't sposed to be there as its residential round here with a few restaurants - when we came back from dinner they were gone.



We walked up round the Montemarte area where Moulin Rouge is (we go to the show tomorrow night) - this we found out is also the area where the sex shops and shows are. Mal got offered free entry to one and I was told I would have to pay - how RUDE! We are going to walk up to the top of Montemarte tomorrow. There is a large church up there plus lots of quaint shops and cafes etc and you get an awesome view of Paris.

Last leg of bus tour

This morning we got up and had time to have a walk along the promenade seafront in Brighton.. It had stopped raining and the sun even peeked out. There is no sand here, all large pebbles. Although there were no swimmers in sight the lifeguards were set up on the beach. I imagine that this place is packed on a sunny day.

We then headed out of Brighton through the South Downs - the newest national park in England. They have the same chalkie rock as the Cliffs of Dover which is exposed on the hillside.

We passed by Uckfield - you can imagine how the graffiti artists have had a field day with these signs!

Lunch stop was at Royal Tunbridge Wells. We stopped at the quieter end of town and being a Monday anyway it was very quiet. Seems like a quaint place with a lot of old buildings etc.

We then headed in to London on the last leg of our tour. All in all we have enjoyed the tour and seen a lot of the UK and Ireland however Mal and I are in agreement that we would 't do a bus tour again. We prefer to do our own thing and have a less structured holiday - as well my tolerance for putting up with sick coughing people on the bus got very tested!

Stonehenge, Arundel & Brighton

We headed straight to Salisbury plains to see Stonehenge this morning -  something I have been wanting to see since I saw a photo of them in a book as a child.  Built about 700 years after the pyramids - 2000BC. No one knows for sure what they actually are although there are a lot of theories. They can be used to track cycles of the moon and seasons and perhaps read the stars - or even as a landing area for spaceships ( I like that theory).

After being warned yesterday that there would be heaps of tourists and the stones are roped off, I had prepared myself for being disappointed. However, I was still thrilled to see them! There were heaps of tourists but got a good look at them and the all important photos!









We then stopped in Salisbury for lunch. We have been trying to find  a traditional cornish pastie which are apparently half savory and half sweet (a full meal - the coal miners used to eat these underground) but we haven't found one so we  got a traditional meat and veg one while we could. We went halves as it was huge - it was delicious.  Salisbury was pretty quiet being a Sunday and rainy but seems a nice place and has some lovely old pubs.  It also has the highest church spire in England.



Our next stop was in Arundel for toilet stop and photos of the Arundel castle. The castle is home of the Duke  and Duchess of Norfolk and has been in the family for nearly 1000 years.  You can tour through it but unfortunately we didn't have enough time. The pictures in the brochure look magnificent.







Then we travelled through to Brighton. Unfortunately the weather has turned again. We had a look at the royal pavilion which is very fancy then went for a walk through the shops. We found a collection of humorous shops and had fun picking out some things to play tricks on the bus and tour guide tomorrow on our last day.






After dinner a group of us braved the crappy weather and hit the local casino. I came out £45 up on the pokies and Mal came out £10 up on cards and roulette.

Its still bucketing down outside - we hope it clears up tomorrow for our last day in England!

West England - Cornwall

We headed off early on our sightseeing drive to Cornwall, Lands End and St Ives . The weather has improved so we have a clear day and some sun. Lucky we left Wales when we did as they have flooding there after all the rain yesterday.

First stop was at St Michael's Mount - an island which can be reached when the tide is out and has an old castle  on its top which is still lived in today. Looking across the bay you can see the town of Penzance - the warmest place in the British Isles apparently.




We then drove to Land's End - the last village in the British Isles. Lovely views across the water.



Next stop St Ives - what an absolutely beautiful place. It was pretty busy with tourists but a really nice place - would love to come back and rent a cottage for awhile even in winter. We had lunch at a lovely pub by the seaside and then walked round all the cobbled streets - picked up some yummy local fudge on the way.






We came across a couple of dogs that reminded us of Chip - they were cockapoodles though (cocker spaniels crossed with miniature poodle) - I got a nice cuddle from one of them to tide me over till I see my little boy again.

Bye bye Wales!

We left Wales this morning in horrendous weather - given its sposed to be summer I would hate to be here in winter.

We headed to Bath which has a lot of Georgian architecture and is a world heritage site and known for its  hot springs. We had a drive around a circle of multi level houses called the circus - these apparently have the  same dimensions as Stonehenge!




We got dropped off in town for a couple of hours to have a look around. Despite the wind and rain (just like good ole Wellington) we had a look at the old roman baths and round by the river etc. This would be a lovely place to spend some time on a sunny day


Next stop Glastonbury  where the legend of King Arthur originates and  an annual rock festival is held. Also known for being a magnet for hippies and new age shops - very like Byron Bay in Ozzie . We had a quick lunch at a very old pub - was like something out of a King Arthur set.


We then headed up towards Dartmore National park being treated to folk music on the way!!!! While on the motorway we passed heaps of caravans and motorhomes heading in the  opposite direction - I started taking snapshots of them and couldn't stop!

The national park has clusters of rocks throughout them - very beautiful scenery and narrow windy roads. We had a quick stop at Widecombe  in the Moor - a small village. Then we drove to Plymouth city by the sea. We drove to the oldest area by the Mayfair steps for a look around. Lovely area - saw the pilgram steps where all our rellies hopped on the ships to head to Oz and NZ.








We are in Plymouth for the night - 2 more nights left on our tour!