Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this was a bad holiday - far from it, but it was a very busy time of year to visit Paris. Lots of other people - from all over the world - seemed to have the same idea as me, to make good use of the time between Christmas and New Year. The huge queues at Luton Airport were just a taster of what was in store for me.
It was a flying visit, just a few days in Paris, but I was determined to make the best of it and visit places I had missed on previous visits. Top of my list was a visit to the Louvre. Inevitably this attraction had one of the longest queues to get in, but once I got in I was able to enjoy not only the wonderful works of art inside but also the exquisite building itself. Inevitably the Mona Lisa attracts the biggest crowds, although for me that is one of the least impressive things on display. I especially enjoyed some of the sculture and the Richelieu wing was my favourite.
Day one also saw me visit Notre Dame Cathedral and walk around the Pompidou Centre area of the city. I finished my first day my sore feet and made my way to my hostel to catch up with fellow travellers for a good old chat!
My second day saw me getting out of the centre of Paris and visiting Versailles. This of course is the site of the famous Chateau, formerly the centre of political power in France, which was turned from an ordinary palace into an extravagant and opulent monument to the then French monarch by Louis XIV.
My enjoyment of this magnificant Chateau was somewhat diminished by a foot injury, which pained me and spoiled my day a little. The Chateau does at least have places to sit down and enjoy the paintings, chandeliers and other grandeur, which given my injury was something of a life saver. The extensive and beautiful gardens also have plenty of seats, but such was the cold that I did not want to sit for long. Indeed, while a heavy snowfall before Christmas had disappeared from Paris city centre, there was still a signifcant accumulation at Versailles.
I spent much of an nejoyable day in Versailles, before stopping off at the Eiffel Tower on the way baack into Paris to visit the city's most famous landmark. I have been there before and gone up the tower. I chose not to queue yet again this time around - visibility was very poor (indeed, it was hard to see the top at all!), so the queue seemed a little much for little reward. I did, however, enjoy the Christmas market at the foot of the tower and enjoyed a cup of hot mulled wine (to warm me up you understand!!!).
The evening was spent in the very heart of Paris, enjoying the lights at the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysee.
My last day in Paris included a visit to Sacre Coeur and a walk around nearby Monmartre, including past (but not inside!) the numerous erotic shops and the famous Moulin Rouge. I also went back to the Champs Elysee to enjoy the Christmas market there and to walk around le Place de la Concord and up to Pont Alexander.
Finally my feet could take no more and it was off to Charles de Gaulle airport to fly home just in time to see in the New Year with my family.
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