Mel and I arrived in Paris after a 16 hour commute from San Sebastian. We got in about 11pm and went in search of food. The receptionist pointed out a lovely area in which to get a meal. We jumped on the metro and ended up in the sex district of Montmartre. We didn't mind too much, we had a good meal and a view of the Moulin Rouge!
Paris has some of the biggest flea Markets in Europe, so on Saturday I visited a few. I went to Marché aux Puces and Puces de Vanves. They were full of second hand clothes, antiques, bikes and stolen goods! I was in opp shop heaven!
On Sunday we wanted to get all our 'sight seeing' done so we got up early and started with the Louvre. We saw everything we needed to see, including the Mona Lisa. After that we went walking through Tuilleries park, down the Champs Elysee and eventually made it to the Arc de Triomphe.
Later that night we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and watched the sun go down as the tower lit up. We finished off the day with a walk up to the church at Mon Martre to get a beautiful view of the city.
On Monday, much to Mel's delight we went to Disneyland Paris. We went on a few rides, went to see a show, watched the parade and did as any good tourist would do; bought souvenirs.
That night we returned to an interesting situation. An underage American had been sculling beers and I made the mistake of sitting in front of him. Seconds later vomit was spilling down my back. I made sure to had a shower that night.
The next day we went to Versailles with a friend from the hostel; Anthony. We enjoyed a sunny Parisian day laying in the endless gardens. On our final day in Paris we relaxed with a few baguettes at a park nearby our hostel with fantastic views of the Sacré-Cour.
Later we visited the Latin Quarter, made out way to Notre Dame and finished off the day with a delicious Vietnamese meal in China Town.
Overall Paris was so-so. It is all you expect it to be, and then again it isn't. There are of course all the beautiful sites and parts of the city but this is contrast with the dirty sidewalks and evident poverty on other areas. Paris is also very expensive.
On Thursday our bus took us on a short journey 3 hours east to Brugge, Belgium. We checked in about midday and later that afternoon hired bikes. We rode past windmills and visited some parks before trying some traditional Belgium chocolate, fries and of course beer.
We had read about a city near Brugge; Ghent. Lonely planet had once dubbed it the most under rated city in Europe. They weren't wrong, it was scattered with medieval buildings and free flowing canals. That night Mel and I enjoyed a pizza and some beers by a canal back in Brugge.
Saturday was our final day in Brugge, but before we left Mel and I braved the 366 stairs to the top of Bell tower. When we made it to the top we were greeted with beautiful view of the city, a good way to spend our last moments in Belgium.
Paris has some of the biggest flea Markets in Europe, so on Saturday I visited a few. I went to Marché aux Puces and Puces de Vanves. They were full of second hand clothes, antiques, bikes and stolen goods! I was in opp shop heaven!
On Sunday we wanted to get all our 'sight seeing' done so we got up early and started with the Louvre. We saw everything we needed to see, including the Mona Lisa. After that we went walking through Tuilleries park, down the Champs Elysee and eventually made it to the Arc de Triomphe.
Later that night we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower and watched the sun go down as the tower lit up. We finished off the day with a walk up to the church at Mon Martre to get a beautiful view of the city.
On Monday, much to Mel's delight we went to Disneyland Paris. We went on a few rides, went to see a show, watched the parade and did as any good tourist would do; bought souvenirs.
That night we returned to an interesting situation. An underage American had been sculling beers and I made the mistake of sitting in front of him. Seconds later vomit was spilling down my back. I made sure to had a shower that night.
The next day we went to Versailles with a friend from the hostel; Anthony. We enjoyed a sunny Parisian day laying in the endless gardens. On our final day in Paris we relaxed with a few baguettes at a park nearby our hostel with fantastic views of the Sacré-Cour.
Later we visited the Latin Quarter, made out way to Notre Dame and finished off the day with a delicious Vietnamese meal in China Town.
Overall Paris was so-so. It is all you expect it to be, and then again it isn't. There are of course all the beautiful sites and parts of the city but this is contrast with the dirty sidewalks and evident poverty on other areas. Paris is also very expensive.
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| Notre Dame |
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| The Eiffel Tower |
On Thursday our bus took us on a short journey 3 hours east to Brugge, Belgium. We checked in about midday and later that afternoon hired bikes. We rode past windmills and visited some parks before trying some traditional Belgium chocolate, fries and of course beer.
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| Frites |
We had read about a city near Brugge; Ghent. Lonely planet had once dubbed it the most under rated city in Europe. They weren't wrong, it was scattered with medieval buildings and free flowing canals. That night Mel and I enjoyed a pizza and some beers by a canal back in Brugge.
Saturday was our final day in Brugge, but before we left Mel and I braved the 366 stairs to the top of Bell tower. When we made it to the top we were greeted with beautiful view of the city, a good way to spend our last moments in Belgium.
