Paris

Arrived in Paris and was immediately impressed by the infrastructure and history of the place. As with London, there is so much here to see and it really is hard to comprehend the age of the sights here. Out of all the countries so far, we have really struggled breaking the language barrier, although there were no real major hiccups and picked up simple words and phrases that have aided us. After checking into our hotel, we went for a stroll around the city in the afternoon to check out the Eiffel Tower which is incredible and Les Invalides where most notably, Nepoleon Bonaparte's tomb is located. Tried out the local cuisine our first night, eating escargot (snails) which to our surprise was quite good although won't be rushing back to have more. The next morning we toured the Louvre, something I had been wanting to do all my life and was not disappointed. The place is huge and it would really take a full day to see everything, however we spent a good three hours there seeing all of the major works from Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Egyptian artefacts, hard to describe the feeling viewing the ages of the works. Climbed the Arc De Triomphe overlooking all of Paris, it was built from 1806 to 1836 following Nepoleon's victory in the Battle of Austerlitz and the size is really over awing. Tried the check out the Catacombes, just one of the three hundred kilometres of underground tunnels beneath the city where around six million human bones were stored following overcrowding of the city cemetery. The tunnels were dug attempting to mine limestone and were also used as passages by both the Allies and the Germans during World War II, alas was not to be as the line was quite long and it was soon to close which was pretty disappointing. Have been devouring pizza and burgers whilst in Paris and it's bloody top notch. Went into Bastille the home of the Moulin Rouge which was full of risqué shop frontages and strip clubs. We found the area was pretty seedy, however a good experience none the less and real hot spot for tourists. Walked up the Eiffel Tower on our second morning which was pretty tough after a few beers in Bastille and had our photo taken in front of the tower in our budgy smugglers (speedos) drawing quite a lot of attention not sure if positive or negative by the other tourists. From there we went to the Notre Dame cathedral from

where the movie 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' was inspired. By far the most impressive church we've seen to date, it is believed to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and includes sculptures of Gargoyles that gush water from the mouth during rain. One thing we warned about over here was gypsies and to be fairly vigilant when walking around the city ensuring your belongings are secure. On the morning of our Eiffel Tower walk and feeling very seedy after big night on the tiles, I was approached by a lovely young lady asking if I would contribute a donation to the local hospital. After parting ways with one euro she wished me all the best and I went on, now at this stage I was looking like the ultimate tourist donning my 'I Love Paris' tee shirt and a backpack. The boys then informed me that a gypsy had taken advantage of my kind hearted country nature and stolen my hard earned cash, lesson learnt. Walked around the city on our last night, watching the sun set over one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and the lighting of the Eiffel Tower, really appreciating how good it is here. Again it's been three nights here in Paris and time to move on catching a train to Amsterdam which will take around five hours. See you in the coffee shop, cheers, DS.