Sophistivacation

I knew it wouldn't be pretty! As I now know, and probably should have learned throughout the years, never drink before a flight! We missed breakfast, leaving the hotel at the exact checkout time. Thankfully every second shop in Paris is a boulangerie, and Iain was happy with a massive sandwich and cake. It was now time to head to the airport and our easyJet flight home. We both struggled our way back to Edinburgh reflecting on the previous four days. This was my sixth time here and although I don't agree that it is the "city of love,"  I really enjoyed our trip. The highlights for me were the Musee D'Orsay, walking around Montmartre, eating and drinking in the Latin Quarter and the Moulin Rouge. I'm not sure I'll be back any time soon, but never say never....

From the Sacre Coeur to the Moulin Rouge, we knew at the start of the day that this was going to be different. We had a leisurely breakfast and decided to walk through the spitting rain to the Basilica at the summit of Montmartre, the highest point of the city. It was almost an hours walk but well worth it, and even though the weather was terrible, the views of the city were beautiful. We also decided to climb the 300 steps to the top of the Dome; it was really windy and the rain was beating down but when in Rome.... After all the strenuous activity, we sauntered along the cobbled streets of Montmartre ending up at Artists Square. We stopped at one of the cafes, Chez Eugene, for a coffee and to people watch. There were a few artists in the square and a few walking around those of us sitting outside under the heaters. One of the artists started speaking to us, while cutting around a piece of card. He said there was no obligation, but after we saw the final picture, ...

One of the reasons we decided to visit Paris was to visit a friend of mine, who I met while volunteering in Beijing. She is currently studying in Paris, so it was the perfect opportunity. Before we travelled to Paris, we booked to go to the Catacombs with Max; I didn't know too much about them but was looking forward to the day. We started off with a continental breakfast in our hotel, followed by a stroll to Les Invalides. This was formally the Hôtel national des Invalides, now a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The complex is also home to the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest Church in Paris at a height of 107 meters, with the tombs of some of France's war heroes, most notably Napoleon. After visiting the tomb, we also visited the museum dedicated to the Two World Wars from 1871 to 1945; as well as...

After sleeping for almost 11 hours, we both woke up refreshed and ready for a day of sightseeing. First of all, we needed to refuel. Breakfast is included in our room rate and there was a good variety to choose from; it also gave us the chance to work out what we were going to do with the day. Although we have both been before, we decide to visit the Louvre Museum. It is only a 20 minute walk from our hotel, although we need to walk past all the expensive designer shops on the way. Top Tip – buy a ticket online for a specific time as the queue to clear security is smaller. We decided we weren’t going to walk around the whole of the museum as that would take us all day; instead, we picked out our favourite paintings and sculptures, or the more famous ones, and went for a stroll. The Moaning Lisa, I mean Mona Lisa, was surrounded by hundreds of tourists taking selfies. All I can say is, it ain’t that great! And, now, to take a picture you have to queue like...