The trip to Paris was long 9.45 a.m - 7.35 p.m with a 2 hr stop over in Basel, Switzerland so you can imagine our joy when we arrived at Gare de l'Est (railway station) and Kate was there to meet us. Between us we have 6 cases, 3 back packs, 2 small cases carry on cases so we are fairly obvious and need to be on the trains first to ensure we have space.
The changes in scenery from steep mountainside to low lying farm lands gave us a good understanding of the Swiss terrain. There were many 'typical' villages along the way with alpine houses and steepled churches. It was somewhat a pity that we didn't have more time to explore other parts of Switzerland.
The 2 hour stop over in Basel gave us time to buy lunch, observe locals play 'kubb' and Jane and Matt find a playground for Lucy and James.
Kate had arrived in Paris earlier in the day so was able to settle in our apartment and meet us. The children had big smiles when they saw her (much to do with regular Skype calls). She was a great help with our loads of luggage and was able to navigate us to the Metro with ease.
Friday was Good Friday and Leon's brother, Steve arrived from Nyon, Switzerland, where he is currently living. It was great to have him with us for a couple of days. We will meet up again in London for a night. We ventured out for Sacre Coeur Cathedral in Montmartre but the crowd there for the Good Friday ceremonies was overwhelming - felt as if the whole of Europe was visiting Paris for Easter - so we didn't stay for long. Jane and Matt took Lucy and James home for a nap and the rest of us, with our tour guide, Kate, went and had lunch at the restaurant where the film, Amelie, was filmed and then onto Musee d'Orsay, a magnificent museum located in what was once a railway station. We were able to appreciate the works of Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Degas, Manet, Cezanne among others. Can understand why people suggest this museum is a must.
Saturday we set off to Versailles to see the Palace having bought our tickets on line. On arrival we discovered that we still had to line up for 2 hours to enter the Palace and Gardens - we just didn't have to line up to purchase the tickets. Once inside we soon forgot our long wait as we moved through the splendour and opulance of the Palace. Fortunately, the audio guide was part of the entrance fee so as we moved with the dense crowd we were able to appreciate the features.
We also had entrance to the gardens which were spectacular. After an hour of walking we decided to hire a golf buggy to move through the grounds from the Main Palace to Marie Antionette's Estate and the wider extent of the gardens.
Fortunately, we were still there when the Water Show began. There are many beautiful fountains and at particular times the water spurts in time with music. This was spectacular and quite ingenious. Once we returned the buggy we went in search of the little nooks and crannies in the maze of hedges where the kings 'entertained'.
Easter Sunday we set off to Notre Dame Cathedral for 8.30 a.m Mass and were surprised when we arrived at 7.45 a.m to see the huge crowd of scouts lined up at the entrance. We were told we couldn't enter as it was a special Mass for scouts - obviously an International Gathering. However, we demanded that we enter and we kept moving inside and although the Mass was in French we managed. Coffee in the Latin Quarter followed and in the afternoon, we set off for Amiens.
No comments:
Post a Comment