Paris Day 5 - Part 1

This was the day when my insanity was confirmed as I took over a 100 photos. With film photography I used to be far more selective and more careful with the shots that I took as films were a) expensive to buy and b) expensive to develop. The latter especially as you could end up paying for literally rubbish. How many photos I took with people walking into the shot at the last minute and had to pay for, I don't know but I guess it was quite a lot.

I sometimes think that a few people deliberately walk into photos but maybe that's just me. With digital though it really doesn't matter as all you have to do is hit the delete button.

Anyhow, it was Day 5 of our trip and we had a lot planned. I will break this day up into two or three parts as otherwise I will be sitting here forever on this one post. There is so much for me to do and if I leave it I may loose heart completely and just not bother. What I like about blogging is that this has become our personal diary. I wonder if anybody has thought of downloading their blog into a book - I think that I would quite like to have this blog in a book format just so that I could dip into it every now and again to remind myself of all the things that we have been up to - it could be given to grandparents for Christmas etc. Do you think I could be on to something?

Anyhow, I digress. Our intention on Day 5 had been to start of at the Place de la Concorde, to move on through the Jardin des Tuileries, to the Louvre, a walk along the River Seine and a boat trip! A very full schedule! You can gather by all this that the head cold had vamooshed and I was 100% improved.

We made our way to the Metro station. En route we saw some street art.

Simply done but very effective.

We rode down the lift - I wasn't scared of this one even though it was deep underground. It was spacious!

The Metro was a very effective way to travel and the french seemed far friendlier than Londoners - we even had an improptu performance by someone playing the accordion!

We arrived at Place de la Concorde. As soon as we arrived we were accosted by some Romanian teenagers trying to get us to sign a petition against world poverty. We had been accosted in the same way last year - what they do is engage you in conversation, try to get you to sign the petition and as soon as you've signed they tell you that you have agreed to pay 20 euros etc and demand payment. Last year we didn't sign but we didn't cotton on for some time what they were up to. This time I just shouted "No!" louder than I had intended, I have to confess, but it did the trick and they scarpered pretty sharpish!

Which left us to admire the fantastic fountains uninterrupted.

It is hard to imagine that in this very location Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were both guillotined here at the height of the French Revolution.

A final look at the fountains before we look at a 3,000 year old Egyptian obolisk.

Pretty impressive to have survived for so long!

The Eiffel Tower dominates the Parisian skyline.

We left the Place de la Concorde and went to the Jardin des Tuileries. I now have to confess that I saw this photo on someone elses' blog. When I saw this pond I asked the Other Half to go and sit on the green chair. "Whatever for?" he said. "Just humour me," I said. So he did. "Now turn around," I said and he did - click went the camera. "Now I get it," he said. "See what you can learn from blogging," I said. "Yeeees!" he said! And it looks as if he's balancing a statue on his head!

"Oh, mum I'm tired I really don't think I can walk much further."

"Well, you won't want to go to the fun fair then will you!"

Like a shot she was off that chair and looking for the attractions!

First of all there was a gentle ride on the carousel.

A happy girl indeed!

Next there was the log flume - a double dip one! This is Our Daughter and the Other Half coming down the smallest slide.

If she wasn't quite sure about the first ride you wait till you see the photo of the second slide!

The end of the first slide.

The second slide! The look on their faces says it all!

After the flume there was gentler activity in the form of zorbing.

And of course to round off all the activity - the Other Half pointed to a huge bungee structure. "No way, dad!" she yelled. "Only kidding!" he said. It was however time for an ice-cream and I had one too!

In the Jardin there is a big wheel akin to the London Eye.

I wondered which one was built first. I'm thinking that it must be the London Eye.

There were many statues.

We got closer and closer to the big wheel.

And closer still.

We came to the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel - built roughly at the same time as the Arc de Triomphe.

Just beyond the archway is the Louvre.

And the Palais-Royal. I'm not sure if the above is a part of the Palace but thought the building attractive against the green hedges!

We heard a commotion and saw that people were feeding wild birds who were eating from their hands!

I'd never seen anything like this before.

Usually wild birds wait for food to be thrown to the floor or quickly grab fallen crumbs. Here they came much closer although flight was still one of their main aims. As soon as they had managed to get a decent morsel of food they were off. Our Daughter was quite rightly amazed.

It's little things like this that make a holiday special and makes memories to be treasured.

One last shot and then I will end this post before moving on to the Louvre. We didn't go inside, the queue outside was very long and it was getting quite hot. We agreed to walk down River to catch a bateaux mouche and view Paris from the comfort of a boat. We had quite a long walk but saw many things that we wouldn't otherwise see so it was worth pounding the old feet!

Until next time,

June.