28/7/13 Paris night 1

Moulin Rouge by day...we got here early because we are still working out the Bus & Metro systems.

So we had a look around & a quick drink...of course.

Moulin Rouge by night & the whole area lights up...viv la France.

So you won't get any photo's from inside...no cameras of course, but the restaurant was gorgeous. The food was fabulous & the show was spectacular...we had a great night & polished off 3 bottles of Champagne between us!

We had a little table just for the 3 of us. This is the official photo taken by the Moulin Rouge. 

Outside & on our way home, we joined the other revellers & had some fun with the vents that keep the underground cool. They were really strong winds too...that's my fur coat blowing up around my ears!

28/7/13 Paris day 1

To get from our campsite (which is basically in the city area) we have to get a bus to the Metro & then travel underground to all the places we want to see. This was the same for all the major cities we have been in, but for one difference, everything in Paris is signed so that you can understand it & the transportation is on time. We are standing in the Metro just about to board for the Eiffel Tower station.

My first glimpse of the Tower...wow!

This structure is huge. Started in the late 1800's it is truly a credit to Mr Eiffel & an icon for the people of France.

Finally at the top...281 metres high & set in the centre of Paris. To say the view was breathtaking is an understatement.

Gotta do a selfie!

Now I took a photo of the north, south,east & west views, but don't know which is which now?

So just enjoy the views people.

Pretty good hey?

Finally back to earth & a shot of part of one of the  four bases that hold this structure up...it's some serious engineering for its time.

My attempt at an artsy type photo.

We decided to take a walk. This is the Seine River & it's incredibly busy.

This is a gorgeous house boat & it boasts a spectacular view of the Tower, River & the city.

So we're walking through a Park in the centre of Paris & look what I found laying on the ground, an empty 28 gauge shotgun shell...oooooh got a bit excited. I'm missing my shooting, but I know that this is an incredible opportunity & I would not miss it for the world. Downside was that I couldn't smell any gunpowder...immediate withdrawals...arghhhhh!

I don't know who commissioned theses statues on the side of a beautiful building, but correct me if I'm wrong...these guys look they are giving everyone a peak at their goods...sort of like 'hey, check this out'? The statues on the other side looked like they had just eaten a 5 course meal & were rubbing their fat little Buddha bellies.

At the end of our walk we come out on the Charles de Gaulle E'toile & in the centre is the spectacular Arc de Triomphe. There are people right up the top of it & we will be doing that later in the week. For now we need some sustenance.

Selfie with Arch Headress.

How cute is this little eatery...copper pots all over the roof & spoons all over the lights.

We are on the Champs-Elysées on a Sunday. It's very busy but not overly crowded. There must be a vintage car day on Sundays...there were hundreds of them from every era.

My sunglasses broke & I lashed out & bought a new pair...Louis Vuitton. The boys told me they look ok or I would never have chosen them...& I get all the tax back on them when I leave the country, woohoo!

Nick is going all out French...Escargots for starters & then Confit Duck...mmmm

The boys with their Confit Duck & beer & my Tapas & Champagne. 

27/7/13 Paris

It's been a big day of driving after an interesting nights sleep. We have had storms for the last 2 nights, but last nights was a ripper. Strong winds, driving rain & hail shook the Motorhome for hours & when we got up a tree had fallen on the shower block. So it was a big day of driving from Bordeaux to Paris. The road tolls have been interesting ranging from .50 cents to $50. Sometimes you collect a ticket at one toll & then you pay at the next toll. No-one can explain the system to us, so we fly by the set of our pants. 

Nick got the worst of the driving today when it took 45 minutes to get through one toll, due to all the traffic.

As you can see, we needed some light relief & who better to provide that than us. We are sitting at the campsite cafe waiting for these pizza's & then an early night for over here 11pm, so we can get some sleep for a big day tomorrow...stay tuned bloggers

26/7/13 (3)

St Emilion the Monk lived in this cave for 17 years without ever leaving to show his devotion to his faith. People would visit him to pray with him & receive absolution. He also had a stone bench/chair that women who were having trouble conceiving could sit on & they would have the miracle of conception bestowed upon them. I was the only one of our group that sat on the stone...watch this space for a miracle!

This is St Emilion...carved into the rock above a stone table of worship.

There is a natural spring in one corner & St Emilion would use these waters to heal the sick & perform other miracles, such as the return of sight to the blind.

 St Emiliom's bed for 17 years...solid rock & no pillow in site. This was how he showed others of his great dedication to his faith & the people grew to respect & revere him.

 The stairs into & out of the cave of St Emilion.

 Wandering through the rest of the village, you can purchase wines, arts & crafts & delicious treats.

 Check out the Hotel...only 1 room across & 1 level down. Very cute.

How's this for a flash outside wine tasting area under the boughs of a grape vine, with the base of the pot being the spittoon.

The view from the ground level of the top Church & looking down over the Market Square.

The view over the rest of the village & down to the wine growing valleys beyond.

A close-up of the narrow streets & beautiful old buildings.

 On top of the underground Monastery someone has planted a rose garden.

This is all that remains of the magnificent 12th Century Palace & the surrounding wall of the cities original main gate. It was destroyed during the French Revolution in the 17th Century.

26/7/13 (2)

This is St Emilion...not just a famous region for wine, but the site for a famous Monk & his Monastery, St Emilion.

 

Built in the 12th & 13th Centuries, it clings to the siting if a limestone quarry. Instead of building the Church up, they dug the Church into the side of the limestone & sold the stone, making them very wealthy in the process.

 They then built a church on the top of the underground one, but the weight was too great & the bell tower started to collapse. It is only through modern engineering that the structure remains stable.

The streets are narrow & made from English stone that was used as ballast in the sailing ships that frequented this area when (through marriage) the region was under English rule. They unloaded the stones & replaced it with Bordeaux wines to take back to England.

The underground Monastery with the rebuilt & re-enforced upper Church looking onto the Market Square.  

A different camera shot so that you get some idea of what sort of structure sits on top of the cave like Monastery.

The entrance to the underground Monastery. Famille our guide is in the foreground & again, she made the day very memorable...Merci.

The Monastery.

 Further into the bowels of the Monastery are the Catacombs for the wealthy dead. All the gravesites are carved out of solid rock.

& so we exit through this little back door at the end of the catacombs.