Sunday 9th January: Paris

After an unsuccessful attempt to visit Le Corbusier's Maison Roche this morning (closed on Sundays) we headed off to the Catacombs. This was by far the most dramatic of any of the sites we have visited on the trip. In the late 18th Century the cemetries in and around Paris were considered to be failing and unsuitable so the government decided to remove all the remains from them and bury the bones in disused limestone mines under Paris. The bones were not just dumped, but rather they were carefully stacked in ornate patterns which can still be seen today. After going down over 100 steps we walked through over 2 km of underground passages passed stack after stack of skulls and thigh bones arranged in precise patterns. This was one exhibition I was truly glad to see the end of.

Saturday 8th January: Paris

Spent the morning at the Rodin gallery, a beautiful sanctuary in the middle of Paris

And the afternoon at the Eiffel Tower where Darcy & Sarah went ice skating on the first level.

Barb and I considered lunch at the restaurant Jules Verne but the 300 euro per head price tag without wine seemed a little steep, so we opted for a cup of soup while we watched the police intermittently race through the crowd chasing the eiffel tower souvenir sellers

Friday 7th January: Paris

Maccas for lunch..... 'Royale with cheese' followed by the Louvre

Then a stroll through thr Place Vendome and surrounds

Got home to find somebody was charging their car out the front

Thursday 6th January: Paris

Our wandering around Paris today included a visit to an excellent exhibition by the photographer Andre Kertesz at the Jeu de Paume.

Wednesday 5th January: Paris

After catching up with Olivier for lunch we made a quick reco of Galleries Laff before a walk down the Champs starting at the Aerc de T much to Barb's delight

Then dowm to the Peugeot shop

Followed by a little shop for Saz

Ooops. Sorry about the bridal reference James

Tuesday 4th January: Paris

Last night Tom turned up on our doorstep and so we are a family of 5 again.

Today after a slow start we managed a browse through 'Shakespeare & Co' the infamous bookshop of english literature on the left bank before a visit to Notre Dame

Monday 3rd January: Paris

Literally rolled out of Nantes early Monday morning. T'was a day after scheduled but we couldn't get on a train on the Sunday cos it was all booked. Fast train to Paris but was too dark to see until the dawn and the most wonderful sight of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Back in Paris again and feeling just fine....

Our apartment was, to say the least, well beyond expectations. A comfortable neighbourhood, spacious, good heating, plenty of hot water, in fact everything you would need including a bookcase full of holiday reading reminiscent of an old beachhouse. What's more, we had Sacre Coeur in our backyard!