Paris take deux

Weisie’s folks stayed on a few days in Tourbes whilst we returned to London for a week. Then they drove to Paris, where we met up for one last weekend together before they headed home.

We arrived by Eurostar late on a Friday night just after Luke who flew instead. Our hotel was a stone’s throw from where Weisie and I stayed two months earlier. We were feeling a little peckish so had deliciously cheesy crêpes beside the road for supper.




The first thing we did next morning was to walk to the Eifel Tower. It is kind of impressive. Luke found somewhere selling beer on the second observation level – he has an uncanny knack of doing that. In spite of a little Dutch courage, nothing was going to make me take the elevator all the way to the top so Weisie had to go it alone…




We walked on to the Arc de Triomphe (having crêpes again for lunch) and then along part of the Champs Élysées. It was a pleasant walk in spite of some mild precipitation.

The cheap-and-cheerful Chinese restaurant from our last visit beckoned and we answered its call. Good, honest (cold) food complemented with warm beer served by a surly owner. It was fun but we were really saving ourselves for the following night.




The plan on our last day was to go shopping. Sadly for Eny and Weisie, the shops were closed. We did not know this, however, but still enjoyed a great walk through the city passing through Luxembourg Gardens (Luke, pictured above), by the Pantheon, around Notre Dame and across the Seine. We also found a marvellous chocolatier called Foucher near to the Opera House and enjoyed sundowners on Montparnasse Boulevard at the end of our stroll. We then rested up in the early evening in preparation for a night to remember.

The Moulin Rouge exceeded our expectations. The famous Rid Mill is located in the red-light district near Montmartre. We queued outside with well-dressed, respectable looking folk (a good sign) and were pleased to read that the Queen, among other members of the Royal Family, had been to a cabaret here.




We started with a very good meal and just as the lights went down a Champagne cork splash landed in Weisie’s glass! When the curtains came up, we were treated to a Spectacular Spectacle. It was more refined yet racier then we imagined. All of the intermission acts were amazing and highlights in their own right.

The next day, Weisie and I returned to London leaving Luke, Tony and Eny to enjoy a few last days exploring Paris. After nearly six amazing weeks on the road, Weisie’s folks returned to Australia.