In Pictures | A Postcard From Paris

We’ll always have Paris.” Howard Koch

After a somewhat shaky start to the trip with ever-changing plans, date juggling (Eurostar, best telephone customer service ever!) and then an incident in the Channel Tunnel that caused major delays on our actual day of travel (grrrrrr), the eldest, teenager and I set off on the Eurostar (only a slight delay and at least our train wasn’t cancelled like most) for our Familie de Brett trip to Paris. Once onboard it was an easy and uneventful journey to Paris Du Nord, followed by a slightly prolonged Metro ticket debacle and a dubious late night trip on the subway, but nevertheless we arrived unscathed at our quaint boutique hotel in St.Michel.

Our first day was spent at Disneyland Paris (read about it here) while the other half flew from Abu Dhabi direct to Paris and the second day was sightseeing on the teenagers 16th birthday (read about that here).

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Bit damp at Disneyland Paris

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Souvenirs along the Seine but watch out for pickpocketsDSC09684

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The week-long adventure was a non-stop pavement pounding exercise in the wrong shoes (me) as we criss-crossed The Seine and the city, taking in as many sights as possible. Visits to the Eiffel Tower (amazing panoramic views from the observation deck at the Summit), The Lourve, throwback in time in artistic Montmarte, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Élysées, Sacre Cœur, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Centre Pompidou, street art and a trip on the Babobus along the Seine to name a few. We celebrated two birthdays (the aforementioned teenagers 16th and the eldest’s 23rd), ducked showers, got soaked, were briefly reunited as a family of five (when second son joined us for the weekend), ate lots, drunk more, ate some more, shopped, took in some art and culture (well me anyway), wore clichéd striped Breton tops (me again), photographed everything (ok that was me too) and ‘selfied'(new word alert as the eldest ‘selfie’ himself around the city’s landmark) ourselves around the beautiful historic French capital city. Here’s a snapshot of our Parisian escapade.

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A spectacular bridge across the Seine, the Pont Alexandre III connecting the Champs Élysées quarter and Invalides/Eiffel Tower quarterIMG_5959

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IMG_5963Jardin des Tuileries

IMG_5965The Louvre

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DSC09711La Basilique du Sacre Cœur sits high above the city and has amazing views 

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Montmartre where all the artists gatherDSC09725

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DSC09731Espace Dalí Gallery in the Place du Tertre, Montmartre

IMG_6040Someone in a beret turned 23 in Paris

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DSC09752Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Élysées

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IMG_6001Place da la Concorde

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DSC09770Notre Dame

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IMG_9756Stravinsky Fountain (Fontaine des automates) that has sixteen works of sculpture that move and spray water

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IMG_6012Centre Pompidou which houses Musée National d’Art Moderne

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IMG_6035Top of the Centre Pompidou 

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All aboard the BatobusIMG_9773

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IMG_6052Macarons from Ladurée  

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IMG_6070Architect and engineer Gustave Eiffel’s statue at the base of the tower

IMG_9777The wrought iron lattice tower located on Champ de Mars better known as the Eiffel Tower, one of the world’s most iconic landmarks

IMG_6071Panoramic views across the city from the summit observation deck

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Top of the Eiffel Tower selfies
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IMG_6085St.Michel in the Latin Quarter

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IMG_6089All those selfies were exhausting

IMG_6092Back at St Pancras in London

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DSC09740Au Revoir Paris

All photos on this page © Jo Brett 2014. All rights reserved.


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