PARIS

3rd March

So onwards to Paris went we, the next long haul being a bit over 13 hours into Charles De Gaulle airport. Sweet as. I slept a bit over 6 hours on the plane which was cool, still a bit jaded on arrival into Paris at 6am. Then had to negotiate the French train system to get to our hotel in the St Lazare district (which is most famed for its instrument makers). Got to our hotel about 8.30-9ish and checked into our hotel. Unfortunately we managed to pick up a wee friend (we think) on the metro who was loitering behind us as we checked in. On getting to our room we discovered Mez's handbag (only purchased in Hong Kong a day earlier) which we had at reception downstairs was nowhere to be seen. The cleaners saw nothing, neither did the other hotel staff who were polite and helpful but didn't particularly give a damn. Infuriating because the bag had our passports and flight details in it as well as contact details for everything in England and bank details etc. Praise God though who teaches us as gently as he can, and we lost no cash or credit cards which would have really put us in a difficult position.

So Paris was a little dampened by having to spend half our time locating, ringing and going on various wild goose chases around embassies and police stations etc. to sort out emergency travel documents. Bit of a pain in the rear end but such is life. Evidently it's a side of Paris that a fair number of travellers get to see. My advice is be especially vigilant on the metro if you have gear and keep gear to a minimum. Alternatively you could act really weird and talk loudly about your advancing leprosy while itching frantically then maybe people would keep well clear of you... dunno the idea only just came to me.

In general Paris was cool. Freezing actually. Got to see some cool and undeniably beautiful buildings and monuments. I was very impressed with the peaceful Sacre Coeur with its choral singing nuns (we went for vespers) and a close second for me to Hillsong as far as churches went on this trip.

Notre Dame was cool, because it's Notre Dame ...

Arc De Triumphe was cool for a refresher about the genius and idocy of Napoleon’s endeavours. Great example of a leader who promised much to his followers (the soldiers) but failed to deliver the basic necessities (eg. Food, ammunition) so they had to kill lots of other people to get it!

La Tour Eiffel is cool, and so is the view from the top, but the restaurant we went to up there was efficient to the point of being rude as we were asked to finish our meals and leave so they could get ready for the next service - not so flash when you've paid €50 for your dinner! But was ok food.

We were very impressed with the Louvre and wished we had a bit more time there as you could easily spend days marvelling at the works of art within. We got to see the Mona Lisa and various other master pieces by Leonardo. I (mez) was overwhelmed by the size of some of the painting. Simply huge, meters long and meters high. Centuries and centuries old. Amazing. And the buildings themselves (an old palace that was extended by various French kings as a bit of one-upmanship I think) are simply exquisite. A highlight was probably the winged samothrace which was originally the headpiece of a ancient ship - beautiful and AWEsome, majestic sculpture.

Our time in Paris also marked our 1st Wedding Anniversary. Time has flown and we're proud of what we've managed to pack into the last year. Changing jobs and flats. Travelling to both ends of NZ - northland on our cycle tour and Dunedin to see many good friends before we departed NZ. As well as a pile of random missions to various locations inbetween. We've learnt that saving is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. We've had some great times with friends and family and great times just the two of us. We're looking forward to what lies ahead despite the challenges we may face along the way. Two is definitely better than one and we're both glad we're on this journey together.