Rome to London Chapter 4

Wed Sept 30
We arrived in Paris late afternoon and tour the city first by coach. Gabriella our local tour guide joins us and tells us of some of the beautiful historical sites and the culture of Parisians. Of course the biggest highlight was the Eiffel Tower which we stopped and had a lovely picture taken of the whole group. We also drive about the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre Dame Cathedral. We then get to our Parisian Hotel to settle in and freshen up. This evening we boarded the scenic cruise line for an hour long cruise up the Seine River, taking in all the sites with audio commentary. The illumination of the city was spectacular, including the dancing light show that illuminates all of the Eiffel Tower and takes place on the hour. We actually have a chance to see it on our 8pm departure as well as our 9pm return to the dock. It was back to our hotel, via the Champs Elysees, for a good night sleep as the next day wass a full day of sightseeing.
Thurs Oct 1
We are all up early and eager to see the sights of Paris. The first stop was the Palace of Versailles. We take a stroll about the court yard offering spectacular views of formal gardens, the canal that King Louis had man made and the beautiful countryside. Then inside to view the beauty and elegance of the Palace where the kings and queens of France lived. We were lucky to be one of the first groups there, walking into the large rooms and taking photos without the crowds ahead of you. From the Palace we are taken to the next stop," the Eiffel Tower" where we ascend to the second level by elevator and once again Gabriella told the history of the tower and pointed out highlights of the city from above. We all had some time to purchase soveniers by bardering with the local merchants and then we are off again next stop "the Louvre"
Into the main lower level plaza where we see the inverted diamond of the Louvre, made famous from the movie the De Vinci Code. We first have time for a lovely lunch with a wide selection of food and beverages. Then we were ready to walk through the Louvre with Gabriella, once again doing a fabulous job as we all had audio sets on to hear clearly the historical stories of many of the famous paintings and sculptures including the Mona Lisa, Venus De Milo and Michelangelo statues.
Back to the hotel for some free time to rest and freshen up. This evening we ventured out to a Parisian Dinner and Caberete, an optional addition for our group and well worth doing. The food was delicious, the drinks including champagne and the show including Can-can girls, accrobats and comedians including our own Tom from Winnipeg, who was picked from the audience to assist with the show. We all had tears in our eyes from laughter and a good time was had by all.
Au Revoir to Paris and on to London in the morning.