So we had a nice couple of relaxing days with John in Bournemouth on the weekend before we flew out. Made it to Germany in one piece (after almost narrowly missing the plane at Heathrow, I was buying perfume), where my cousin Nina was ready and waiting for us at Stuttgart. With traffic it took us around 2 hours to get back to our home town of Ziegelhausen. Very glad to see my grandparents, it was so nice to be spoiled -- Harry and I got wurst salat for dinner (I don't expect you Aussies to understand a salad made of meat) followed by quark with boysenberries (again, this is all for the understanding of my family... Just realise that this is food in an orgasm for me!) So nice to be back again in the room we always stay in, feels so familiar, nothing has changed since I was a child! Check out the photo of our little village from our balcony below. Had a walk around Opa's extensive vegetable garden after dinner. It always amazes me that despite Harry knowing no German, and my grandfather no English, they still manage to talk vegetables. Maybe gardening is the universal language.... And of course, "Bier ist gut," sounds an awful lot like "Beer is good," anyway!
The next day, I had asked Opa if we could go for walk in the forest... I thought a casual little stroll, but I forgot the man never does anything by halves. For those that get the geography (ie, immediate family), we drove up to Peterstal, where we walked from the carpark to the big tower (which we climbed), back to Langekirschbaum, on to the Weiße Stein and all the way back to Oma and Opa's down via the Rosensteige. For those in English, that's a 4 and a half hour hike through the forest... With a stop for a beer of course! My legs were dead on return. Our room is on the 3rd floor too... Ouch. Complaining aside, the forest was gorgeous and so green, we really have nothing to compare it to. We have our own little piece of European greenery at the farm, but I can understand why my mother always says she misses those trees! Found some mushrooms on the way home too, Harry was more than willing to scramble up banks and steep inclines to pick the tiniest of mushrooms, so he's totally in with my grandpa ;)
Next day we went into Heidelberg to organise our train tickets to Paris. Even though our Eurail pass is a ticket essentially, in europe you also have to buy a seat reservation to guarantee yourself a spot. Naturally, we had left it too late, and the only train left on Friday to Paris was a crack of dawn train from Mannheim at 6:30am, meaning a very early start! After sorting all that (lesson learnt, book earlier), we then walked through the old city in Heidelberg, to a very old famous bridge... And then despite our sore legs, decided to walk the hour+ back home again! Seen it all before on our last trip, but was nice to get out of the house and enjoy some warm weather. Caught up with some family in the evening, and then off to bed at a decent hour for our early start to Paris!
Time: crack of dawn. Place: Schlierbach train station. Temperament: excited, and confused at trying to remember the last time I was up before 5am. Paris, on our way! (aside from a 45 minute wait at Mannheim). Train ride easy, 3 hours, and I slept most of it! Boo yah! Managed our way smoothly to our metro stop as indicated by the hotel, as the metro system is virtually identical to the tube in London. Easy, big maps with direction and all stops indicated at station, and stop indicators IN THE TRAIN. Melbourne tram system, get with it. However, we did get mildly lost on arrival in Wagram (17th arr., where we're staying) as the street map outside the station was orientated completely wrong... This had NOTHING to do with our map reading skills... Nothing. Anyway, found our hotel at last. Quiet street, beautiful room, clean and best of all our own ensuite. Some difficulty with the key to our room (in that our door card was broken, so we had the maids key... which she knocked on the door for every morning... And then we had to retrieve back everytime we wanted to get back in. Bit of a rigmarole, but fixed now). (Long sentences in brackets seem stupid). Okay, where were we? So, arrived at the hotel early, before check in time and even before lunch, so we ditched our bags, and went walking. Out hotel is located in the 17th arrondissement, right next to Montmarte. It didn't look far on the map. Wrong again. Anyway, lovely way to get closer acquainted with the city. We went through the Montmarte cemetery which was beautiful and austere and also very macabre all at the same time. Lots of feral cats too.... Then onto our point of destination: the Sacre Coeur! Gorgeous basilica high on a hill. Utterly stunning inside (no pictures allowed unfortunately guys, will have to see this one for yourselves). Made the decision to climb to the top... The third climb of over 200 steps that we had done in a week (and not the last. HOLIDAY OF STEPS. My ass better look good after this). But what a view! Check out the black and white photo below for a doesn't-do-it-justice picture. Back to the room and out for dinner, found a cute little restaurant on Boulevard des Batignolle. Wasn't feeling brave with my French and my ability stomach French food after an early day, and settled for a cheeseburger. But oh my god, imagine Hungry Jacks was taken over by a 5 star Michelin chef. Out of this world. They even asked me how well done I wanted my hamburger, like it was a steak... Yum. Harry had some kind of amazing peppered duck, being much more adventurous than I. Couldn't miss dessert, and what better than a crème brûlée? Crack. What a great sound. Washed down with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and I was ready for bed.
Up and at 'em with a breakfast provided by the hotel (croissants, baguettes etc) and off the Arc de Triomphe, only a 40 minute walk from the hotel with gorgeous weather to boot. The Arc itself is absolutely massive, and what a sight to behold. A "triomphe" of architecture. But one does not go to the Arc de Triomphe to admire it from ground level. No, one climbs another 300 steps to get one of the best views of Paris. But totally worth it, Harry and I have agreed it is a top 10 thing to do in Paris. Pictures below of the Arc itself, the Champ Élysées and the Eiffel tower (however all the photos are out of order, so go fetch). On down the Champ Élysées itself, very fancy, dahhhling. And also set up for the Tour de France victory lap for the next day, glad we timed that well. By the time we hit the Tuileries, we were hot and bothered and escaped down to the Latin Quarter to sit in the Luxembourg gardens for a bit. Nice and cool and quiet, but ironically you can't sit on the majority of the grass. Quick look at the Pantheon on the way home. Footsore, day two down.
Ok. Sunday. Day of rest? No. Day of churches! First stop, Sainte Chapelle. This was a small chapel I hadn't really heard of (other than in a brochure titled "Paris in 7 Monuments" from our hotel), but was in the close vicinity of the Notre Dame and seemed to fit the theme of the day. And boy, was it worth it. It was built by Saint Louis in 1242-48, in the heart of the then-royal palace to house the relics of the Passion of the Christ. Just for facts and fun, the most famous of these relics was the Crown of Thorns, acquired for for an amount that cost more that the building of the chapel itself! But anyway, whoa. The downstairs entrance chapel is pretty impressive enough too, colourfully painted and sumptuous architecture. But then... You head up some small steps and... BAM. Holy Moley. 30 ft stained glass windows on all sides, flooding the chapel with light. I swear I heard choirs of Angels singing. Pictures don't do it justic, I'll put one in for kicks anyway. Amazing.
Next up, the Notre Dame. Paris' jewel of Gothic architecture, it took over 200 years to complete the face it has today. And what luck! While we were there the Sunday service was on, and we were serenaded by choirs and the ancient organ. Way to add atmosphere! Very grand and impressive on the inside, however we couldn't face more steps so we avoided climbing the tower. Even the lure of following the hunchbacks steps couldn't entice me. Hunger spurring us on, we walked to the Latin Quarter where we had amazing crêpes, and onto a market the gorgeous Lauren Chester suggested we visit on Rue de Mouffetard. However, being Sunday and quite late, a lot of the food stands were closed (dinner plans dashed!) but a great Parisienne vibe and I bought a cute dress (or two), so not all was lost!
After a bit of a relax at the hotel, we headed down to the river quite late, for a night time cruise down the Seine. NUMBER ONE THING TO DO IN PARIS!!! The city was even prettier by night (I guess they don't call it the city of lights for nothing) and the Eiffel tower was stunning from the river, all lit up. A must-do. Tour guide was funny and informative, and gave a lot of information on the impressive architecture around the river. Warm evening, a boat ride, beautiful city... Bliss.
And now, this has taken me over two hours to write, it is late, and I bid thee adieu. XoX, A&H.
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