A Weekend in Paris

I must also mention what I can only assume is French humour (or humiliation): a lovely gentleman who listened to me butcher his language as I bumbled my way through basic GCSE French trying to enquire about the price of a room, who later dazzled us with his extensive understanding of the English language whilst smirking at my fuschia-tinged cheeks. Shamed and feeling like an uncouth ignoramus, my friend made me check into the very same hotel.

I believe, all in all, that the walk cost us a total of under 10€, which, in my opinion, was one of the biggest bargains of the whole trip! And when you return triumphant and shaky-legged (if you're as unfit as I am) to the bottom, there are lots of little stalls selling beautiful-smelling (and tasting) crepes with a choice of fillings, a great snack to have before you head off to see some more of this historical city.

The tickets cost 22€ each, and you can buy these on the bus or from many of the hotels around town. They allow you to use the bus for 2 days, and once you have paid for your ticket, you are issued with earphones so that you can choose whether or not you wish to learn a bit more about the city or if you wish to sit and take in the sights without commentary. I particularly liked the fact that the tour was not intrusive, and that we were free to come and go as we please, with no time restrictions on what we did.

The bus runs until about 6pm and takes a circuit of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Arc de Triumphe, Louvre, and Musee de Notre Dame, amongst other places. The only problem we found was that once on the circuit, we couldn't work out how to get off and get the right bus to take us back towards the station, so for about an hour we felt like we were living Groundhog Day. In the end, we gave up, walked back, and soon realised that once you get to know where you are going, it is a pleasure to walk around the city, too.