Day NINE

I was slightly let down by the Louvre. The entry fee was 15 euro, which granted entry into all four sections of the museum, although both Tyler and I managed to loose our tickets after just one section. Sebastian still had his so we told him to go bravely into the unknown without us, while we looked at the gift shop. It seems strange to have a ticket check four times during one museum visit, and as we did not want to fork out for another ticket, we missed seeing Napoleon's bedroom and some Dutch art. The building was amazing though. The juxtaposition of old and new architecture was really interesting and impressive on such a grand scale.

Beginners Tip: Tour Groups

Tour groups make places like the Louvre living hell. Usually spotted by the broken umbrella or small flag on a stick, tour groups are to be avoided at all costs. When there are too many to avoid, you know you're at the Louvre. The key is to not believe the hype. Famous paintings attract bigger crowds, while less famous ones - which in my opinion are better most of the time as they haven't been analysed to death - can be viewed for longer, and the likely hood of being elbowed in the face is a lot smaller. As you can imagine, the viewing room for the Mona Lisa was insane...

next: Paris |Au revoir

Paris | Catacombs | Day 8

Day EIGHT

We made a new friend! Now lets go look at some dead people. I don't know if we saw all 6 million people, but we weren't far off...

WARNING: these are graphic photographs of real human remains 

next: Paris | The Louvre

Paris | Notre Dame des Paris | Day 7

Day SEVEN

Another iconic stop on our Paris visit. This gothic style cathedral  really is beautiful inside and out - and not too busy. Notre Dame took about 100 years to build, from 1163-1272. Notre Dame des Paris ('Our Lady of Paris') was built in dedication to Mary the Mother of God, and inside there are 37 depictions of her throughout the church. The area is lovely too, we checked out the lock bridge, river and Boulevard Saint Michelle while we were in the area. On the way home we went back to the Louvre to check how much it cost and to lie in the sun in the lovely green parks that are located west of the main entrance. Napoleon would have had one hell of a view from his bedroom window. 

Next: Paris | Catacombs

Paris | Landmarks | Day 6

Day SIX

The civic buildings and boulevards of Paris live up to their reputation for being over size, over decorated, and over priced. On our first day in Paris we walked around the centre of the city to familiarise ourselves with our surroundings, and briefly saw most of the more famous landmarks. We arrived in time for the weekend and we were still a little out of sync from the jet-lag, which meant we were up early and could explore the streets for a few hours while the city was still relatively quiet. To avoid spending crazy amounts on things like food and entry fees we carried a packed lunch with us and decided which museums we would pay to enter, and which we would admire from outside only.

Beginners Tip: Sightseeing

Parisians don't like to get up early, and tour groups start to poor into the city when the galleries and museums open, so getting up early to walk through the city is the ideal way to see Paris, especially on the weekends. Apart form locals going for their morning run, the centre walks and gardens between the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre were deserted. If you feel comfortable being out in the big city at night, this can also be a good time to explore the landmarks as again there are less people, and they look amazing lit up.  

^ Tyler buying a selfie stick for the special reduced price of 8 euros

Beginners Tip: Street Vendors

No matter where you are, who you're with or what you're doing - these guys will be there too. Quite often they don't actually have a legal permit to sell product, so don't feel bad for not wanting to purchase anything! 

Successful ways of dealing with them: ignoring them, yelling at them, buying something. 

Unsuccessful ways of dealing with them: ignoring them, yelling at them, buying something. 

There really was no way not be approached by one, except maybe yelling in French. So if you you know French, let me know how that goes. BUT don't let them touch you (some operate as pick pockets), don't accept any 'free gifts', don't hold anything for them, and if you think the price is too high, it probably is. If you really want to buy something, settle on a price lower than first offered. Their merch is all the same and all extremely cheap so they will be happy with a sale at a lower price. I won't mention that Tyler bought a selfie stick for 8 euro and the next day I bought one for 6 euro... (yuss) Remember, you're not obliged to buy anything and you can walk away at any time!

Next: Paris | Notre Dame des Paris