Day 2 Cassis & Marseilles

So our next day started bright and early with plans to catch the early train to Marseilles. Actually made the train, only to find the next train we had to catch had been cancelled... so ended up travelling to the little village of Nimes to wait for the next one (2 hours later!). Managed to find the Arene de Nimes (or something like that). Like the smaller, dumber country cousin of the Colosseum! Anyway, Rachel slowly went mad from having to get up early resulting in the following picture!
Anyway, we finally made it to Marseilles after catching the 'fast' train which we didn't have tickets for! Rebels - not really we were freaking out about it the whole way! Arrived in Marseilles and immediately decided to leave - such a dirty town! Went to get out planned boat to Cassis which is a little village on the coast North of Marseilles, only to find the boat didn't stop there. Planning fail for me! So had to take a bus that only left like 2 hours later! Painful! Totally worth it when we eventually got there. The water was so blue but really really cold! Had lunch and chilled on the beach for a bit before heading out on our cruise of the Calanques. The Calanques are these white cliffs that are beautiful, the locals were all sunbaking and jumping off them into the water. The water was so amazingly blue, so different to anything I've seen before.

After returning to Cassis, we chilled on the beach again - tough life! The beach wasn't actually the best - made up of tiny little stones - it really hurt your feet. I've definitely been spoiled by Aussie beaches. Heading back to Marseilles we had a bit of time and decided to head up the hill to see the Notre de la Gare - a big church overlooking Marseilles. It was a big walk up the hill but totally worth it to see the sunset over the water. Then it was back to Paris, after another running for the train episode - we need to learn to do better with time!

Day 1 Provence

Our weekend started on a late train from Paris to Avignon, we were on time this time round. We had booked into a hotel near the train station which was a bit of a scary walk but we got there safely. The forecast for the weekend was a sunny 24degrees, such a big change from dreary Paris! The next morning we hired a car so that we could visit all the little villages around Avignon. I was petrified of driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the car, bur we managed. Probably would have been good to have an automatic car as my right arm is pretty bad at changing gears! Roundabouts and turning left were the hardest parts but soon got the hang of it although I did give some guys in a campervan a scare when I turned onto the wrong side of a small road!
Our first stop was at Pont du Gard, an old Roman aquaduct. We refused to pay for parking at the official site but managed to find a little road on the other side of the river that we could park the car and walk.
The aquaduct was built of stone only, no mortar - it pretty impressive when you think about it like that. The river was a beautiful colour, not like the muddy rivers you get in Aus! In summer you can swim in the river and float under the aquaduct (next time maybe!)

Next stop was Les Baux-en-Provence, a little village on top of a huge rocky outcrop. It was gorgeous, if we weren't so stingy we would have had lunch there! There is an old chateau there and a vineyard on top of the plateau. The village was very pretty with cobbled streets and cute little shops. It definitely only exists for tourists but still gorgeous.
Before our next stop in Gordes we stopped for a picnic lunch by the side of the road and some sunbaking. I ended up with a burnt left arm and shoulder from driving anyway!

We ended up skipping going to see Gordes (another little village on a hill) and instead went to Rousillon which is another little village on top of a hill but has red houses and cliffs nearby. This was definitely my favourite village, the red walls and blue shutters were gorgeous. The yummy icecream was good too!

We also visted a few other places on our way,the Abbaye de something would be pretty in Summer when the lavender flowers
but going in spring meant we got to see cherry blossoms...
Then we headed back to Avignon, thinking it wasn't going to be a very nice town - turned out we were wrong and it was a beautiful city inside the walls. We camped out on the Rhone river with the Palais de Papes and Pont d'Avignon behind us, a bottle of wine, some snacks and had us a proper sundowner.Then it was time to return the car after a very long day in preparation for day 2!

3 days in Paris

I have/have had a lot of guests visit me in Paris during the last 6 months that I am here and I think I have perfected the itinerary for 3-4 days in Paris on a budget(over the weekend works best).
So to start on Friday get the token tourist stuff out of the way:
In the morning go up the Eiffel Tower, you need to book a time otherwise you will be waiting in the queue for ages. Bookings can be made here. After that grab a baguette from a bakery, some camembert, saucisson and a bottle of wine and cross the Seine to have a picnic lunch on the steps of Trocadero overlooking the Eiffel Tower. Fridays is also the best days to head off to the Louvre as they are open until 10pm. Take your pictures outside the pyramid but take the side entrance through Carousel de Louvre to skip the long queue to get through security. Here is a quick map showing where the side entrance is.
After the Louvre, head to the steps of the Sacre Coeur (with another bottle of wine and some snacks) to watch the sun go down while listening to the buskers belt out a tune. As it starts to get dark, head down the hill to Chez Marie at 27 Rue Gabrielle for a fabulously cheap but good quality meal. If there is a wait for a table - I recommend the pub on the corner for a few well priced beverages. After dinner, head further down the hill to get a feel for the seedier area of Paris, visit the sex shops and get a photo in front of the Moulin Rouge! It's a pretty big day but now you can truly chill out in Paris knowing you have ticked off the big touristy things.

On Saturday, wake up late and head to a bakery or café for a croissant and café créme for breakfast. Then I would really recommend a bike tour with fat tire bike tours. I've been on both the day and night tour - both fantastic! Meet the guys under the Eiffel tower at 11am and head off for 4 hours seeing the sights of Paris. You'll be pretty famished afterwards so pack a big picnic lunch and head to Jardin de Tulleiries to rest your legs. After lunch, take a stroll up the Champs Elysées to take in all the designer shops and the feel of the Grand Boulevards and classic Parisien architecture. If you have time, head up the Arc de Triumph and watch the crazy French drivers negotiate the round-about! Dinner on Champs Elysées is expensive so find another spot for dinner. For those with a big budget - you get gorgeous views from the restaurant at Tour Montparnasse. Otherwise, a ham and cheese crepe for a main followed by a nutella crepe generally hit the spot! On your way home, stop and check out the Eiffel Tower at night to see the sparkling lights.

On Sunday, have another lazy breakfast before heading to St Michel to check out Notre Dame, you must go inside to see the beautiful stained glass windows. I have never been up the bell tower as the queue normally puts me off but if you are an early riser definitely give it a go. Then, walk along the banks of the Seine until you find Pont Neuf and you'll see a cruise boat terminal there, you can get cheaper tickets if you buy online here and you can find timetable info here. But they generally leave every half hour.
The cruise will take you about an hour and return you to Pont Neuf. For lunch, skip the touristy St Michel area and head to Ile-St-Louis (behind Notre Dame) for a much calmer bite to eat. Grab an ice-cream at the café on the corner and have a stroll around the island to burn it off. So Sunday night is free, if you are into it a night at the cabaret (will be doing a Lido vs. Moulin Rouge post soon) would be a good addition here. Otherwise, a viewing of the Eiffel tower at night is a must (on the hour it literally sparkles). If you are doing only three days, its back to the airport you go!

So now, if you are lucky and have an extra day, there are a world of possibilities.
1)Versailles which makes a good day trip (I don't think the Palace is open on some Mondays). If its a nice day, skip the inside (I don't do museums very well) and head to the gardens, hire a bike or golf cart and explore the Grand Canal and the surrounding area. Pack a picnic but you must try their fresh squeezed OJ and sit on the grass along the canal recovering from your weekend!
2) EuroDisney makes another good day trip. If you are only here once I would recommend going just to tick it off your list. It's a long day and definitely do the 2 parks as you need the princessy stuff and the more adult rides of both Disneyland and Walt disney Studios. Be warned you will spend the majority of your day in the queue and it is quite an expensive day!
3) Shopping - the best place to go shopping in Paris is around Galleries Lafayette ( a major department store) near Metro Opera. You'll find all your designer shops as well as staples like H&M, MANGO etc. If you do buy anything expensive you can claim the tax back at the airport before you go home.
4) More Paris - there are so many other things to do in Paris here's a little list of the more intersting ones:
a) Les Invalides - pretty interesting displays from WW1 & WW2, also get to see Napolean's Tomb
b) Catacombes - at Denfert-Rochereau, if you are into bones and creepy things (good option if its raining)
c) Jardin de Luxembourg - gorgeous gardens and the museum has just reopened there
d) The Marais - lovely old area of Paris, you get the best falafel along rue de Rosiers and some great boutiques for clothes.

So there you have it, Paris in 3-4 days - EASY!