Aunty Fe was meant to arrive on Thursday but due to France's love of strikes, the airport was closed down and the flight was cancelled, managed to reschedule to Saturday morning - but a lot of time lost! We were meant to be doing the Paris-Versailles run/walk but as I hadn't trained at all and we were short on time, that was easily ditched!
After eventually finding the hotel that was just outside of Paris near Port d'Ítalie, we set off for Sacre Coeur for lunch and a browse through the artists that are around there. After a delicous lunch, washed down with two bottles of wine we walked down the hill into what I thought was in the direction of the Red Light district, turns out it wasn't but it was a very interesting walk through the poorer parts of Paris. We walked all the way around Mont Martre and eventually into the Red Light district, past the Moulin Rouge and numerous sexshops! Found a guy selling mealies and a Bata store...can you believe this picture is taken in Paris & not somewhere in Africa?
After that it was time for the Eiffel Tower, I am getting good at surprising my visitors, it is best to see it from Trocadero for the first time because as you come round the corner it just appears without you realising how close it is. It's also the perfect place to get on a cruise down the Seine - one of my favourite activities for tourists & relativley cheap. The Eiffel Tower sparkling is a pretty magical end. After a late dinner we made our way back to the hotel for a well deserved sleep!
The next morning I headed home for a change of clothes and the promise of a Rendez-vous at Notre-Dame. After a stroll through Notre-Dame which is amazing with its stained-glass windows (and free), we splashed out on one of the open-top tourist buses. I've never been a fan but after going I can thouroughly recommend them. It was raining and freezing cold but you get such a better view from the top of the bus. And it is great to get a higher viewpoint of all the monuments, it gives you a different perspective, it is also so much easier just going straight from sight to sight than catching the metro.
After a wonder through the streets and a lunch/dinner of Boeuf Bourginon in a cute little side street near the Eiffel Tower, we headed back to Notre Dame for a Nutella crepe, before the cold and sickness took hold of me and I left to go home, leaving Aunty Fe to see the city of light at night.. which is another thing on the to do list of my visitors! I like having people come visit, they remind me that I do live in a beautiful city and it is such a great oppurtunity to be living here! You wouldn't think I needed reminding would you???
Stuart came to visit me for one night on Tuesday, he arrived at about 8am, made the way to my shitty room where I met him for lunch. God almighty my room stuck when I got in it! I sent him for a shower to which he responded that 'at least when you go to hostels the showers will seem really nice', this is the quality of place I am living in! Stuart passed out on my bed for a few hours, after which I took him through the Parc de Sceaux to go buy him a mattress at the supermarket! After which we headed off to Paris. Not knowing what to have for dinner and the weather being actually quite pleasant we had a picnic on the Pont des Arts, while Rach & I heard awsome stories about Octoberfest! Stuart only managed to see the tip of the Eiffel Tower but since he'd seen it before I don't think he was too worried. After it got a bit chilly we went in search of a pub and actually found a really nice Irish pub that had a decent crowd for a Tuesday night. We only stayed for one drink before I took the poor drunkard home... Saying goodbye on Wednesday was a bit sad, I love having visitors but seeing them go back home I do get a bit sad and jealous.
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