Eiffel Tower

So I finally went up the Eiffel Tower!

The gilded dome of Les Invalides - Napoleon's Tomb

Ecole Militaire

The Statue of Liberty

 À Bientôt !

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Updates!

Clockwise: Beautiful gates in the Tuileries gardens; Le Bleu Club; Letter writing; Hanging out; The Shakespeare & Co.; the carrousel at Hotel de Ville 

Clockwise: A free gift from my new local Franprix; a sign which makes you smile: "Je voulais juste vous dire bonjour !"; an amazing surprise gift from a lovely friend!

Clockwise: Aggie's birthday; Ici & Demain at La Machine du Moulin Rouge; at Eleonore's; Cocktails; Jade's birthday!

À Bientôt !

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A Lesson in Looking

How much history can you find on one street, just by opening your eyes?

The Musee Maillol.

 

Alfred de Musset lived here.

 National Horticultural Centre of Paris.

 Centre of Italian Culture.

Ministry for National Education.

The Mairie of the 7th arrondissement.

"The first regular French television programmes were diffused from the studio inside this building in the November of 1935"

Would you believe all these photos were taken on the same street!?

Paris is beautiful!

À Bientôt !

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Paris From My Phone

 À Bientôt !

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Maybe it's Because I'm a Londoner

So, after a half-hearted blogging attempt over the holidays, I'm back on track with some London fun for those of you who live in the capital or who are hopping across the channel for a city break. A French friend came to visit me, and we split our tourist trail over several days, managing to get in nearly all the sights that London has to offer! It was a whirl-wind tour, so hop aboard for the ride...

1. First stop, Charing Cross. Whilst you're here, take the opportunity to wander around the fountains & climb one of the famous lions around Nelson's Column, see the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (for free!). Take in a free lunch-time concert in St. Martin's in the Fields, and stroll along towards Leicester Sq, Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden, which are all only a few minutes away.

2. Hop along the train towards Waterloo - or walk, it's not far! Enjoy a stroll along by the river: see if you can spot The London Eye, Westminster, The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, the Hayward Gallery & skatepark and The Royal Festival Hall.

3. Our gloomy day brightened up as we crossed the Thames. Keep an eye out for the 'walkie-talkie' and the 'cheese-grater' new skyscrapers, as well as Blackfriars Bridge just by the Globe Theatre. Cross the Millennium Bridge to see St. Paul's & its famous 'Whispering Gallery'. HMS Belfast (the camouflaged boat you can see below), Thames River Boat tours.

4. If you continue along the river, you'll end up passing by Sir Francis Drake's ship: 'The Golden Hind', and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Once you're nearing London Bridge, head to Borough Market on a market day for loads of free tasters (see Southwark Cathedral below) & buy a yummy lunch for not many of your Great British Pounds. 

  5. Instead of paying £25.00 to climb the Shard, why don't you head across London Bridge to Monument? It's only a short walk to the famous tower built by Christopher Wren, the celebrated English architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral. It's £3.00 for adults, £2.00 for students and just £1.00 for children, and after huffing & puffing your way up 311 steps you get a lovely view of London. The story behind the design of Monument, built in memory of the tragedy of the Great Fire of London of 1666, which started in a bakery in the nearby Pudding Lane, is fascinating.

6. After a long day of sight-seeing, crash in a traditional British pub, my favourites are The Station Hotel in Hither Green, The Princess of Wales in Blackheath, The Sylvan Post in Forest Hill or The Horniman at Hays Galleria.

Many more walking tours of London to come...

À Bientôt !

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