Paris

Paris was brief and hot. Although, unbelievably, we had hoped for cooler weather there (during my last three visits it had been cold, wet and windy), it was nearly as hot as the south. Our accommodation was not great (budget backpackers that school kids put up with don’t necessarily suit an adult family of four) and it was crowded and definitely a bit rougher around the edges than the London that we experienced. But it was still Paris, visited by 42 million tourists each year, and there is no doubt as to why.

It was Lydia’s first time in the City of Lights and we only had two days. On Day 1 we did the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysée, the Jardin des Tuileries, Notre Dame, the Sacré-Cœur and Montmartre. On Day 2 we did very little as we were all too exhausted! Anyway, I think her favourite thing was the macaroon shop off the Rue de Rivoli where all is a work of art and you come out with the colourful gems in pretty boxes, your purse a little lighter.

In fact, everything is a work of art in this city. From the parks to the train stations, to the well-dressed women, to the patisserie shop windows and the bridges across the Seine, there is not much that isn’t beautiful. Even in the heat of summer when you hang out for a swim and can’t imagine how the locals can survive so far from a beach (oh, wait, there’s one coming to life by the river!), there can be no denying its appeal.

 

 

 

And then a forty hour trip home via Singapore. We arrived in Christchurch to four degrees. Everyone was wearing puffer jackets and the customs officer said “Welcome home”. We were back in New Zealand.