Amsterdam to Paris
Leaving our Rine river cruise in Amsterdam we boarded another Urostar train, and headed off to Paris. We spent 4 wonderful days enjoying the sights of one of the worlds most romantic citys.
No one could imagine Paris today without its signature spire. But Gustave Eiffel only constructed this graceful tower – the world’s tallest, at 320m, until it was eclipsed by Manhattan’s Chrysler Building some four decades later – as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair). Luckily, the tower’s popularity assured its survival beyond the fair, and its elegant art nouveau webbed-metal design has become the defining fixture of the city’s skyline.
Le Champ-de-Mars
Lifts/elevators yo-yo up and down the north, west and east pillars to the tower’s three platforms (57m, 115m and 276m); change lifts on the 2nd level for the final ascent to the top.
If anything rivals the Eiffel Tower as the symbol of Paris, it’s this magnificent 1836 monument to Napoleon’s 1805 victory at Austerlitz, which he commissioned the following year. The intricately sculpted triumphal arch stands sentinel in the centre of the Étoile (‘star’) roundabout. From the viewing platform on top of the arch (50m up via 284 steps and well worth the climb) you can see the dozen avenues. Av de la Grande Armée heads northwest to the skyscraper district of La Défense, where the Grande Arche marks the western end of the Axe Historique.
Arc de Triomphe
The most famous of the four high-relief panels at the base is to the right, facing the arch from the av des…
We spent half a day walking from our hotel, through the streets of Paris, to catch one of the great Saine River Cruises. The commentary had great stories highlighting the history of the city and it’s people
One of our days was spent travelling by train, using the Paris Metro system, out to the edge of Paris and EuroDisney, where we spent half a day before catching a taxi across to Coupvray to visit the home of Louis Braille; spending a interesting few hands on hours listening and feeling the story of Lewis growing up in the house and how he came to develop the now famous system of raised dots used world wide by people who are blind.
On our way back, for dinner this night, as per our mission in each of the major cities we visited, we tracked down the local Hard Rock Café and had a great meal, French style!
Paris to London
From Paris we traveled through the Chunnel tunnel, once again on Eurostar, on our way to London. Had a fantastic lunch service while deep under the English Channel. A fast but very smoothe trip.
Use this link below to watch this short video on Train Travel Tips in Europe. The video is 7 minutes 28 seconds.
H3>London
Our accommodation in London was situated in an area between Tower bridge and London Bridge a fantastic area to walk and explore after dinner each night.
Sherlock Holmes pub London
We utilized the tourist hop-on hop-off double decker buses to move around and visited those icon sights that we have heard so much about for years, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, the Tower of London. We took a river cruise up to Greenwich and return, and on returning stopped in for lunch at the Sherlock Holmes pub for a fish and chip lunch.
Erika and Greg with Lee Kumutat with Big Ben
We even found time to meet up with Lee Kumutat, an aussie friend of ours now living in London.