PARIS WITH THE MCDONALD'S

What can you say about the sexy, sophisticated City of Lights that hasn't already been said a million times over? Quite simply, Paris would have to be one of, if not the greatest city in the world!  It is strewn with historic architecture, glorious galleries and cultural treasures, but it's also a place to stroll the boulevards, shop till you drop, chill by the riverside, eat amazing food, or just do as the Parisians do and watch the world buzz by from a street side cafe.  Thank god we were here for 8 nights!!

As mentioned in the previous post, Mum and Dad stayed in Epernay, whilst Anna and I left for Paris to meet up with Leigh & Brooke.  M & D had kindly booked an additional night for us in a fantastic hotel in the St-Germain/Latin Qtr. area, just near the Pantheon, and by 6pm we had checked in to an awesome room.

Leigh & Brooke were staying in the Opera area, so we arranged to meet them at the Buddah Bar, right near Place du Concorde.  We arrived to find them already there and we all embraced emotionally haha. It was great to see some friendly faces!

The inside decor of the Buddah Bar was spectacular, with a two-storey golden Buddah and thousands of candles, it was a real A-list cocktail bar.  Unfortunately it was so expensive that even the Wolf of Male Street himself thought it was best to move on after one drink each and a 48 euro bill!

Guido had done some research and found a really traditional French restaurant nearby called 'Le Roi du Pot au Feu'.  Its signature dish was a popular rustic casserole/stew that Leigh, Brooke and Anna all lapped up whilst I quietly ate my meal, very jealous of their choice.

Leigh and I got stuck into the beers, whilst the girls slowly sipped on white wine and we all had a great time chatting about what's been happening back in Melbourne town and what we've been up to on our incredible journey so far.

After dinner we headed underground to the super impressive metro system and caught a train across (or under??) the river to the trendy St-Germain area and to a bar that Guido had read about in our Lonely Planet.  The 'Prescription Cocktail Club' had flat-top hats as lampshades and a 1930's New York air to the place, it was really Parisian-cool.

we were lucky to find the place though as from the outside it looked like a small seedy brothel

Leigh and I downed a few more beers, whist the girls had a cocktail and then although it was a really cool place, we decided to check out another place that we had walked past along the way.

The next bar reminded us a lot of Fog in Greville Street, both in its looks and also the trendy people that were there, so naturally we fitted in really well.  We hung around for a while, had a few more drinks, caught up on old times with plenty of laughs, organised where to meet the next morning and then headed our separate ways back to our hotels.

We had a decent amount to drink that night, so we thought 10:30am at the Notre-Dame was a good time and place to meet the next morning.  Anna and I were smack bang on time, but L & B arrived about 15 minutes late because they had got off at the wrong metro station.  We joked about how Leigh is one of the smartest blokes I know academically wise, but a little bit of a battler when it comes to more general things such as reading maps haha.

Paris was born on the Ile de la Cite, when the first settlers came to the island on the Seine River in 300 BC and it has remained a focus of church and state power through the centuries, with the great cathedral of Notre-Dame and the law courts of the Palais de Justice commanding the island.  This tiny piece of land also has the honour of being the geographical heart of the city; all distances from from Paris are measured from here, the first arrondissement (1e).

While the Ile de la Cite is overrun with tourists, the smaller neighbouring Ile St-Louis, connected by a footbridge, has a village like feel.  It is mostly residential, however its main street is lined with boutique shops, galleries, cafe's, restaurants, Paris' legendary Berthillon ice-cream shop and is a wonderful place for a stroll, which was exactly our plan!

We stopped off at a great cafe and tucked into some tasty pastries and some excellent coffee and then continued walking around, which was to be the theme of the day!

Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

We crossed the Pont St-Louis which connects the island to the Marais area on the right bank.  This bridge is regarded as one of the most romantic spots in Paris, so it was great to have Leigh there haha.
Walking through the Marais area, we got to see the weird Georges Pompidou Centre, the Fontaine des Innocents, and the monstrous Hotel de Ville.

We also walked through some great little streets with many cool shops and were able to find some great bagels for lunch in a street in the Les Halles area just near the Palais-Royal.  It was built in 1632 and was the childhood home of King Louis XIV and its huge courtyard gardens were a great place to relax our feet and eat our lunch.

Adjacent to the gardens was a large space that had been turned into a huge piece of so called art.  I remembered being here last time with Kenny and we had taken photos standing on these black and white stumps, so it was only natural to want to do it again!

We bypassed the crowds at the Louve, walked under the Arc du Carrousel (erected by Napoleon in 1808) and started walking through the Jardin des Tuileries up towards the Place du Concorde and the Champs Elysees.

These gardens were laid out in the 17th century as part of the old Palais de Tuileries.  The walkways are lined with lime and chestnut trees, luscious green grass, plenty of statues and even a goat.  Before the Revolution, these gardens were a prime spot for the aristocracy to show off their latest fashions and it seemed like nothing has changed as we did the same thing!

The Place du Concorde is a mighty impressive octagonal square (although if it's octagonal then I guess it shouldn't be called a square??), covering more than 20 acres, it's huge!  It was built between 1755-75 as the grand setting for a statue of King Louis XV, but by 1792 it had become the Place de la Revolution and its central monument was the guillotine.  Louis XV, Mary Antoinette and over 1,000 others were all beheaded in this grand area.  In the spirit of reconciliation, it received its present name in 1795 and in 1833 a huge obelisk (a present from Egypt) was erected and has stood there ever since.

Once we battled our way through the traffic, we reached the starting point of the famous Avenue des Champs Elysees.  A walk along here is without doubt, one of the most essential Paris experiences with its pretty chestnut trees and flowers down one end, and the plethora of flagship designer stores at the other end.

This area just oozes money - Prada, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, just to name a few, all have their flagship stores here, but there are also many other major brands just waiting to drown your savings account or max-out your credit card!

Of course this avenue isn't just for the wealthy, it's also a great spot to watch all the comings and goings and there was one man/woman/cross (??) that grabbed our attention as he/she/it battled his/her/its way along the footpath.  Every 15-20m it he/she/it would stop and start walking backwards, muttering all sorts of weird things, before stopping and continuing on his/her/its way for another 15-20m before repeating the whole process over and over and over and over again.  It was hilarious and we could have watched on in amazement for the rest of the afternoon, but we had more pressing things to worry about.......like where to find a good pastry and coffee!

We were never going to find what we were looking for on the Champs, so we turned off onto one of the side streets and started searching for the perfect cafe.  We must have walked in and out of at least 3 or 4 places, offending plenty of people in the process, before we finally came across one that looked the goods.......and the goods is what we got!!

The coffee's were ok, but it's the pastries that we were hanging out for and they so good that I am licking my lips while writing these words, so good......and they had fruit on them, so they weren't even that bad for us haha.

The last mouthful of our delicious pastries signified two very sad events: there were no more delicious pastries left, and it was time for us all to part ways.  Leigh & Brooke were still in Paris for another few days, but as M & D and sister Celia and brother Thomas were arriving that afternoon, it was the only day we could catch up.

We said our goodbyes, wished each other well for the rest of our trips and off we went.  Luckily the Concorde metro station was right near us, so we were able to get a direct line back to the Maubert Mutalite station without having to change trains.

It was great to see C & T after almost 7 months.  Celia hadn't changed really at all, but Thomas had some sort of wacky hair-do going on and was sporting a new tattoo that has almost cost him a spot in the family haha!

C & T had left Australia about 12 days before M & D and had spent their time in London, Rome, Florence and Venice so we spent the evening with a few beers and wines and chatting about their fun times.  It was really interesting to hear about what they had been up to in Italy considering Anna and I spent so much time there and because I gave them so many things to see and do!

the carpet in our hotel reminded us of the carpet at the Barwon Heads Golf Club clubhouse

Mum had booked a restaurant called La Pre Verre which was conveniently around the corner.  It was a noisy, busy and buzzing place and the food plunged us right into the heart of Paris.

The entree's were pretty crazy and this was especially highlighted by my chestnut and cocoa soup.  I'm not sure what came over me to order it, but I guess it wasn't that bad and good to try something different......but I won't be eating it again!

I can't remember what everyone else ate, but although it sounds boring and basic, the chicken with salad and avocado that Anna and I had was scintillating!

We had plenty of good wine from a wine list that was predominantly from France's small independent wine producers, it was a lot of fun and great to have the whole McDonald clan (including Anna!) at the one table for the first time in ages!

We weren't done with after dinner though.  We headed up the hill to Le Piano Vache (the Mean Piano), which Lonely Planet said was a really cool underground bar and a student favourite, just perfect for M & D haha!  Lonely Planet also said that bands and DJ's play mainly rock, plus a little bit of goth, reggae and pop.  Unfortunately they started playing pretty much heavy metal/goth just as we bought our beers, so we didn't stick around for that long.

M & D then headed back to the hotel and surprisingly Anna was the one who suggested us kids kick on to the local pub. Great idea Anna!  We had a few more beers, checked out T's new tattoo and also spoke about C's recent breakup with her long term boyfriend brian which was an interesting discussion.

Walking past the hotel reception, the guy behind the counter stopped us and said "hey your parents were just in the bar and left without paying for their drinks!"  We apologised and T got out his wallet to pay, not expecting that it was going to be 36 euro, they had drank an 18 euro glass of whiskey each haha!

"croque madame" - an artery clogging ham and cheese toasty that is soaked in cheese with a fried egg on top

The next morning we all woke a little cloudy in the head, but nothing a good breakfast wouldn't fix.  There was a cafe across the road that looked ok, so we gave it a shot.  It was so perfect that we ended up there every morning for the next 4 mornings!

being an idiot, imitating a hunchback 

The plan for the day was to take one of those 'hop on, hop off' buses around the city, but as the Notre-Dame was so close to us, we decided to tick it off the list first.  Anna and I had been there yesterday with Leigh & Brooke, but we hadn't been inside.

Notre-Dame, the most visited site in Paris, is a masterpiece of French gothic architecture, with its famed stained glass windows, elegant towers, gargoyles galore and the 13-tonne 'Emmanuel Bell'.  Pope Alexander III laid the foundation stone in 1163 and then an army of craftsmen toiled for 170 years to realise the magnificent design.

We searched and searched for the real hunchback of Notre-Dame, but he was no where to be seen, his back has probably given up on him by now I guess.

the Arc de Triumph behind us

At 32 euro per ticket, the 'hop on, hop off' bus wasn't cheap so we wanted to make sure we covered as much ground as possible.  There were four different routes, so we started with the one that had a stop near the Notre-Dame and off we went.  From there on we got to see many of Paris' must see sights from a different angle to actually visiting them which was really good.

The Hotel des Invalides was built for wounded soldiers of the late 17th century and veterans are still housed there, although only a dozen or so compared to the original 6,000.  They share their home with the greatest French soldier of them all, Napoleon Bonaparte, whose body rests in a crypt directly below the bright gold dome of the church which can be seen in the distance in so many places around Paris.

This was the final stop on our first bus route, so we had to get off and wait for another bus to come along and take us on the second.  T and I took the opportunity to run into the gardens of the Hotel des Invalides and have a bit of fun with the 17th and 18th century canons which imposingly lay facing outwards towards all on comers.

Unfortunately the weather then started to turn and not wanting to go downstairs to the first level of the bus where you couldn't see anything, we got out our umbrella's.  Anna and I still had our cheap 5 euro ones that we bought in Florence, but with the wind picking up, we were very worried that they wouldn't see the end of the day!

the female statue's nipples were petruding like no other, so at least we weren't the only ones who were cold! 

We were now on the left side of the river and heading towards the Pantheon which was only a few hundred metres from our hotel.  This was the perfect opportunity to hop off and head back to the hotel to get some warmer clothes.

We checked out the Pantheon on our way and boy was it an impressive building, although probably not quite as good as the one in Rome just because it was a little smaller.

nice columns 

Dad had been wanting a hat to go with his new scarf purchase and there was a hat shop conveniently located on the way from our hotel to the next bus stop.  After a lot of umming and arring and tooing and froing he finally made his choice, and next thing we know Mum had bought one as well, hey big spenders!

spot the tourists in their hats haha

The bus took us back over the river onto the right side and up towards the Bastille area which is headlined by the bronze Colonne de Juillet, commemorating those who died in the revolutions of 1830 and 1848.  Today this square is notoriously busy with traffic, but it once housed a jail full of political prisoners.  This was until angry citizens, rising up against the excesses of the monarchy, stormed the Bastille on 14 July 1789, setting off the French Revolution.

M & D's umbrella not doing such a good job of keeping their new hats dry

net hat, new scarf, new man

Unfortunately the bad weather just wouldn't go away and the eerie looking clouds in the distance were edging closer and closer, it was only a matter of time before we copped a drenching!

Ugg boots getting prime time space on the Galeries Lafayette building

The rain came down as we headed for the Montemarte area, so unfortunately we had to slug it out with 1,000 other people in the lower level of the bus whilst we were stuck in a traffic jam. This sent Guido's short temper sizzling, but luckily the traffic finally subsided and we were able to find a good spot to get out and have a coffee and a crepe.

Dad and I braved the remainder of the bus tour up on the top deck.  We got a little wet, but the views of the Montemarte, Opera and Beaubourg areas were much better than being stuck down below.

Although we hadn't done a lot of walking, we had certainly covered a lot of ground and were all pretty tired.  There was not a lot of time for rest though as we cracked open the beers and wine and introduced C & T to the game of President & Shitkicker.  This pleased Dad as it meant starting all over again and his Shitkicker status was erased.  Hilariously though he ended up shitkicker again by the time we had to leave haha!

C & T really didn't want Italian as they had just spent the last 10 or so days in Italy, but the rest of us couldn't be bothered going any further looking for something suitable, so Italian it was.  Anna and I liked it as it gave us a chance to speak a bit of Italian with the waiters which was fun.

The next morning was surprisingly a real highlight.  We again had croque madame's and coffee at the cafe across the road and then we headed off to the Musee d'Orsay

The Musee d'Orsay has a wonderful collection off art covering a variety of art forms from 1848-1914. Even someone such as myself who doesn't care too much about art would walk out thinking, shit that was pretty cool!

Part of the museum's attraction is its setting in a converted railway station overlooking the Seine River and the Sacre Couer in the background.  However most people come for the impressionist and art nouveau collections, with many works by Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Whistler and the man himself Van Gogh.

Van Gogh's famous 1889 'Bedroom at Aries'

Although the Van Gogh paintings were cool to look at because he was so well known, I took particular fancy in the 'pointillism' paintings in which small, distinct dots of colour are applied in patterns to form an image.  

This technique relies on the ability of the eye and mind of the viewed to blend the colour spots into a fuller range of tones, it was really neat, and I thought bloody clever!  My favourite one was called 'La Seine a Herblay' by Maximilien Luce (above).

Claude Monet's 'Blue Waterlilies' painted in 1919 

'Whistler's Mother' made famous (not really) in the Mr. Bean movie

Guido had a strict plan set for the day, which only allowed for an hour and a half at the museum.  After this we had to hop on the metro and head further south to the Gare Montparnasse station so that C & T could organise their tickets to San Sebastian.  This took longer than expected and I was starting to get the twitches as I watched the minutes pass by and my schedule get out of whack haha.

providing a seat for Anna to sit on as we patiently (not really) waited

Next on the agenda was the Mouffetard market.  It was a solid 20 minute walk from the metro station we got out at, but as the sun had just come out, it was a nice walk.  Anna took the role of photographer as Mum was keen to get a decent shot of the family because she needs to update the one on her laptop background that was taken in 1860.

Rue Mouffetard is one of the oldest street markets in Paris.  It winds its way downhill from the Latin Qtr. every Tuesday to Sunday morning and although it has been discovered as a tourist spot, it still seemed to retain its charm with its narrow street lined with colourful food stalls and speciality shops.

We bought a couple of roast chickens, a few baguettes and sat down at a local park area to fill our bellies.

The only problem was that as soon as the smell of roast chicken was let out of the bag, every damn pigeon from Paris descended on our area and made it very difficult for us to eat our food.

pigeon football

The Catacombes - a huge underground network of passageways and corridors filled with the bones of roughly 6 million Parisians - was to be our last stop for the day, however when we got there it was closed due to bad ventilation.  Guido was not happy.

'Les Deux Magots' is the most famous cafe in Paris, just a lazy 10 euro for a coffee!

We filled in the rest of the afternoon by strolling along the beautiful Boulevard Saint Germain which serves as the central axis for the Saint Germain area, running parallel to the river.  This broad and colourful street is home to some of Paris' most well known cafe's, expensive shops and and some amazing chocolate!

After walking and walking and walking all day, a short rest was well deserved.  We again met around 7:30pm for cards and drinks and once again Dad retained the shitkicker title, he was really struggling!

first time I have tried frogs legs, I was apprehensive at first, but it was actually pretty nice!

Mum had brought an article with her from the Age newspaper which listed a few good restaurants in the Latin Qtr.  We picked the top one from the list and it took us about 10 minutes to walk there.  We had a great table outside, but under the heaters, and we enjoyed a pretty good meal and plenty of drinks.

Mum was pretty excited when her bombalaska arrived

Dinner finished, but the night was not over, not even close!  We were right in the heart of the Latin Qtr, so there were bars everywhere.

Anna with a big violet crumble

M & D were keen as to go to a jazz club, but first we popped in to a more regular bar that was really busy and had some great music coming out of it.

We were able to score a table and sat down for a few beers.  Mum was not impressed to come back from the toilet and find Dad had got her a beer, so Anna went up to the bar and brought her back a glass of champagne.

The singer seemed to take a liking to yours truly, however I think my bright clothes just stood out ahead of everyone else.  Although once she went back to her piano, she was smiling and winking at me a lot haha.  Unfortunately she completely ruined a version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, so mamma mia it was time for us to go.

Dad didn't like the signing at all

The 12 euro entry fee didn't deter M & D for paying for us all to get in to the famous 'Caveau de la Huchette' jazz club.  It was in an awesome setting; an underground cellar-like area that was once home to the Knights Templars (a medieval military order).  In the 1940's the Caveau de la Huchette was the first club in Paris where jazz was played and famous jazz players Sidney Bechet and Lionel Hampton were regular 'jammers'.

I'm pretty sure no-one has heard of 'Boogie Phil and the Rhythm Devils' but they certainly had everyone going crazy on the dance floor, including M & D!

C & T and Anna and I continued to down the beers, but even with a bit of Dutch courage behind us, there was no way any one of us was getting out there ourselves!

We still had plenty of fun watching M & D and everyone else sweating it out.  It was really interesting to see everyone go from partner to partner (although M & D didn't swap) and just dance like crazy.  There was one old dude who must have been pushing 75 and he was absolutely carving up the D-floor!

he even got Mum to dance with him which was so funny

It got to about 1-2am and there was one old dude that just couldn't keep up anymore and fell asleep on the side hahaha. I couldn't help myself but take a seat next to him.

M & D had had so much fun and we had also had plenty of fun drinking beers and watching, but there is only so much dancing you can do, so they decided they'd had enough and home we went.

Next morning I awoke with a splitting headache, and I wasn't even that drunk the night before, I am just getting old and can't handle the pace anymore haha.  We all met at the same cafe for breakfast as the previous few mornings and everyone had the usual coffee's, toasties and pastries, but I couldn't even drink water, I was in real pain!

We had another full day of walking ahead of us, so I was hoping that the fresh air would fix me up quickly and luckily it did.

We headed across the river and then along Quai de la Megisserie before we had to stop while Thomas bought a padlock for the Pont des Arts.  In recent years the bridge has had many tourist couples attaching padlocks to its side railing and throwing the key into the river below as a romantic gesture.

Tom & Charlie - how cute!

We then continued along the Quai du Louvre until we reached the Louvre itself and that is where we met Celia's friend Fi McDonald who is living in Paris.  We walked through the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries all the way up to the Place du Concorde, crossed the bustling streets and arrived at the Champs Elysees.

We didn't have any intentions of shopping along this famous street, as we had the Arc de Triumph in our sights, in fact the only placed we stopped at was McDonalds so that I could get a burger haha.

The Arc de Triumph is perhaps the world's most familiar arch.  Work began on the 50m structure in 1806 to mark Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, however it was not completed until 1836, due, in part, to Napoleon's fall from power.  Four years later, Napoleon's funeral procession passed beneath it, on its way to his final burial place at the Hotel des Invalides.

Us youngsters climbed the spiralling 284 steps to the top of the Arc which gave us a sublime view of Paris, which I believe is the best in Paris because you also get to see the Eiffel Tower, rather than standing on top of it!

typical tourist shot

The viewing platform also affords wonderful views of the dozen avenues that radiate outwards from Place de l'Etoile, the world's largest traffic roundabout.  It looks like a giant wheel and is super cool.

the Champs Elysees in the background

Although a dizzy one, it was a much easier trip back down to the bottom of the Arc, and after we paused for a few minutes to check out the tomb of the Unkown Soldier, we grabbed M & D and headed for the metro, next stop the Eiffel Tower!

the Unknown Soldier is a victim of WW1 and was buried on 11 november 1920, the eternal flame flickers throughout the day and is symbolically re-ignited every day at 6:30pm

I love this photo

Mum was super excited to get the perfect family photo here and I would imagine she is pretty happy with the results, Anna was able to snap some beauties!

Without a doubt, Paris' most famous landmark is the Eiffel Tower.  Funnily enough, the 'metal asparagus' faced fierce opposition from Paris' artistic elite when it was built for the World Exhibition in 1889.  The Tower was so close to being torn down in 1909, but the new science of radiotelegraphy meant it now doubled as the perfect TV antenna!

we must have looked like real dicks getting this walking shot taken haha

At 312m high, it was the world's tallest building until it was surpassed by NYC's Empire State Building in 1931.  Despite the delicate appearance, it weighs just over 10,000 metric tons and engineer Gustave Eiffel's construction was so sound that it never sways more than 9cm in the strongest of winds.

The long gardens of the Champ-de-Mars stretch from the base of the tower to the Military School.  They were originally used as parade grounds, but we used them as a huge photography set and went about taking as many different photo's as we could haha.  I think everyone else was getting pretty annoyed by it, but I was loving it!!

Money shot!!

Dad got sick and tired of waiting for us, so he walked on ahead to try and find somewhere for lunch.  He did a great job in finding this place that was just so French in every aspect and we all tucked in to a great meal and a few drinks, although I was still not yet up to having a beer.

T's burger was ginormous

It was M & D's last day in Paris and as Celia's birthday was just around the corner, all the females went shopping, whilst Dad and T and I went back to the catacombs to see if the ventilation problem had been fixed.  Unfortunately the problem had not only not been fixed, but was not due to be fixed for another week, god dammit.

Dad gave up and went home, whilst T and I took the metro to the Centre Georges Pompidou which is today supposedly one of the world's most iconic pieces of modern architecture.  It opened in 1977 and startled everyone by its "inside out"design, with brightly coloured pipes displayed on the facade and even escalators going up the outside of the building.

We weren't there however for the building, but rather the surrounding area which is full of street art, street performers, cool shops, a really weird looking fountain and just a great atmosphere.

We checked out a few shops and some of the cool street art and then went back to the hotel to have a brief rest and then get ready for our last meal with the whole McDonald clan.

Of course we had our usual pre-dinner drinks and cards and would you believe it but on the final hand Dad finally made his way out of the shitkicker spot and even made it to Presidency, how funny.

trying to translate our own personalised menu was pretty difficult

Mum had booked 'Le Petit Chatelet' well in advance as it was a restaurant that her and Dad had been to last time they were in Paris and she really really wanted to go again.  Lucky she did because it was definitely the best meal of our time in Paris so far, the food was absolutely brilliant!

goats cheese wrapped in proscuito, oh mio dio so good

duck fillet with pistachio nuts, vegetables and potato gratin au dauphinois

After a really great meal, we popped into the Shakespeare bookstore that was right next door.  This wonderland of books is a renowned English-language bookshop, not just for its extensive selection, but also the beautiful old building that its housed in.  We could have literaturally (joke) spent hours in there, but it was close to midnight and the AFL Grand Final was on in 6 hours, so we needed to get some rest.

cheeky midnight snack, crepes

The alarm went off at 5:15am and by 5:30 I had met Celia in the reception and off we went to Cafe Oz to watch the 2012 AFL Grand Final that was starting at 6:30.  Dad was not so keen to get up as early as us, so we had instructions to save him a seat.  Mum, T and Anna just didn't have the dedication or interest, or both.  

There was a bit of a queue out the front, but by 6:15 the doors had opened and we scored some excellent seats.  To my huge excitement they were serving meat pies and I almost got straight into one but decided to wait until half-time.  They were however also serving Fosters and although it's not my favourite beer in the world, I had to have one to get into the spirit!

trying hard to keep my eyes open

Amazingly I had not seen a single AFL match since Melbourne got bone by Hawthorn in the NAB Cup, but I guess that's not such a bad thing considering the season that the Dees have had.

Dad arrived just before quarter time and thought it was going to be a blow out as Hawthorn had got out to a decent early lead, only for the Swans to come right back into it by the half-time break.  This made me happy as I was pretty keen for the Swannies to win (I dislike Buddy Franklin way too much to see him happy) and also because it meant it was time for a delicious pie and sauce, oh how I have missed them!

In the end it was a Grand Final that will go down in history as one of the greatest, so we were all really happy we had made the effort to get up.  We didn't hang around for the presentations though as we had just enough time to get back to our favourite cafe to join M & T & Anna for breakfast.

We then all said our teary goodbyes as M & D headed for Sicily in Southern Italy and C & T were heading for San Sebastian.  

Anna and I thanked M & D as much as we could for the amazing time we had with them and for their fantastic generosity in paying for everything, we really appreciated it and just had such an awesome time, most probably highlighted by our time in the Champagne region, but Paris was equally awesome in its own right.

waving goodbye to C & T from across the platform - little did he know, but T would have his wallet stolen by a pick-pocketer in about 20 minutes, tut tut tut, never keep your wallet in your back pocket in any metro system!!!!

C & T had a few more hours to kill before their train, so we hung around with them for a while, checked out the nearby food market, had a coffee and then all went back to the hotel to get our bags.  We all went to the same station, but C & T went one way and Anna and I went the other way.  Anna and I had another 4-5 days in Paris, whilst C & T were going to San Sebastian and Barcelona and then C was going on a 3 week Contiki tour and T was going to Africa, what a travelling family!