Old Musings - September 2002

Summary of Photos

Just in case you might have missed a photo or two, here is a list of everything I have posted in the last week or so (some of this is not linked in via a story):

The trip over to Europe
Sightseeing around Paris - Eiffel Tower, Louvre
Sightseeing around Paris at night - Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde
Sightseeing in Versailles - Chateau de Versailles
Sightseeing in Belgium - Brussels

also: Trains, Automobiles and other stupid stuff.

Warning! These photos contain full-frontal male nudity, public urination and offensive language. Best viewed by immature audiences. 

Nope, I've left Paris.

There is nothing left to hide. I'm a geek. I decided to go to Brussels today, not because of the great things to see and do there, but because of how I could get there. I wanted to take a ride on the Thalys, a high speed (300 kph) train that goes between Amsterdam and Paris. (It also goes to some other destinations, but that is the main line).

While I was in the Paris station, Gare du Nord, I made the most of the opportunity to do some trainspotting.

Oh, yeah. I also walked around Brussels until my feet started killing me and saw plenty of stuff in the process.

Yup, I'm still in Paris.

Unfortunately, having to work is really cutting into my time for sight seeing (and site updating!), but none-the-less, I am making the most of it. Last Wednesday after work, I walked from the hotel over to the Eiffel tower and then on to the Place de la Concorde. By that stage, my feet were killing me so I capitulated and splurged out on a Metro ride home.

Today, on the other hand, I had a full day to be a tourist. After getting a number of recommendations from people at work, I decided to go to the Chateau de Versailles. Indeed the grandeur of it all is pretty amazing. Despite the fact that the grounds have been reduced in size, I spent a good 5 hours walking around and still didn't get to see all of it. By that time my feet were killing me so I decided to call it a day.

It wasn't until I was ready to go, that I found where people had been renting bikes to get around. D'oh! Oh well. Maybe next time.

Yup, I'm in Paris. Check out how I got here, here.

Doesn't look like I am suffering too much jet lag. Got up around 9 o'clock this morning. I figured that I would like to go and climb the Eiffel tower and check out the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.

Last Wednesday, when I purchased a map of Paris, the book store owner decided to give me a free guide of France. Wohoo! 100% off marked price because . How could I say no? Anyway, I flipped through to the section on the Louvre. It had some prices which were probably out-of-date (after all, they were stated in French francs, and they only use Euros now), but it offered a great little nugget of information - the first Sunday of the month has free admission. Hot-diggity! Today is the first Sunday of the month! What are the odds?

When I finally got to the Louvre, there was a queue for miles (well I don't want to exaggerate - it went on for kilometres). That little free book paid for itself a second time. It told me of a secondary entrance, not the pyramid, where there might be shorter line. In the end, it turned out that there was no line at all at the other entrance. Wow! (Must be a secret entrance only the locals know about). That must have saved me a good hour of queuing. The only thing that impeded my entrance was the security check - my bag had to go through another x-ray machine before I was allowed in. This probably explains the huge line at the pyramid.

After seeing heaps at the Louvre and the surroundings, I went on to the Eiffel Tower. I made the brave move to climb the stairs, rather than taking the wimpy lift. Ok, the real reason for my choice was a) the queue was shorted and b) it was cheaper. The only drawback is that you can only go up to the second level, which is about half way up. The top level is reserved for the financial elite that can afford $20 for the lift. I can only assume that they don't allow people to walk to the top for one of two reasons. a) it would be dangerous because of b) a lack of stairs.

Once I had seen all there was to see - and taken photos of it - I went back to the hotel exhausted. There is still plenty to see, and hopefully plenty of time to see it. I would love to return to the tower and take some photos of it at night.