Off the bench and back in the air!
 September 14, 2022 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
						Our adventure begins! We are currently in the Qantas First lounge (not too shabby) waiting to head to Perth where we will meet up with Bronwyn, who is currently flying from Brisbane. After a shortRead more
Hello Paris - it has been a while
 September 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
						We arrived a little late into London, but with plenty of time to catch the tube to Kings Cross St. Pancras for our trip to Paris on the Eurostar. The trip on the Eurostar was quick and uneventful. WeRead more
An afternoon in Paris
 September 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
						We left the hotel and explored the area on foot - definitely the best way to see Paris. We found our way to The Madeleine, a very big, impressive church, where we found a nice bar to have a bite toRead more
Musee d’Orsay - Thurday night
 September 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
						After wandering around Tuileries Garden we headed over to Musee d’Orsay - Bronwyn had noticed that they had a special reduced entry for Thursday evening so we decided to take advantage along withRead more
More fabulous paintings and views
 September 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
						Here are some of the paintings that we particularly liked - there was so much wonderful art.
A impressionist smorgasbord!
 September 15, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
						Van Gogh, Gaugin, Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Sisley and Cezanne and there may be others I can’t remember. It was a fabulous collection to see in one place andRead more
Pere La Chaise Cemetery
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
						I know some people may find wandering around a cemetery boring or uncomfortable - not us! We have been trying to visit Pere La Chaise since 2009, when we had the opportunity to stay in Paris for threeRead more
Street art of Paris
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
						As we have wandered around this beautiful city I have snapped a number of artworks that have appealed to me.
Place du Mange
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
						
								After leaving Pére La Chaise, we headed across the Seine to make our way to where we had booked lunch (more on lunch to follow in a separate entry). 
What I love about Paris is all the littleRead more
La Table de Colette
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
						We had planned to have lunch at MUMI today - I had done some research on good Parisian restaurants and MUMI had ticked all the boxes, including consistently excellent reviews. However, a couple ofRead more
Wandering around Paris
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
						After our fabulous lunch we decided we needed to do a bit of walking - so we did. We went to the Pantheon, Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame and île Saint-Louis. We were also entertained by a brass bandRead more
Sacre Couer
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
						This evening we headed off to the Moulin Rouge, but before the show we had time to make our way up to the Butte de Montmartre to take in the views of Paris at sunset. It was a fairly steep climb butRead more
Moulin Rouge - Yes we Can Can
 September 16, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌙 14 °C
						We arrived at the Moulin Rouge for the 9pm show. It is a caberet style show and the place is packed with most people drinking champagne - as we had wine at lunch we decided to abstain as I thought theRead more
Saturday morning à Paris
 September 17, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
						We had a lunch date today with Gerry Wilson and his wife Cilla to celebrate her birthday and also to just catch up. We weren’t due to meet them until 1.30 pm so we took the opportunity to wanderRead more
Lunch and the best views in Paris
 September 17, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
						We arrived at Les Ombres, located at the top of Musée Quay Branly, following our meander through the Trocadero area and past the Eiffel Tower. We were seated at the best table, with wonderful viewsRead more
The remainder of Saturday
 September 17, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
						Following our delicious long lunch it was unanimous that we needed to get in some walking to settle our stomachs. And, it was such a glorious day. Gerry and Cilla headed off towards the Eiffel TowerRead more
All aboard the Champagne Train
 September 18, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
						
								We are left Paris this morning to catch the train to Epernay, where everything is about the bubbles.
We met up with Gerry and Cilla for breakfast and, after bidding them farewell, did a quick pack.Read more
Hello Epernay
 September 18, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
						
								It was an smooth and uneventful train ride to Epernay. The biggest hurdle was getting our suitcases up and down the steps at the station (thanks Ian).
It was a very short stroll to our Airbnb, whereRead more
We are in Champagne Heaven
 September 18, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
						After lunch we first went to the tourist office to get some advice on how to best tackle the city. We ended up walking a kilometre up and back Champagne Avenue, chocked full of champagne houses - bothRead more
We DO get our kicks from Champagne
 September 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
						Today we had a busy schedule. In the morning we toured the Moët Chandon Champagne House, which is the largest House in Epernay. It was established in 1743 by Claude Moët. The company was renamedRead more
Champagne by any other name!
 September 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
						Just in case you didn’t work it out we are immersed, literally, in Champagne. It really pops our cork.
Balades insolites en Champagne
 September 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
						This translates to unusual walks in Champagne. We were collected by Maëva, an Epernay local, and driven in an interesting “classic” Renault Estafette Alouette van. The business, started fourRead more
More from beautiful Épernay
 September 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
						Épernay is a wonderful picturesque town with so much to see and take in. The flowers are still amazing and the parks are so well kept.The people are very welcoming and friendly and have tolerated myRead more
Champagning at the bit
 September 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
						To ensure we arrived in Mareuil-sur-Ay for our e-Bike tour of the Champagne area in plenty of time we had booked an Uber, which gave us piece of mind. We had booked it for 8.30am and were downstairsRead more
More higlights from the day and night
 September 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
						
								We saw so much today and had such fun with a great group of people, here are a few more photos. 
Tonight we had planned to eat some delicious food from the local charcuterie, however, after consumingRead more













































































































































































































































































































































































































































TravelerHave a wonderful trip. Don't go anywhere near Green Park, The Mall, Constitution Hill. You'll disappear into a 7.5km long vortex queueing to see QEII at Westminster Hall. (Can a vortex be linear?) Anyway, keep away. Xx
TravelerWe had departed London by 9.30 and we were on our way to Paris- didn’t see many people