HIGHLIGHTS OF PARIS
After dropping the rental car back at the airport, we had 4 days to soak up the sights of Paris. We booked our tickets for the Eiffel Tower online a few months before we were going. This was a good move, otherwise we would have had to que for a couple of hours in the summer heat of Paris, which would have been horrible. It was still busy but we did enjoy the view from the top, where we saw another impressive building on a hilltop, and decided to check it out in the next couple of days.
We were really keen to check out the real (non touristy) side of Paris, and found a guided bike tour using the street bikes in Paris. Leo our guide was exceptional showing us the “Hotels” which are really secret public areas and gardens and many other cool local spots to check out at a later time. We would highly recommend this if you go to Paris, we booked it through AirBnB – Bike Le Marais & Canal.
The impressive building we could see from the Eiffel tower turned out to be Sacre-Coeur Basilica. We got there early and were able to walk around the top parts for a 360 degree views over Paris. Look for a side entrance to the dome to the left of the main entrance, you will need to pay to enter into the large dome. It does involve a lot of steps, however the view was worth it. It was stunning with hardly any tourists about. This seems to be the case with a lot of the famous Paris landmarks, get up early, to avoid the crowds especially during the peak summer period. We would highly recommend getting the Metro out to the Basilica, and getting off at the Anvers metro stop. It is less of a hike up to the Basilica from here.
CENTRAL FRANCE
After our 4 days in Paris we hopped on the TGV (fast train) and rocketed south at 300km/hr to Lyon where we met up with our friends, Francoise and Patrick and stayed at their stone cottage in Montpeyroux in the mountains. We had a lovely week soaking up the culture, food, and atmosphere of rural France.
One of the towns we visited in the region that really impressed us was Le Puy. The local tourist office in Le Puy has a great walking tour guide of the town. You can choose to do the one hour/two hour or three hour walking tour. We choose the three hour tour, and loved wandering around the old cobblestone streets, exploring the incredible landmarks and historic buildings. Our favourite site was the Chapelle St Michel d’Aiguilhe which was built in 969AD. An impressive wee chapel, it was stunning in its simplicity, age and it had a really calming aura once inside.
SOUTHERN FRANCE
After taming Kiwi the wild french cat owned by Patrick and Francois we hopped back onto the TGV and rocketed south again to Nice and the French Riveria. Here we soaked up the sun and practiced our child burying technique while checking out Nice and Monaco.
One highly recommended outing is to wander around the old town of Nice and get lost in the bustling narrow alleyways. After exploring the many funky shops, find a gem of a place like Olivieras Restaurant to have a relaxing dinner while watching the world pass by. Oliviera is run by the owners who are super passionate about olive oil, and enjoy a good laugh, a bit of banter and great wine with their deliciously crafted but simple food.
We were pleasantly surprised by what France had to offer and will be back sometime to do a west (beach) to east (mountain) trip.
Dream Home Minders 
Francoise and Patrick will soon be here in nelson in 2 days time- I will show them themselves. They can have a picnic here on your red table. there is the retro umbrella we can put up to shield the sun.
You child burying technique needs some work -I saw that child here in with the sheep and hens! Many thanks xx
LikeLike