Paris

Leaving the UK. White Cliffs of Dover in the background while aboard the ferry.

Dave at our first nights dinner. Whats he eating?

Im not joking. I really enjoyed my snails. They are cooked in a garlic sauce and are far tastier than oysters. Mmm. We did our own dinner the second night, under the Eiffel Tower. I think I ate about 20 snails. I would have continued but it was getting a little embarressing. Can you imagine the pile on my plate?

I was still learning names at this point. Taking photos of everyone helped me learn and remember peoples names. From the left: David, Cally, Natalie. On the right: Kellie, my empty chair and Kristel

From the left: Ben (Melbourne) Lillah (north of Brissie) Donna (NZ). On the right Carly (NZ) Becks (Brisbane)

Mike (South Africa) K.C (NZ) Becks (super chef)

On the right: Jude (our guide) Jason (South Korea- is he still at the border).

It was so cold this night. The wind was howling. We literally ran from the bus, down the concourse- snapped a photo and ran back. It was freezing.

This photo was taken from the 1st platform. I think it was just over 300 steps to get to that point.

324 metres to be exact. It took 1665 steps from the ground to the top via the east pillar and then you have to get the lift up the narrow part.

You have to take a little lift to get to this point, of course, for a little extra charge. :)

For those of you who have climbed Sydney Harbour or are just the curious type: To this day, the Eiffel Tower has been completely repainted every 7 years.

How long to paint it?: 15 months. 60 tons of paint to cover 200,000m^{2, 25 painters using only brushes.

Color: "Tour Eiffel brown" in three shades, with the lightest shade at the top and the darkest at the bottom.

The eroding paint weighs an estimated 15 tons between new coats(7 years).}

This was cool. We stopped for a toilet break and there was a vintage car show and old blokes playing some groovey tunes. Really nice.

Cally, Mike, Jason, Me, Ben and Becks

Here are some facts for y'all: This Arch was commissioned by Napoléon to commemorate one of his victorious battles, although he never saw it completed. The arch was also made famous in photos as the Allied troops entered the heart of Paris. It sits in the middle of a traffic circle that has 12 streets including the Champs Elysées (the main drag where designer shops and pricey coffee can be found) converging onto it.

While this photo does not really show it the underside of the arch, in fact all of it is extreamly detailed and beautiful

Of course it belongs to Luis Vuitton. Not to bad looking either. They made it just in case the BFG decides to travel one day :)

The site on which this fountain sits is a very famous location for Parisian history. Place De La Concord- where way way back in the day, this is where people used to be beheaded!

It marks the end of the park which is quite pretty and contains water features as well as cafe's and gardens.

Just outside the entrance to the very famous Louvre Museum. This 16th Century Palace is the largest and most impressive museum in Europe and its most famous piece is the Mona Lisa. The museum is so large that if you spent one minute at each piece in the museum you would spend your entire life there. :o

While this photo is blurry I decided to include it anyway. I spent more than a minute starring at the detail and beauty of this ceiling. (ask Beck's, Im not lying)

The painting is very cleverly positioned behind layers of glass. Its next to impossible to get a photo without glare. Much to my surprise they do not stop people from taking photos. We had to push and fight our way to the front to take a snap.

This giant triangle is the entrance to the museum. You take escalators down into a very large foyer where you purchase your tickets. The beautiful thing about this is- even if you are not going into the museum you can still go down inside to marvel at the architecture and get a feel for it amazing size.

This cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Construction began on the building in 1163 but it took 5 architects and almost 100 years to complete. The statues on the front portal date back to 1170. One of the highlights is the rose window, nearly 40 feet wide, that depicts the life of the Virgin Mary. The original building had small windows but around 1220 the flying buttresses were added. These outdoor columns take on the weight of the walls allowing for stained glass windows that are nearly floor to ceiling. The buttresses also serve as rain gutters.

You can climb 400 steps to get to the bell tower

It really was beautiful inside

Day One of our ausome Tour.

Leaving the UK. White Cliffs of Dover in the background while aboard the ferry.