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My overseas trip - Paris

Sarah Robertson went on a trip over Christmas and New Year 2005/2006 and lets us know about how to make the most of overseas holiday. This time it is PARIS.

"Voulez-vous couche avec moi se soir?" is getting pretty close to the extent of my French. And luckily it's a phrase I did get to use. I screamed it out to a group of young men in fact … So did the whole bus I was on actually. Before you start to think the French Public Transport system is a little wild I should clarify (those of you without dirty minds probably already have my explanation sussed out anyway.) I was singing "Lady Marmalade" from the hit film "Moulin Rouge" on my Contiki bus on my way to the one and only "Moulin Rouge" in Mont-Marte in Paris.

St GermainFirst off I must say Contiki was a wicked experience. I had fears of it being a bit of a drunken, dodgy mess where it was less of a case of "Wow the Mona Lisa" and more "Oh yay a rubbish bin I can throw up in" but thankfully my fears were unwarranted. I imagine it really does depend on the people you have as to what kind of tour you get but we had a really fun, full on tour of seven days, three of which crammed as much of Paris as possible.

To me Paris was just an exceptionally beautiful city. I had heard that it was quite dirty, and I suppose in parts it was, but I was so distracted by all the architecture and statues that Paris was filled with. The streets were paved with cobblestones which I swear must be killer in heels, but being a tourist … sorry … a traveller, the highest my feet ever got was when I was straining to see the start of the queue at the 'Musee D'Orsay' in my converse sneakers.

Winter in now way diffused the city's beauty, but to me, it created a fairy tale quality to it all. Walking through the streets of Paris in the snow was a very cool experience … as well as being a very cold experience too! And shopping. Ahhh, the sweet shopping experience! I didn't have much time to shop since I wanted to see a number of sights while I was there (the Louvre, the Arc de Triumphe and the Eiffel Tower ) but the morning I spent with my friend shopping was out of this world. It wasn't that the stores were so much better than anywhere else, or even the fact that they were selling anything incredibly different … but (small hushed voice) it was Paris. I bought a leather coat and a crazy pair of Ugg type boots which I love, but most of all (cue drum roll at my immense shallow-ness) I love the fact they're from Paris!

Eiffel TowerOne of the more out of this world experiences I had though, was going up the Eiffel Tower. Let me say straight off, there's a reason some things are so high on the tourist (traveller … it's a Contiki thing) to-do list. Our whole tour group (roughly about 40 people) queued up with a few hundred others one cold night to do what millions have done before. Waiting at the bottom felt akin to waiting on a roller coaster ride (which when my American friend starting telling me roller coaster horror stories, did nothing to settle the stirring butterflies in my stomach.) The tower was a lot bigger in scope than I had anticipated and the fact you travel to the top in these tiny, rickety old (they've got to be - the tower was completed in 1889) elevators does little to chill you out. But then maybe sometimes it's nice to be truly overwhelmed by something. Standing at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, the lights of Paris sparkling below was an amazing sensation. Equally so was in the interior where you can see how far other cities are from that spot (Wellington was the furthest away! Which made me a touch homesick!).

Paris is known as the most romantic city on earth. Now seeing it with a bus load of people from all over the world or getting drunk at a Mont-Marte pub after seeing the show at "Moulin Rouge" may not sound exactly like romance, but I agree with its reputation. Despite the occasional rude person (I found my French phrase book as vital as a bottle of water) it was very easy to fall in love with Paris.

Tour Group in Paris

My Overseas Trip -- Paris -- New York

by Sarah Robertson March 2006