Epic Honeymoon - Day 39 - Paris

Our last day in Paris had arrived, and this was no time to slow down. Determined to get as much value from our Paris Museum Pass as possible, we crammed in as much as we could, down to the closing hours of the day! If you’re willing to put in the legwork, then I definitely recommend picking up one of these passes, as the value can easily be recouped, and then some.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 38 - Paris

Sunday, 22^nd October, had been set aside for a trip out of the city to see the infamous Chateau Versailles. If you’re planning a trip to Paris, you’re undoubtedly aware of tourist hotspot which housed the royal court in the late 1600s through until the French Revolution. Foreboding in size, this modern-day museum to French royal history is certainly not to be missed.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 36 - Paris

The one and only Arc de Triomphe.

The next morning, we started with a visit to another iconic Parisian sight: the Arc de Triomphe. Built by Napolean to commemorate his armies’ various victories, the Arc is an impressive structure to behold. Inspired by ancient Roman arches of similar design, it’s quite a bit bigger than you might expect when you see it for the first time.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 35 - Paris

An unmistakable sight.

... the city of lovers and of romance; a city with an incredible history of royal, rebellion, and culture; a city that truly needs no introduction. When I first came to this city in 2011, it was the first stop on a Contiki tour. I was a much younger man back then, but I still recall being blown away just trying to comprehend the age of this place. As an Australian, European history in my own country only goes back 200 years, but this place has existed for more than 1000. Ladies and gentlemen, bienvenue à Paris.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 34 - Lyon

Beautiful buildings along the north of the Saône.

On our last day in Lyon, we set out with no particular plan. We started with lunch, returning to our favourite haunt of Rue des Marronniers and taking a second meal at Chez M’man, since we had enjoyed the first one. Unfortunately, the quality was not as good this time – or rather, our choices were a bit off. However, the lemon meringue pie for dessert was very nice!

Epic Honeymoon - Day 33 - Lyon

Another beautiful day in Lyon.

Tuesday 17^th October was dedicated to some more organised sightseeing. As much as Lyon is more about the food and culture, there are some fantastic old buildings and sights to see, too.

Epic Honeymoon - Day 32 - Lyon

Beautiful leafy avenues along the river; I could get used to Lyon.

The next morning, after a lie in and a late breakfast, we returned to Rue des Marronniers for some lunch, this time going next door to Chez M’man. Both aiming for one of the offered set menus, I couldn’t pass on the intriguing entree of poached eggs in red wine sauce; and it was delicious! This, followed up with blood sausage – which was equally tasty – made for a good lunch. Avy’s steak was, unfortunately, overcooked, so it wasn’t smooth sailing all around!

Epic Honeymoon - Day 31 - Lyon

Clear skies and beautiful vistas in Lyon.

Departing Barcelona started very early; we were walking down La Rambla with our luggage at 6am to get the metro. At first, I couldn’t work out why so many Barcelonians were up and about at that time, but then I realised it was Sunday morning, and they were just heading home from a night in the clubs! Ahhh, youth! We made our way to the airport to farewell Spain, moving to the neighbour in the north, starting with a visit to the centre of food culture in Lyon, France.

Parlez-vous Francais? Oui!

"London to Athens" Contiki Tour, June 2011, Post #1

Actually, the real answer to that question is "non". Forgive me, I shouldn't tell lies in my blog titles.

Following on from my previous post, we finished up our brief stay in London on June 10, 2011. I can remember waking up on the first day of our Contiki tour and panicking that we had slept in. It was bright light outside, and we had planned to get up at 4:30am. But this was just me not being used to the crazy sunrise times in the UK: bright daylight and 4:30am are two things that simultaneously occur in a British summer, apparently.

In any case, we weren't late, and we got to the meeting point for the tour and checked in. At 7am, the bus departed and headed south for Dover, where we would catch the ferry across to our first stop, Paris.