Travel Agent Simons Town

I had the privilege to travel to France to their capital city, Paris during May 2005.
It was for a well deserved holiday break.

It was the beginning of spring, which was wonderful, because everything was starting the bloom and the weather was quite pleasant.

We rented an apartment for our stay, which overlooked the Seine river. When I looked out the window and to my right I could see the Eiffel Tower. I knew I was in Paris. The days where quite long with the sun setting at about 21h30. They say New York is the city that never sleeps, but Paris was the same. People would still be out on the streets and on the fabulous metro until late at night. The transport system in Paris is excellent, for one can get to almost every part of the city with one ticket. We could use the underground Metro or the municiple bus service.

One of my first stops was the Eiffel Tower. It was gigantic. We found there was plenty to see and do in and around Paris.

Paris has a rich history so there are many museums to visit. Our next place to visit was the Leuvre, which is an art museum, home to the original, famous Mona Lisa. We visited some famous churches such as Sacre Coeur, and Notre Dame, which means 'our lady' in French. Contruction of Notre - Dame started in 1163 which makes it one of the oldest churches in Paris.

We also visited the National Opera House, or as it is called in French, the Palais Garnier. It is the thirteenth theatre to house the Paris Opera and was founded by Louis XIV in 1669. The decor in the Opera house is very opulent, with the walls covered in gold and expensive fabrics.

We took a day trip to the Famous Pallis of Versailles. We found we needed a full day just to experience some of the opulent scenary and history that Versailles has to offer. Some of the attractions that we enjoyed here are the Hall of Mirrors, the Royal Chapel, and my favorite...The Farmhouse of Queen Marie Antoinette's Hamlet. She actually had a whole village built behind the Pallis on the grounds of Versailles. This was her escape from the formal life at the pallis.
All the houses had thatched roofs and there are beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. It was very peaceful and tranquil, and one could understand why Marie Antoinette spend alot of her time there.

We also took a day trip to the region where French Champagne is made. There was some lovely countryside to be seen. We went to several cellars to taste some Champagne, some of which is only available in Paris. The day trip also included a 3 course lunch, and yes, Champagne was served as the beverage.

Paris has alot to offer anyone that likes to shop as well. There are thousands of Boutique stores, Jewellery shops selling famous names such as Cristian Dior.

Speaking of shops, we paid a visit to a shopping centre called Galeries Lafayette, which is 7 storeys high. It offered everything from clothing to jewellery, furniture and lots and lots of exquisite foods. The variety was amazing. There was allsorts of cheeses, some of which I have never heard of. We had a lovely lunch at one of the many restaurants in the centre.

On our last day we took a walk through the city with its beautiful cobbled streets.
We went to the Pompadour Centre. This was a big glass building where all the pipe work was on the outside of the building, in a rainbow of colours .

We also went to the Science Museum. The displays were mind blowing. It had five levels, with exhibitions including 'stars and galaxies', planetarium, automoblies and many more.

The nightlife in Paris was very lively and we had some superb meals. It was one holiday that I will never forget, and I can see why it is called the city of love!