Notre Dame Cathedral

The Eiffel Tower in the morning

Palace of Versailles

Dining out in Paris

Looking straight up the Eiffel Tower

Views from the 2nd level of the
Eiffel Tower

Our second day in Paris began with a daytime sightseeing tour with a local guide aboard our motorcoach, as well as a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. We were then off to our optional tour of the Palace of Versailles, still with our local guide. The Palace is so immense in size that it has to be seen to be believed! The photographs I took don't do half the justice it deserves!

We were then shuttled back to the centre of Paris for a few hours to wander on our own, grab a bite to eat, or do some shopping. Our motorcoach eventually picked us up to take us back to our hotel. On board the bus and back at the hotel, I wrote about 12 postcards to send back home to various friends and family members to rub in how great a time I was having, and it was only my second full day on vacation!

The whole evening was an optional excursion that began with dinner in a small, quaint little restaurant in the centre of Paris. We even had an accordion player in the restaurant that would keep us entertained. Some interesting appetizers on the menu included frog's legs and snails (I wussed out and opted for the French onion soup). And tonight, as with all the optional meals, any and all drinks were included. (I never had so much to drink before in my entire life than I did during this vacation!) This was our first real night out to get to know everyone (at least those that chose to come) in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. It was also a night of celebration for one American member of our tour group. It was Amy's birthday, and she received a free birthday cake as well as group rendition of "Happy Birthday".

After dinner came the main highlight of the evening. We journeyed up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower to gaze across the city. It was another beautiful sight to behold to see just how big Paris was, and the view only got better as the sun dipped lower and lower in the far off horizon.

As we waited in our motorcoach for a few stragglers to come down from the Eiffel Tower, the birthday girl, Amy took command of the microphone and treated us to her rendition of "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" (with background vocals from the rest of us) on the coach's microphone.

On the way back to our hotel, everyone joined in to the singalong tunes Andee put on the coach's stereo system as we put an end to our fun and final night in Paris.