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| Day 4: May 30, 2001, Wednesday – London to Paris |
4:45am – Wake-up Call
5:15am – Baggage out. During this tour, every morning that we travel to another city, we take out our luggage outside the hallway by our hotel room. They pick up our luggage's (1 allowed per person) and they in turn are responsible to put it in the bus and also take it to our next hotel room destination. This is very convenient ‘because we did not have to carry our suitcases ourselves.
5:30am – Breakfast. Continental Breakfast served in the hotel which included bread rolls, croissant, jam, coffee, juice and cereal and milk.
6:30am – Met with our tour director and driver and the rest of our group and left the hotel.
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| Trafalgar Group |
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Our tour director is Kevin Sykes who lived and got married in Brisbane, Australia but originally from England, and now living in London. Has 12 years experience as a tour director/travel guide. He is English but multi-ligual and very accommodating, friendly, took very good care of our group. Very intelligent, educated and gave us good information about the history and other relevant information about a city before we enter it, including some basic language lessons before getting to our destination. He is a 10 in my rating scale.
Our driver is Andrea and he is 30-yr. old Italian Guy who speaks little English but is very friendly and good looking as well. He is an EXCELLENT driver, well mannered and careful as well. There are situations when he would have to back-out off a small street, uphill, with 2 cars double-parked on each side, and still managed very well. To think he is driving a huge tour bus… A great driver, who we are fortunate to have in our trip.
Our group is composed of 38 individuals ages from 11 all the way to 70 years old. From different backgrounds, and race and origin, coming from different countries. Dominated by people who came from U.S. and Australia, other people came from Philippines, South Africa, Canada, Korea and Singapore. Although some people who live in Australia are originally from China, Taiwan and Malaysia. Overall, I would say 60-70% are in the mid 20’s and 30’s, 10% younger, and the rest are older. But mostly couples are in attendance of this tour group. We had a great mix of individuals who got along well, and we did not have any problems, or frictions, or intrigues during the trip. Overall, we had a GREAT GROUP in our tour.
7:00am – went to Trafalgar Office to pick-up some of the other members of the group. Also to get maps and get currency packs. Then we head to Dover (which is 2-hour drive). Kevin, our tour director, gave us a basic history lesson about France and Paris, and got basic French language lessons as well.
Bonjour (hello, good morning), Bonsoir (good evening), Au Revoir (goodbye), merci(thank you), oui (Yes), ou est (where), excuse moi (excuse me), numbers in French…etc…etc.
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| Dover English Channel |
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9:00am – got to Dover. Passports where checked by immigration official before our bus went inside the Ferry to cross the English Channel. Adjust time (1 hour ahead) to Paris time…became 10am
10:15am – 12:00pm - crossed the English Channel. Views of the white cliffs of Dover and saw the Dover Castle as well. Had brunch inside the Ferry (accepts both pounds and French Francs currency). Crossing the channel took 1 hour and 45 minutes. Smooth sailing, good weather.
12:00pm – 2:00pm – Calais – got to France. Then drove past outskirts of France heading to Paris.
2:00pm – 2:30pm –Stopover at a gas station for drinks, snacks and toilets. Most of the public toilets in France are not free. You have to give 2 FF to use the toilet. This is to provide clean facilities and toilet paper.
2:30pm – 4:30pm – Head to Paris, France. Check-in to Hotel Kyriad Porte d’Ivry. Freshen up after a long travel day, then took evening optional excursion.
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| River Seine Cruise |
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| Eiffel by Seine River |
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5:00pm – drive around the city of Paris, France.
5:30pm – 6:30pm – River Seine Cruise – Nice 1-hour cruise on the seine river. Views of Different museums such as Louvre and Musee d’Orsay, landmarks such as Notre Dame and the famous Eiffel Tower. Different city, different country, this is a great way to start your sightseeing of Paris, to get familiarize with the left and the right bank.
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| Sacre Coure |
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6:30pm – 7:00pm – on to Sacre Coure – Sacred Heart Church. This church sits atop of the hill over looking the city of Paris. First, we took the Funiculaire (cable car) to take us to the top.
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| Sacre Coure Scene |
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This Basilica, in Romano-Byzantine style, was build, as the mosaic above the choir reminds us, to accomplish a vow made in consequence of the extreme need of France and of the Church in 1870. Completed in 1914, it was not consecrated until 1919 after World War I had ended. The final cost was 40 million francs. Since 1885, there has been perpetual adoration and worship within.
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| Montmartre |
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7:00pm – 8:30pm – Montmartre – this is the artist’s quarters. Here you will find artists painting different sights of Paris and also you can get your portrait drawn here. Originally revered scene where the first martyrs of Paris met their death, and site of a famous abbey of Benedictine nuns, visited by Saint Bernard, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Ignatius Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier, Berulle (found of the Oratorians) and Olier.
We had some free time here to have dinner in a local bistro where we ordered Roast Chicken, Soup and Salad. We are a bit impatient because it took them more than 30 minutes before they served our meal…I guess the service in Europe is different than U.S… more slow and relaxed paced.
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| Eiffel Tower at night |
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8:30pm – 9:00pm – head to Eiffel Tower
9:00pm – 10:30pm – Eiffel Tower Sightseeing – go up the second floor to view a 360 degree view of Paris from the top of the tower. Very awesome sight of the tower, with its massive steel construction. Took a lot of pictures.
The Eiffel Tower is 318.7 meters high, including the television antenna at the very tip. In 1889, the height was 312.27 meters with flagpole. They are 1652 steps in all to the top. Built by Gustave Eiffel, It was built for the Exposition Universelle (World Fair) of 1889 in order to commemorate the century of the French Revolution.
10:30 – 11:15 – Paris, city of lights illuminations – drove around the city and saw views of Arc de Triomphe, Concorde, Eiffel, Louvre, etc
11:30pm – back to hotel – freshen up, retire from a very long and eventful day in Paris – a very romantic city.
| Day 5: May 31, 2001, Thursday – Paris Sightseeing |
Weather: Morning – low 70’s (quite cool), afternoon – high 70’s (warmer, but still cool because it was breezy)
6:30am – Wake-up Call
7:15am – Breakfast. Better than London, has Croissant and other kinds of breads and butter and marmalade, Yogurt, Cereals, fruit cocktail, coffee, tea, juice, ham (cold cuts) and cheese
8:00am – Leave the hotel for included morning sightseeing of the city of Paris
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| Notre Dame |
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8:30am – 9:30am – Notre Dame Cathedral – meet Gabrielle, our tour guide. Went inside Notre Dame, one of the famous landmarks of Paris. Was able to take a lot of pictures outside, and also free time to pray and look inside the church.
Notre Dame, cathedral of Notre Dame (Our Lady), on the island called Île de la Cité at the heart of Paris. Notable for its elegant proportions, it was a model for the French Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages. An earlier church (perhaps preceded by a Roman temple) probably existed on the site of the present building, which was begun in 1163 by Bishop Maurice de Sully and completed, for the most part, by 1250.
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| Eiffel Tower |
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| Eiffel Tower |
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9:30am – 10:45am – morning sightseeing of Paris – including sights of different museums, monuments and landmarks. Took a picture of Eiffel Tower on the other side where there is peace memorial which is made of glass wall with 32 different languages of the word "Peace".
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| Versailles Palace |
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| Versailles - Hall of Mirrors |
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10:45am – 2:00pm – Versailles optional excursion – half an hour trip from Paris to Versailles where King Louis XV (the Sun King) built this awesome palace. We toured inside the palace where we saw its chapel, its different state rooms and quarters and its massive gardens. We also saw the famous hall of mirrors. Before entering this awesome palace, we had lunch at a nearby Bistro called Café de Versailles.
The Palace of Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. It was originally a hunting lodge, but was expanded by Louis XIV beginning in 1669. The French classical architecture was complemented by extensive gardens.
The palace was stripped of most of it's furnishings during the French Revolution, and Tuileries in Paris became the royal residence. Versailles is now a national museum.
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| Opera House |
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| Hard Rock Cafe |
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2:00pm – 2:30pm – Head back to Paris, saw the small Statue of Liberty facing New York direction.
2:30pm – 3:40pm – Free time. Saw the Opera House and also went to the Hard Rock Café in Paris.
3:40pm – 4:30pm – Travel back to the hotel to freshen up and to unload shopped items.
4:30pm – 5:00pm – Rest and took a quick break.
5:00pm – 5:30pm – Took Metro Subway from Porte d’Ivry station to Musee d’Louvre station
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| Musee de Louvre |
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5:30pm – 6:30pm – Musee d’ Louvre – the biggest museum in the world. Houses famous arts such as Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Took a lot of pictures of exterior with the pyramids.
A medieval fortress, the palace of the kings of France, and a museum for the last two centuries, the architecture of the Louvre Palace bears witness to more than 800 years of history.
6:30pm – 7:30pm – dinner at the mall inside the Louvre museum.
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| Arc de Triomphe |
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7:30pm – 8:00pm – Arc de Triomphe – took the Metro to the Charles de Gaulle Etoile station and there in front of us is the Arc De triomphe where 12 streets all meet. Views of the Champs Elysee can also be seen from this arch.
Napoléon, the French emperor who conquered most of Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, admired the Roman people. In 1806, following their example, he decided to build a very big arch of triumph which stands at the top of the
Champs Elysées. His victorious troops would march on through the arch cheered by the population of Paris. This never happened thanks to General Wellington who defeated Napoléon at Waterloo in 1815.The Arc de Triomphe was finished in 1836. It magnificently crowns the hill from where the Champs Elysées, the
Avenue Foch, the Avenue de la Grande Armée and nine other avenues radiate. |
| Moulin Rouge |
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| Sacre Coure |
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8:00pm – 9:15pm – back to Sacre Coure and Montmarte for more shopping and sightseeing of a beautiful panoramic view of Paris. Took Metro to Anvers Station.
9:15pm – 9:30pm – Moulin Rouge – took the metro to this red district and got off Blanche station. Took several pictures of this famous club where its famous for its cancan dancers. Moulin Rouge cabaret was established in 1889 during the period of transition which was a rest between two wars in France. There we met the rest of the group who did the optional excursion to see the show at Novelle Eve Cabaret.
9:30pm- 10:00pm – Head back to hotel to prepare for next day to travel to Geneva. Sent postcards to family and friends as well, repacked and rested for the day.
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