When my daughter called to say she had a week off, we decided to visit Paris and London. It was very last minute and we arrived just in time for the Olympics. Lots of crowds but lots of fun.
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| Visiting the Eiffel Tower |
We flew first to Paris, staying at the 4 star
Hotel Lumen, Rue des Pyramides. The hotel is modern and trendy yet very
French – lots of grey and black and crystal, with touches of red. The room was small. We had a small balcony
facing Pyramdes –a really nice view. Busy
but never kept us awake at night. It is
right down the street from the Tulleries, between Rue de Rivoli and Avenue de
l’Opera. Very easy to walk to places
from here. The price included a small but nice buffet
breakfast.
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| Cruising the Seine |
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| Touring the Louvre |
During our 3 days we took a small group walking tour of Paris, the Louvre and Versailles Palace and Gardens. We travelled by train to Versailles so that we could spend more time walking around the grounds after the tour. We also took a boat ride on the Seine, strolled around the Tulleries one evening, and caught a performance at the Moulin Rouge.
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| The Sun came out over Tower Bridge |
We took the Eurostar to London where we stayed at the 4 star Radisson Blu Leicester Square, just behind the British Museum
and down the street from the Tickets Booth. Very central location for getting around the city. The room was small but the hotel was modern and the staff helpful and efficient.
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| Beach Volley Ball at the Royal Horsegards Parade |
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| On the River Thames with the London Eye in backgroud |
With huge screens set up around town to broadcast the games live, we were able to catch the action and share the excitement with the locals and tourists from all over. The subways were jammed most of the time, but cruising the Thames on a hop on off boat gave us a great way to explore the city without the masses. We also did lots and lots of walking.
