Foto: Notre Dame in Paris (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
France - With one metro transfer, we arrive at the metro stop near Montmartre. Through narrow streets, we walk uphill toward the Sacré-Cœur. From the stairs, the church is beautifully lit. At Montmartre square, we look for a place to eat. Many restaurants have no room left for eight people. We find the terraces just a bit too chilly. In a side street, we find a pizzeria where we get a table on the first floor. The prices are high—a half-liter of beer costs twelve euros. At first, my food wasn’t heated properly. On the second attempt, the cook made up for it well. The folded pizza tastes good after all. After our meal, we stroll through Montmartre. Since everyone is a bit tired from the travel day, we decide to take the metro back to the hotel. We have a beer there and go to bed. The next day, after breakfast, we take the metro toward the city center. At Bastille, we get off and walk toward the Centre Georges Pompidou. At the square by the museum, we first sit down at a terrace for a cup of coffee. At the Centre Pompidou, we want to take the escalators up, but this is only possible in combination with a museum visit. So, we skip that. We walk through to Notre Dame. At Place de la Concorde, we rest for a moment in a park. Fred tries out his sailing skills on a small sailboat in the Tuileries pond. Passing the tall obelisk at Place de la Concorde, we continue toward the Champs-Élysées. We take the metro for part of the Champs-Élysées to avoid walking the whole avenue. Near the Arc de Triomphe, we order a sandwich at a restaurant. Almost a quarrel breaks out between supporters and opponents of visiting McDonald’s. The alternative is also good. Through the diamond district, we walk toward the Seine.
Eiffel Tower in Paris
France - By the Seine, we can already see the Eiffel Tower, our next destination. Once we have crossed the Seine, one half of our group decides to take the metro to the Eiffel Tower, the other half walks. We have arranged to meet right under the Eiffel Tower. ...
Lille a piece of Belgium in France
France - At the Opera and the new exhibition center, we are at Place du Théâtre. This square, together with Place du Général de Gaulle, forms the center of Lille. The squares are separated by the old stock exchange building. In the courtyard of this 1652 building, ...
Mont Saint Michel
France - Mont Saint-Michel is a small, rocky peninsula in France. The island lies about one kilometer off the coast near the town of Avranches in Normandy. It was originally a tidal island: accessible by land at low tide but surrounded by water at high tide. Today, ...
Palace of Versailles
France - Classified as a World Heritage site for 30 years, the Château de Versailles is one of the finest achievements of French art in the seventeenth century. The former hunting lodge of Louis XIII was transformed and expanded by his son Louis XIV in 1682. ...