ZION NATIONAL PARK AND A REST AT BRYCE CANYON

We head northeast out of Nevada and into Arizona, briefly, then into Utah, a semi arid landscape of rolling rugged hills. We are heading for Zion National Park, highly anticipated. The days are closing early and we have stopped at a gallery that we make more purchases at, not sure how these will pack, so are heading into the park as darkness descends. We head to the first come first serve South Campground to grab a spot and meet the very pleasant camp hosts who help us find one of the few sights left. It is perfectly flat and near to a very nicely kept toilet block, lucky. The sun sets over the mouth of a spectacular canyon of craggy mountains towering above us and the colours are amazing, one of the highlights of this park. We are full of anticipation for the next day.

Let me give you a background on Zion. We have spent a lot of time lately in the parks that showcase the mighty power of earth and all her forces. We have seen effects of the rupturing strength pushing the ancient layers skyward creating spectacular landscapes, some once the floor of huge oceans. We have experienced the power of glacial ice carving, cracking the earth apart. Now we are in a landscape that was essentially huge sand dunes deposited and then compressed into rock over the ages, through which a river system has carved a spectacular landscape.

In Zion one is at ground level with the mountain cliffs sheering upward, a vision of rocks, some smooth and rounded by the power of water and others craggy massive blocks that defy gravity. The Virgin River constantly flows through this landscape continuing to sculpt a wonderful world for all visitors to see, over 3 million a year, all craning their necks upward to experience this stupendous landscape.

This is an area largely developed by the Mormons who came west and populated and broke the land into viable fertile farms that provided a harsh but special life out west. The area surrounding the park is still ‘ranching’ land that we have loved driving through to get this far, with livestock roaming the huge expanse of acres. It is an area full of various gems and rocks of beauty which are displayed for sale at numerous outlets along our journey, rocks we would love to be able to return home with but alas this would be impossible.

We awake early but don’t rush to jump up, it is freezing. Eventually we walk down to the visitor’s center to start our explorations. The majority of this park runs off a road that snakes its way for 18 miles up the canyon. Because it is one way in and the same way out the park has devised a shuttle bus system to try to decongest the area. At this time of year the buses only run on the weekends, and it being Sunday we are obliged to take the shuttle. We spend the day jumping on and off and taking the small hikes to see the sights, along with many others.

It has all been gorgeous, but on reflection that evening we feel we have not done this park justice. There is a highly recommended 4/5 hour hike called Angels Landing, a switchback climb that takes you 1500 feet up the mountain at which point a challenging climb begins out to the top of a huge rocky buttress. We decide this is what we need to do and, after a good nights rest and securing our site for yet another night, we set off to greater heights.

We have spent our coldest night yet in Jetson, how do we know that, the ice on the inside of the car is a good guide. We are soon warming up though as the steep climb unfolds. We eventually reach the challenging part. It is time to get over the fact that it is a very long way down and grab onto a seemingly well attached substantial chain that is a small comfort as one edges their way over smooth sandstone sloping cliff edges traversing around the side of the cliff, eventually coming to a large flat area. This is the spot that decisions need to be made. Some say anyone who gets this far has done really well but from here one can see the real challenge. Angels Landing is actually a huge buttress across a narrow saddle that actually heads down from our present position and then ascends seemingly straight up for quite a climb. We take our time to decide along with many other hikers, taking advice from those on their way down on how tough it actually is. It seems it is more than doable, the general advice being just do it at your own pace. It is decided to head on to complete the challenge.

The chains once again aid the short distance downward and I decide if I can get back up this part I can probably do it all. Guess what, I could, so we continue. At first the edges seem very close and we move with trepidation but eventually it is all about the climb and not about the view, which comes later as a reward.

We eventually reach the top, about 3 hours from our starting point at the car. The view is amazing on the rocky outcrop, not the highest point in the canyon, but definitely one of the most scenic. We meet a very lovely local couple, he has been a wild beach bum Californian traveler in his early years and she is a woman apparently scared of heights, though you certainly wouldn’t guess that, who has completed her second climb to this point. They tell us about the pros and cons of other hikes in the park and yet more history of the area and are really interesting to talk to. We grab a bite to eat and take some amazing photos in glorious sunshine. After about an hour we decide it is time to take the challenge of the decent, something that is in the back of your mind all the way up, how the hell am I going to get down?

In 50 minutes we are back at the decision point, I have spent quite a lot of time on my backside feeling much more connected to earth this way. It has actually not been that bad and we are now the ones encouraging others to keep on going. The biggest trouble was the wind that sprung up just as we were starting our decent, a major danger as you can actually be blown off the mountain. Did I mention there is a sign reminding people to do this at their own risk, 6 having died trying. We have been so lucky again with the weather.

We return to the valley floor 5 hours from beginning and are pleased with our efforts and make our way to the general store just outside the park, ravenous. We have discovered their home made treats and their free to use microwave for campers like us, haha. We devour our hot treats back at our campsite as the sun sets again. We reluctantly endure our cold water washes to clean away the days dust before slipping into our comfortable PJ’s. Not going to be any trouble getting to sleep tonight, though we have rented a DVD, Cast Away, and enjoy watching Tom Hanks and Wilson battle the elements before we call it a night.

Not quite as cold, but still ice on the inside of the windscreen, when we wake to start a day moving on to yet another famous National Park, Bryce Canyon. It is with regret that we move on from Zion knowing now about some other lovely hikes we could have done. This is one of our favorite parks so far and think we should make another visit one day.

Sadly the cold I have started is taking it’s toll, picked up in Vegas somewhere, and energy levels are low. It is a beautiful 60 mile drive to Bryce, so close and yet we are in for a quite different landscape. There will be no long hikes today but we are very lucky in our destination. Bryce is a park that takes in the view from the rim of the Colorado Plateau, spectacular vistas laid before you over this dominantly orange world of hoodoos and windows and other wondrous sculptures. Once again this is a world carved by the elements of wind and water into the sandy stone that has been pushed skyward and is the Plateau. We are treated to easy walks to amazing views, just the trick for our failing energy levels. We are back in snow-covered landscape on the high plateau and it is pretty chilly, though sunny.

More motel time needed is the decision made and we leave the park and the touristy villages and find a very small, almost non-existent in fact, town that has a 3-story hotel with a vacancy sign, The Grand Staircase Inn in Cannonville. We book a very reasonable night and settle in and it is so good that we end up staying 3 nights and not even walking further than the front desk for all this time. Our last day is actually Thanksgiving and we are really thankful to have found this gem in the desert. The family run business is just fantastic. I think the thing that made it so good was the room having a very high vaulted ceiling and king size beds. This probably sounds really strange but it created so much space that we have obviously been missing in our subconscious. Thanks to the Grand Staircase Inn, we will recommend a stay to as many as possible.

The other bonus of downtime is that this blog sees us completely caught up to real time, WOW. We are very pleased with our efforts as we venture on, hopefully with renewed energy. We are sadly running very low on time now and still lots to see. This area is full of National Parks and we will try to see as many as possible with some that are a priority.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album NATIONAL PARKS OF UTAH.

LAS VEGAS MADNESS

As we have spoken to people along the way we have mentioned Las Vegas as one of our destinations and in general the comment has been “do not hold that against us”, haha. As our day of splendor in Death Valley ends we head out of the hills and before us lies a mass of light, out in the middle of nowhere, that sparkles and twinkles on the horizon. As we sink into its midst we are amazed at the brightness and grandeur of this unique city. We settle into our hotel that is very cheap, just off ‘the strip’, and crash, excited about what is to come over the next few days. Vegas is known as a pit of gambling and sin, bright lights and recreations of world icons, a must see that many will tell you to avoid.

Our first day we decide to go out to Hoover Dam. This is quite a feat of human excellence. It was built between 1931 and 1936 giving employment to 21,000 people during the Great Depression. Sadly it cost the lives of 100 men during this time. It is built in the Black Canyon on the Colorado River on the border, literally, of Arizona and Nevada. During our visit we lost an hour crossing the dam wall into Arizona and gained it back on our return to Nevada. The surrounding ground is made up of rock of volcanic origin making it hard and very durable. The structure of the dam is like a whole lot of concrete Lego blocks varying in size that are reinforced and joined together and grouted to give its smooth appearance. It is said that there is enough concrete within the structure to pave a road from San Francisco to New York, now that’s a lot of concrete.

In creating this dam and the hydroelectric power plant, still one of the largest in the country but once the largest in the world, a massive body of water was created, now known as the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It provides over 9 million visitors a year with all sorts of water based sports and activities. All in all this is a tourist destination of National pride, being the largest dam of it’s time and still considered to be one of Americas’ Seven Civil Engineering Wonders. Needless to say we enjoyed our visit and also very much enjoyed just heading back to a motel to refresh before we made our first visit to ‘the strip’.

Bright lights and crazy images of grandeur and also some crazy people. This has to be the most interesting city we have been to, not in an architectural way or a learned way but in an out there kind of way. There are many shows you can go to from show girls to Cirque du Soleil to Santana and Rod Stewart, love him but saw him back in Perth only a couple of years ago, and many, many more but we have decided to save our pennies and just take in the show that is Las Vegas. The streets are lined with buskers of varying talents, singers, artists, show girls and musicians, some fantastic and others just bazaar. There are the homeless people down on their luck just begging, but not too many. There are some people just dressed up as movie characters or stars that have their photos taken. Then there are others that seem rather sad as they are dressed to attract attention baring all, their costumes grubby and lurid and their demeanor affected by substances. These people we feel sad for, is this what life intended for them, though they seem happy enough?

There are hundreds of hawkers selling tickets, women and bars. The general atmosphere is party town and the lights and grandeur of the many casinos show a world of fun and excitement. It is a town of stretch limousine’s, never seen so many in one street before. There seems to be loads of tourists just taking it all in like us. Lots of families out and about clutching many bags from the M&M store and other themed outlets, girls in higher than high heals that are more often than not in their hands. Young and old mix together to create a fantastic world for people watching.

We venture into quite a few of the casinos and hotels to just take a look at this colourful world and are amazed that Mikayla is allowed to walk through, at 16. The casinos are huge and all have quite a large clientele. We think about the one casino we have in Perth in comparison to the hundreds here and boggle at the thought of how many people are in this city of lights in the middle of the desert. How do they all make enough to survive?

Hotels range from the average to the spectacular, from a New York City skyline, Paris and the Eiffel Tower to the land of Fantasia to Hooters and Super 8, but there are some special spots you just have to see, one of them being the Bellagio. First we head inside to soak up the gorgeous richly decorated spacious interior, probably just a little more expensive than the motel we stay in just around the corner. This is a fantasy world decorated for fall with talking trees, a waterwheel, unicorns, pumpkins and flowers galore, just gorgeous. But all that spectacular extravagance is nothing compared to the water show that is played to music every half an hour at the front entrance. WOW. This is the best show we have seen anywhere, thousands of gallons of water pumped by the second into the air in time to all sorts of music from Singing in the Rain to Top 40 hits. Our first show is to a song that talks of footprints on the world, what could be more apt for us. We are amazed and liken it to fireworks but agree it is perhaps even better. We take in three full shows over our time on the first night before we decide our feet and minds have had enough for one day and crash back into our beds.

We decide we would like to stay yet another night and pop out to get in supplies for lunch, taking our time to just enjoy our own little space and then we head into the movies, this day being the first release of Mockingjay Part One, third movie in The Hunger Games series. Being huge movie fans we are excited to see this follow on and love it. We have timed our visit to end in darkness so we can begin our next night on the strip, heading for the other end of the strip to explore new territory. We stop in at the famous shopping complex, Fashion Show, and spend some time trying on clothes, each finding something nice at a bargain price to add to the ever stretching suitcase, in Macy’s.

We then set off back into the bright lights and head for the other absolute must see hotel of The Venetian and its gondolas. Outside there is yet another spectacular show to see, this time fire. Out of this world burning red hot orange plumes of fire and sparks dance into the night skies every half-hour, amazing. Fatigue is starting to set in again but we must have another couple of Bellagio water shows before we call it a night, our last night here having had our fill of the wondrous, many faced city that is Las Vegas.

It’s not all fantastic but it is unique. Some will visit over and over and some will just see it once because you just have to see it to believe it. Some will lose a fortune and decline to the streets, sadly, and others will just take in the sights and shows and wonder who on earth came up with the idea of this entertainment mecca. You can do it on a budget or go all out. It is a place for everyone yet is probably one of the most transient places in the country. Our time has been fantastic fun but we are now ready to head back to nature where the only lights are the stars in the sky and the spectacular sunset/sunrise vistas provided in this amazing neck of the woods, oh I forgot, we have left the trees behind, its all rocks now.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album LAS VEGAS AND HOOVER DAM – NEVADA.

PARIS TAKE TWO

Another day, and what would be our last for this trip, of exploring Paris on foot. Starting with visits to the Church of St-Sulpice and the Church of St-Germain Des Pres, both old churches that are in disrepair though there seems to be some restoration work going on. It seems The Notre Dame gets all the attention but these churches are worth a look too, especially if you read The Da Vinci Code first!

Moving on from here our walking took us through some yet unseen parts of town, to another large church whose name I can’t recall, past some modern street sculptures and water features and to the bazaar Center Pompidou, built with it’s insides outside. Touting the best view in Paris we can only assume they mean the art inside because what could be better than the Eiffel Tower? All a bit sick of art (gasp) we decided to give the inside a miss and took off again in search of somewhere nice to have a very late lunch.

We ended up finding a fantastic little crepe restaurant on Rue Jean du Bellay, Ile St-Louis, and had a scrumptious three course meal finished with delicious crepes, salted caramel for Mum, apple and cinnamon for Mikayla and chocolate and banana for me, yum! We would definitely recommend this place. We hadn’t anticipated desert and had planned to go to Bathillion for ice cream so we stuck to it, until we got there. Bathillion is famous for having 70 flavours of delicious ice cream, they lie, there were only ten, of the most boring, flavours on offer, very disappointing so we gave it a miss. We didn’t need it anyway!

A brisk walk back to Vincent in the rain, this time with our rain coats, and we decided it was time to move on. We were so proud of Mum as she navigated the traffic towards and along the Champs Elysees and around for one last look at the Arch de Triomphe, until next time.

From here we got stuck in a traffic jam for about three hours and spent the time discussing how annoying it is when people stare at us in Vincent like he has one way glass and we can’t see them and how everyone would get so much farther much quicker if the drivers weren’t so selfish. We were in a dark, gloomy place at that point in time!

When we eventually got out onto the open road we were much happier, as was Vincent’s gear box, and we ended up finding a cute little camping spot next to a play ground near Giverny, our next destination.

In the morning it was straight to Monet’s Garden where I went crazy with flower photos. So much variety of beautiful blooms it took me ten times longer to get around the garden than Mum and Mikayla who had to wait for me before entering the water garden via the underpass.

The immortalized water garden is just as beautiful as you would expect and we visited at the end of the optimal time of year. Row boats sit amongst lilies and willows at the edge of the pond and the quaint bridges are picture perfect, funny that!

Monet’s house is also brilliant and just as exciting as the gardens. My favourite part was Monet’s office/living room where he painted in the later years of his life and where the walls are literally covered with paintings on canvas. I loved the kitchen as well. You can also see Monet’s collection of work by other artists and the view from the second story is pretty special.

The town of Giverny is gorgeous too, with it’s cute little homes and sweet gardens, we would have liked to have spent more time relaxing here but alas it was time to move on. If you’re looking for a photogenic town this one makes the cut.

The next day was spent driving again, broken by a stop at Beauvais Cathedral that we spotted from the main road from miles off, it’s that tall. This cathedral is extraordinary in that the roof is so high, pretty much the height of the spire. Inside the ceilings are just as high, which makes room for double the stained glass windows and a tremendous effect. Unfortunately it seems the architect was a little too ambitious as parts of the floors as sinking and scaffolding holds up parts of the ceiling. There is also a grand astronomical clock here, one of the best and most detailed we’ve seen, so we definitely put Beauvais Cathedral on the must see list.

After a log drive we ended up camping near Arras ready to get stuck into what would be a week or so of World War I and II history again as we moved along through France and Belgium.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS (for photos of our previous visit) and BACK TO FRANCE (for this visit).

BACK TO FRANCE – REIMS AND INTO PARIS

N.B. As you may have noticed we are very behind on our posts. Too much traveling, not enough writing! The post we’re writing now are a progression through our last weeks in Europe though we are currently touring around England. Hopefully we will be up to date very soon but in the meantime our posts are flashbacks and we’ll let you know when we’re back to our current travel.

In Vincent some days are just driving days and lucky for us there’s usually something interesting to see along the way. The view is always changing and when it’s average we console ourselves that this is a means to an end. Though we didn’t have to this time as we were driving through the very pretty champagne region of France.

We love France for so many reasons, the food, baguettes, crepes, pate, the cute little towns that you drive through frequently, Paris, chateaus, and most of all the people, some of whom we’re lucky enough to call friends. We also love that Mikayla and I get free entry into most “tourist attractions” because we are citizens of the EU, lucky, and France is one of the only countries that do this.

We arrived in Reims in the early afternoon and went straight for the Cathedral here, the Cathedrale Notre Dame, the venue for Royal coronations when they were still being performed and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s been heavily restored since it was bombed during World War I. It’s very similar to the Notre Dame in Paris that I would recommend seeing instead.

We also spent some time at the museum next door where we learnt a bit more about the Royal coronations, got to see some crown jewels (not nearly as extravagant as expected), and had a giggle at the very feminine poses of the French Kings through the ages. Next was the Basilique St-Remi, another UNESCO World Heritage Site with an accompanying museum that contains an ancient relic collection to rival The Vatican.

The next day, on the way into Paris, we stopped at an English War Memorial and cemetery. These are always moving places and we were set to visit a lot more to come.

During our first visit to Paris earlier this year, new to wild camping, we stayed in a camping ground on the outskirts of the city. This time we went for it, driving straight into the city center, along The Seine and by the Eiffel tower before finding a suitable spot to park Vincent next to Cimetiere du Montparnasse, near the famous Le Catacombes. Quiet though pretty busy pedestrian wise we thought he’d be safe here to leave during the day and stay in at night, thankfully we were right!

Our first day in Paris we walked through Cimetiere du Montparnasse and attempted to see Le Catacombes but when we saw the line, stretching around the block, we decided we would try again another time. So, it was on to Paris’ Pantheon where we walked straight in with no queue to explore the expansive artworks on the inner walls and the sculptures surrounding them. The crypt here is also very interesting as it houses the tombs of famous historical figures, a few being Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie, among many others.

Usually extremely lucky with weather (I can say this because I am writing overlooking the Sound of Raasey from the Isle of Skye, Scotland and there isn’t a cloud in the perfect blue sky), we saw more rain visiting Paris in summer than we did in winter. Stuck with no raincoats we left the Pantheon, running between the shop fronts until the rain subsided.

Into the Jardin Du Luxembourg, deserted and drenched, we made our way through towards the Rodin Museum pausing briefly to admire the Palais Du Luxembourg. The garden is more like a big park with water features and large expanses of grass to picnic and play on. We would have spent more time here had we not been afraid of getting rained on again.

We arrived at the Rodin Museum and had to wait in our first line of the day. Though we didn’t wait very long we decided that visiting the sites in Paris is much better in Winter when there are no lines.

We started in the lovely gardens while the rain was holding off and were greeted with The (famous) Thinker, contemplating away, before moving on to see more sculptures like The Kiss, Balzac and The Burghers of Calais. Inside the museum shows a collection of finished works as well as drafts of the famous sculptures in various sizes and materials. As you walk around you notice that the subjects in the sculptures are tortured beings, reason being they are all included in “miniature” on Rodin’s Gates of Hell. After visiting the Rodin Museum we loved spotting the sculptures out on the streets around Paris too.

To finish the day we walked to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, seriously considering going up again, before realizing we probably wouldn’t see that much through the fog anyway. Strolling back in the direction of Vincent through the Parc de Champ de Mars we couldn’t help but stop and look back frequently, Paris and The Eiffel Tower really are special parts of the world.

Photos can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS (for photos of our previous visit) and BACK TO FRANCE (for this visit).

PARIS

I fell in love with Paris! During the planning of our trip, and when we actually bought our one-way tickets to London, most of the time all I thought about was France. We have great friends in France so I think this is excitement at getting to see them again, and when asked what I was looking forward to the most it was England with family and France with friends. This is still true but I’m actually experiencing so much more than I thought possible and absolutely loving it.

Mikayla was most excited about Paris out of all three of us and had a very clear idea about what her must see and do’s were while there. The most important were to go up the Eiffel Tower and to see it lit up at night, and walk across the Pont Alexandre II Bridge. I’m pleased to say we got them done, and so much more, during our three-night stay.

We arrived in Paris around midday and settled into our camping spot (read: parked Vincent Van Go, so much easier than setting up a tent like we’re used to in Australia) where we had a perfect view of about half of the Eiffel Tower from our windows. We then went into the center of Paris, by bus and metro train, with our first stop The Louvre.

At first I couldn’t get over the size of the place! It’s enormous, no wonder they say it would take you something like seven years to see everything inside! Not art buffs, but still interested, we set off to see the Mona Lisa first. You can tell where the most famous pieces of art are from the swarm of tourists converging and crowding in front. Mum and I had seen the Mona Lisa before in Canberra a few years ago but it is still intriguing how popular she is. Is it her mystery that charms people? Or is it her fame?

What also struck me was the detail inside. Most ceilings are works of art in themselves with amazing paintings and intricate framing defining the scenes. Sometimes I found the ceiling more interesting and beautiful than the artwork below. Every time I walked into a room first look was up, as you will see from the many photos of ceilings, and then I would take in the artwork at eye level.

We also saw the Venus de Milo, beautiful but not sure what makes her more special than all the other statues, will have to research this I guess! Mum also really wanted to see the Cour Khorsabad, enormous human-headed winged bulls from Mesopotamia, one of the oldest cultures in the world. We walked through lots of galleries and saw so much, not bad for a two and a half hour visit, there until closing. We were happy anyway!

We then decided to walk from The Louvre to Galleries Lafayette a must see for me. Full of exquisite jewelry, clothes and bags, it was so beautiful, not to mention the amazing balconies rising four floors and the ceiling in the middle. Very pretty but not really worth going unless you’re going to shop, there are much better places to see around Paris! Our night finished with a walk back to the Champs Elysees for a banana and nutella crepe before heading back to Vincent for the night. We watched to Eiffel Tower sparkle on the hour and then slept reviving for another jam-packed day to come.

Day two had us heading for the Notre Dame, and on Chloe’s recommendation we went straight for the stair climb up to the terrace to walk amongst the gargoyles and take in the view. Luckily we were first in line and had no wait to get up there, and the first of a few stair climbs to come this day was undertaken! The 400 steps were worth it to get a 360 degree view from the center of Paris. The gargoyles are interesting too. Most are worn and look untouched by restoration which I like.

We then went inside the church and I was awestruck, I think this is my favourite church, inside, out of all we’ve seen so far, and there have been a few! So much detail and very gothic and dark, my favourite part is the depth created by the columns and the stained glass windows.

While walking to the Arc de Triomphe we ate our lunch of baked treats from a boulangerie (my favourite Franch work to say) along the way. All so yummy but the best part was the huge chocolate meringue we all shared! We walked up the Champs Elysees again, stopping along the way when we noticed signs for the History of Cartier exhibition on at the Grand Palais, unfortunately closed, but never fear, we went the day after!

The Arc de Triomphe is much larger up close than I thought it would be. The pictures sculpted into the arc tell stories that you can find out about and see close up inside the arc on big screens. Again we walked up the 300 or so steps to the terrace to see the view and I would do it again. It’s very cool seeing the 14 streets that start from the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe and surround it, and spotting the famous landmarks of Paris.

A walk to the Eiffel Tower and the only line we waited in that day, to be expected at one of the most famous tourist destination in the world, and it wasn’t that long to wait! We keep saying we’re so glad we’re seeing most places in Winter because it’s busy now, we can only imagine how busy all these places will be in Summer and peak tourist time!

We planned to be up the Eiffel Tower to see the view in daylight and then witness the city of lights by night. We timed it perfectly as we got up to the very top (by elevator, the steps will have to wait for another time) in perfect time to walk around and get photos from all angles while the sun was still up. It was very windy and rainy that day, though the view was still magnificent, so we retreated to the covered lower level of the top to wait for dark. Mikayla got to see the Eiffel Tower lights turn on, another experience to tick off, and then we went back up the top to get the same photos at night. They don’t call Paris the city of lights for nothing!

On our way down we saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle with lights, as it does every hour, and saw it again later on when walking towards the Pont Alexandre II Bridge that we walked across, much to Mikayla’s excitement. It’s stunning, with statues and gold and beautiful street lights. Paris really is a photographers dream! On the way home we had banana and nutella crepes again.

Day three was Cartier day, diamonds really are a girls best friend! The exhibition was absolutely amazing with so many stunning pieces. The tiaras, diadems and necklaces were my favourite, especially the snake and tiger pieces, but everything was beautiful. A huge collection with pieces from the end of the 18^th century up until now, so close but yet so far! So many diamonds and a perfect way to end our whirlwind trip to Paris! I want to come back in Summer!

Photo can be found on our Facebook page in the album PARIS.

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