An Australian in Paris

Paris at long last! I can't even think of a time where Paris wasn't my number one travel destination. I had a perfect image in my head of what my Parisian holiday would look like - and it was nothing like the reality. I think all of us were a little frustrated by the limited time allotted to the Paris stop. We should have had a walking tour on the afternoon we arrived, dinner in the Latin quarter and then the night to ourselves. Unfortunately due to some oversights by our tour guide and bus driver we didn't arrive until about 8pm. By the time we unloaded the bus, waited for our guide to sort out all the admin for our accommodation and then finally getting into our cabins time was definitely ticking. Only a few of us opted to head into town for dinner - we'd lost most of the afternoon but we sure as hell were going to make the most of our time in Paris, regardless of the fact that we were pretty much all walking dead by this stage of the tour. It was definitely worth it; having dinner with a great group of people in Paris was definitely a highlight of the trip for me.

The next day was full on, to say the least. We managed to squeeze in Versailles, the Louvre, two tower visits, dinner and an unsuccessful trip to the Père Lachaise Cemetery (it was closed by the time we got there). It was a long and freeeeeezing cold day but with such limited time there was no other way to do it. Didn't phase me too much that I missed out on quite a few things because it will not the last time I visit.

Avignon

For the comparatively small amount of time we spent in Avignon, I absolutely loved it. It is such a pretty little town, set on the bank of the river Rhone. While I somewhat lamented the abundance of cobblestones (I'm a notorious ankle-roller), it is a very picturesque place and is one of the few places in France I could see myself living. I don't have a lot to say other than that because we really didn't do much here. We got to our campsite in the late arvo and then headed to dinner. The next morning we left first thing. Short but sweet.

It's not always nice in Nice.

After finally finding our hostel hidden away in the side of a hill, we finally arrived in Nice. We stayed in for the night in an attempt to catch up on some desperately needed sleep. Our plan for the following day was to bus it over to Monaco and then come back and spend the afternoon in Nice.

We didn't quite stick to our plan, spending most the day in Monaco. Not suprising why when you see the photos. The weather was incredible!! Ok, it was just a really nice day but compared the miserablness that had followed us the rest of the trip, it was an opportunity not to be missed. However, nothing lasts forever and by the time we got back to Nice in the late afternoon the gloriousness of Monaco was long gone to be replaced with grey skeys and an icy wind. Lucky our surroundings were beautiful or we would have been rather miserable.

Nice 'beach' (pebbles do not a beach make)

Parlez-vous francais?

After close to a week back in the real world it is probably about time I started posting about my European adventure as a means of explaining my three week absence from this here bloggy blog. So, without any more convoluted sentences, I shall begin.

Over the Easter/mid-semester holidays I partook in a ridiculous coach tour around Europe. We covered 7 countries in 15 days. Ridiculous. I met some seriously fantastic people and saw some unbelievable things. I'm also wrecked and now recovering from my fourth bout of sickness since being in the northern hemisphere.

Before the tour started, a series of unfortunate and unforeseeable events led to me doing some travel, of the southern France kind, by myself for a few days. I was in Nimes for 3 nights and Marseille for one. And this is what I saw...

My first day in Nimes I pretty much just walked around the city. It really is very tiny. It is also quite a a strange town, with Roman ruins just popping up out of nowhere. Although I really enjoyed my time there, 3 days was sufficient.

Maison Carree

Carved details on the Maison Carree

Nimes Amphitheatre

I spent a good few hours wandering around the amphitheatre. It is in such good condition that you can actually climb all the way to the top - the perfect place to stop for lunch and admire the panoramic view of Nimes.

I didn't know what this structure was when I stumbled upon it. Turns out it is the remains of an aqueduct.   

My second day was spent meandering through the Jardins de la Fontaine. I was really looking forward to this as I'd driven past it when I first arrived. I decided that, since the day was shaping up to be a hot one, I would head straight for the Tour Magne which is conveniently located at the top of quite a steep hill behind the fountain garden. The ascent took the better part of 45 minutes but it was worth it.

Tour Magne (The Great Tower)

The view from the top of the tower

Navy stripes - such a French cliche

After taking in the rather lovely view I headed back down to the gardens for a proper look at the statues and fountains.

The last day of my little adventure was spent in Marseille. I really only had an afternoon and an evening here as my flight to Amsterdam was booked for a hideously uncivilised hour the following morning. I had an expectation of what Nimes was going to be like, but I headed to Marseille with no expectations beyond knowing that it is a port side city. I spent the afternoon just walking around, taking in the hustle and bustle of the city.  

The strange paradox of these two vastly different buildings next to each other was fairly typical of both Nimes and Marseille

I'm glad I got the chance to do some travel by myself, regardless of the fact that I spent the week before I left freaking out about it. It wasn't nearly as daunting as I anticipated but I'm in rush to do it again - everything is more fun if you have someone to share it with.

So from Marseille I jumped on a plane to Amsterdam, ready to start a coach tour on the 2nd April. Stay tuned for a multitude of posts documenting 7 countries in 15 days.