Over the Christmas break, I spent a couple of days in Paris with my sister who was visiting from the UK. I've been to Paris many times before, but I never get tired of it.
Kath arrived at Paris Nord on the EuroStar early in the afternoon on the 23rd and after a late lunch, we went straight to the Eiffel Tower. I've been up many times, but Kath had never made it to the top and wanted to challenge herself... and she made it!
Going up the Tower in Daylight
One of the Views from the Top
The Tower at Night
The next day was Christmas eve, and so we decided to do something really Christmasy: visit the Paris Catacombes, a consecrated former stone quarry that houses the skeletons of six million former residents of Paris. The bodies were moved there after the nieghbourhood cemertary filled up and began causing disease.
Stop! This is the Kingdom of the Dead
Endless Skulls and Bones
...and more skulls.
After the catacombes, we visited Sacré-Cœur, a beautiful hill-top church that was just 10 minutes from our hotel. There was a nice Christmas market on and a Christmas Eve mass. I think that the views from Sacré-Cœur are even better than those from the Eiffel Tower.
Sacré-Cœur Seen from Below
Looking out Over the City
...and towards the Eiffel Tower.
One of the great things about bieng in Leuven is that Paris is just 90 minutes away by train; I can't wait to go back.
