London - Paris France

Our tour European Masterpiece

27 Days Around Europe

Our bus left early in the morning for Channel port where we boarded a ferry to cross the English Channel from Dover to Calais, France. As we left the port we could clearly view the spectacular White Cliffs of Dover which form part of the English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. We arrived in Calais, collected our luggage and boarded our bus which took us through the French countryside. Arriving in Paris late afternoon we checked into our Hotel the Quality Paris Orleans. Ashley, Brian, Julie, Diane and her friend and I found the underground or metro and headed for the Eiffel Tower which is located on the Champ de Mars. The tower stands 320 metres tall and is made of iron lattice and was erected in 1889. The tower is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. We waited hours in a queue to go up the Eiffel Tower. Finally we reached the top and the views of Paris were spectacular. At midnight the tower lights began to twinkle it was magical. We continued on the underground to the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. From here we walked down the Champs Elysees to the Louvre. The Musee du Louvre housed in the Louvre Palace is one of the worlds' largest museums and a historic monument. The Louvre Pyramid is a large glass and metal pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. From here we made our way back to our hotel and had a few drinks at a nearby cafe. Very late night...................