This is our last day in Paris. The last few days we have celebrated Stelle's 20th birthday, visited the inside of Notre Dame, visited Invalides which is a war museum & also has sections dedicated to Napolean & Charles De Gaulle both who seem pretty famous in this part of the world & last night saw the ballet at Opera Garnier. Estelle's birthday we had breakfast at a cafe in the beautiful Marais area & she then went off to see to the children. We ...

Today we went to Montmartre, which we had previously visited. We went back to wander the shops, view the art work & wish we could bring some of it home! Estelle stayed last night, well half of it anyway, as she went out until the wee hours with her au pair friends. She's made some great friends & will have many contacts from many countries to keep in touch with. This pm we went to Estelle's family for a birthday party for Estelle. We had a beautiful cho...

Another mild day. A local had said we are so lucky it is usually much cooler. Estelle & I went to the Louvre only to find her secret side entrance closed today. She said she couldn't join the queue at the main entrance having always got in without queuing! We decided to go to Musee D'Orsay instead. Great move, minimal queue, incredible building which was an old train station & some outstanding artwork & sculptures. Unfortunately it was not permitte...

We have enjoyed a couple of days wandering through the Marais & St Germain Des Pres areas with their cafes, churches, parks & shops. It's great just sitting in the parks & imagining that for a short time you live there! Estelle has been able to do this for the past 6mths. Thursday we had afternoon tea at the famous Angelinas. We also visited Lafayette which is a famous store with an amazing interior. No purchases but worth a look at the interior. Y...

Tuesday we went walking to the Latin Quarter to climb the Paris Pantheon. Estelle had recently climbed it & felt it gave the best view of Paris. When we arrived there was a notice to say the viewing area was closed for the winter as of Tues. Went for a stroll in the beautiful Luxembourg gardens. The autumn trees were just past their best however still a gorgeous spot.It was very strange when we first set off mid am Tues, the streets were empty. It was a bank ...