Day 153 to 155 - 2nd to 4th April - Paris

Point of departure: Brassioux

Point of arrival : Paris

Accommodation: Etap Hotel, Accor hotels

Km travelled today: 275km Cum: 27 347km (gravel 0km cum 4 649km)

Countries so far: 13/16

Where to next? Calais, Dover & London

No of photos: 46 (cum 6 939)

How about Easter in Paris? Sounds good to us… Paris here we come! It seemed surreal to be driving into Paris with the Beast and, he certainly had Parisian heads turning.

We love Paris in the spring… 4 degrees and rain, and similar forecast for the entire Easter weekend. C'est la vie!

As predicted today (Saturday) dawned dull, overcast and wet, so we went shopping. In view of the weather we thought being under cover would be a good idea so we started at Les Halles and then the adjacent Rue de Rivoli. Not too much damage done! After lunch the weather cleared slightly so we walked to the Place de la Concorde ducking into shops along the way but especially the WH Smith with its English language books. Marina needed a book to read. Arriving at Place de la Concorde we viewed the Obelisque de Louksor (Egyptian obelisk), one of two at Luxor Temple that was a gift to the French by the Egyptian king in 1836. Place de la Concorde was designed in 1755 and completed over a period of 20 years. This was also the stage for the guillotine for the execution of King Louis XVI on 21 January 1793

Then a stroll up the Champs Elysees and a crepe like only the French can make them. With showers falling again, we headed for le Metro and back to the hotel where the Beast had enjoyed a peaceful day overlooking the River Seine.

Happy Easter! Easter Sunday dawned cold, overcast and wet but clear enough to give us confidence that we might get our photo with the Beast at the Eiffel Tower, so we went and we did. The Eiffel Tower weighing in at 7 000 tonnes and a height of 321m is Paris' most famous symbol.Construction was completed in March 1889 and it took 26 months to build (it has over 2,5 million rivets).

Then onto the Place de la Concorde where against all odds, we were able to find a parking spot for the Beast and after a couple of more photos, continued our promenade of the Avenue des Champs Elysees right up to the Arc. The Arc de Triomphe in the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle is known as the Etoile (Star). The sculpture on the Arc is known as the "Marseillaise" depicting volunteers who went off to defend France from the invading Prussians in 1792.

The weather varied between warm spring sunshine and cold, wind driven hail! A combination of the weather and general fatigue meant that we did not get to do and see as much as we would have liked (althought our 1991 visit we did get to see quite a bit), but it still leaves space for the next visit.

Next stop… London!