Anky and I decided to go on a trip to the capital of France. We had to miss out on the first two days of the carnival in Limburg, but that is a small price to pay for the experience of one of the most lively cities in Europe.

The trip started on Friday at 4 in the morning. We had to be in Heerlen by 6 a.m. to catch the bus that would bring us to Eindhoven. The company we traveled with always starts from Eindhoven. Eindhoven is a one hour drive from Heerlen and is in exactly the opposite direction of the way to Paris. On top of that we had to collect people in Sittard, Weert, Venlo and Helmond, increasing the trip with another 2 hours! Normally we could be in Paris in just under 7 hours from our hometown, but now it took us almost 12 hours!

But we finally managed to get into the city at five in the afternoon. There was almost no traffic on the périphérique, the traffic artery around the city, so we had no troubles getting into the maze of one way roads in the city center.

The bus driver first dropped us off before the Moulin Rouge so we would be able to get us some dinner. We went to the first McDonalds we encountered and discovered that wherever you go, the Big Mac tastes exactly the same.

After dinner we headed for Pont Neuf for a boat trip over the river Seine. This gave me the opportunity to shoot some night shots of the Tour d'Eiffel or Eiffel Tower.

After a good sleep in our hotel in a small satellite town of Paris, we were ready to go to Versailles Palace, residence of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Unfortunately it was winter, so the gardens were mostly empty, but still impressive.

The rest of the day we were allowed to explore Paris on our own. We started at the Sacre Coeur. Situated on a hill, you have a great view of Paris. Great spot to take a panorama picture too! Behind the Sacre Coeur you can find the so called Painter's Square where dozens of painter gather to paint or draw the surroundings or a portrait of tourists. One of the artists drew a great portrait of Anky. He earned 25 Euro in just 15 minutes.

We tried to reach the Champs Elysées, but we didn't have enough time. The great number of shops really slowed us (Anky) down. But hey, Anky bought a really nice pair of trousers.

Our day ended at the Opera where the bus awaited our arrival. We got a tour through the city before we returned to our hotel.

The last day we finished our city-trip with a tour-on-foot through the oldest part of Paris, the City Island. We where guided by a dutch guide and got to see the Pantheon, the Notre Dame and the oldest cafe in Paris where the first coffee of France was being served. We also saw the shop where the first Guilotine was built. At noon we got back into the bus and drove back to the Netherlands. Three days is way too short to really see this magnificent city in full. Maybe I should rent a room for six months next year...