Honeymoon

This is a somewhat unexpected post for me as until the wedding day I didn't even realise we were having a honeymoon! Gareth had been planning a honeymoon to Paris for some time without my knowing and revealed it at the end of the wedding day. I was totally knocked away as Gareth is not normally the best at keeping surprises! So it was quite a manic packing session the day after the wedding as the flights were that afternoon - I ran out of socks during the trip as most of them were still drying at home on the radiator!
On the first couple of days we got the stereotypical tourist trips out of the way and went to the top of the Eiffel Tower (although I think we spent more time queing than actually on the Tower itself), saw the Arc de Triomphe after walking through Champs-Elysees (we couldn't believe that a beer and an orange juice cost £10!). We also saw Notre Dame Cathedral, the outside of the Louvre (we didn't have time to properly enjoy the art so didn't go inside - apparently it takes 9 months to see everything allowing 5 minutes per piece).
The highlight of our trip was seeing the Catacombes. While we can't say that we enjoyed it as such, it was very atomospheric and illuminating.

Our favourite area of Paris was the Latin Quartre, where we saw an old ampitheatre and just generally enjoyed the ambience (apparently the area is popular with students and down-and-outs!).

Gareth in front of the Eiffel Tower

At the top of the Eiffel Tower


Gareth looking for the Arc de Triomphe

The Catacombes - rows of skulls and femurs

We also enjoyed several pastries and crepes from the stalls scattered around Montparnasse (the street our hotel was on). Dangerously, our favourite place was just 2 mins from the hotel! We were also fortunate to be about 15 mins walk away from the Jardin de Luxemburg, which had some nice if not strange artwork throughout the grounds!

Weird art in the Jardin de Luxemburg

We ate in several restaurants, although we returned to Le Dix Vins for a second meal there as the food was simply fantastic. A lovely Irish couple who we'd only just met even bought us a glass of champagne when they found out we were on honeymoon.

It was a fantastic honeymoon, even the grumpy nightporter, and the dubious security of the hotel didn't dampen our enjoyment.