My holiday officially started when I arrived in Paris this morning. The flight was exceptionally early in the morning and partially because of that today ended early. By early I mean about 6.30pm. I had about 2 hours sleep last night with all the packing I had to do, coupled with the time I had to get up this morning.

Even though my first day in Paris ended up with me falling asleep in my hotel room earlier than I’d liked it wasn’t a wasted day. I arrived to check into my hotel a little too early, so my room wasn’t ready and wasn’t going to be ready until 1.30pm, and it was only 11am. With two hours to kill before I could get into my room, I left my bags at the hotel and went for a walk to familiarise myself with the surrounding area, and gather information for the rest of my stay here.

I found a few excellent little cafe’s and a quiet park to sit in and relax for a little while. It also gave me the chance to try to learn some French, which was an little issue I had managed to ignore. I had my camera with me so I managed to get a couple of shots I’m happy with and I’ll post them later.

After my initial exploring, I checked into the hotel, gathered a few of the maps I had acquired and decided to walk to the Arc de Triomphe. I’ve heard from everyone who’s been here, that the Metro service is great, I made the decision this morning with my initial exploring to see the city on foot instead of public transport.

There were a few wrong turnings and I got myself totally lost at one point but eventually I found my way to the Arc. The thing is huge. It looms over you and I think that if there wasn’t so much space around it it would be a very intimidating monument. The space around it is just right though as it lets the Arc fit into the surrounding area and it’s size doesn’t seem out of place. The statues and designs on the Arc are stunning and you can’t stop yourself standing there transfixed by it.

After I’d had a look at it from every angle I could think of I had another look at the map and decided to walk to the Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower. The Trocadéro is another beautiful and imposing building, split into two separate halves with an area filled with tours, and food stalls. It is at the top of a hill overlooking the Seine and it should dominate it’s skyline. It unfortunately has a pretty neighbour that gets all the attention, and after today I understand why. When you walk between the two halves of the Trocadéro, you are greeted with by the Eiffel Tower in all it’s glory. It towers over everything around it and when viewed from the Trocadéro you have the perfect angle to see the gardens behind it framed between it’s giant legs. When I saw it I just stood there, dumbstruck by the scene. Photo’s and images on TV truly don’t do the Eiffel Tower justice. It’s remarkable.

I wandered over to it, completely in awe, grabbed an ice cream and just stood and stared at it for a little while. I was getting hungry so I walked around and found a cafe to grab something to eat and a beer, and only when I sat down did I realise how sore my feet and legs were. I had walked for hours.

Feeling refreshed after I had eaten I made the long walk back to the hotel. I had intended to relax for an hour and then go out and find a nearby cafe for a couple of beers and to watch the world go by. Unfortunately the walk and the early start to my day informed my body that it needed a nap. So before I knew it I had fallen asleep.

I’m glad I had the nap now, since I’m still a little tired but nowhere near as tired as I would have been if I’d stayed out. My time in Paris isn’t about partying and drinking to all hours, it’s about recharging my batteries and relaxing before I visit Lucy in Madrid and before the inevitable liver abuse that’s going to ensue in Cyprus at the wedding.

Tomorrow should be a full and rewarding day. I’m taking my camera with me and I’m going to get some shots of everything I saw today, plus I’m going to walk along the banks of the Seine and go to see the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Louvre I leave till Monday.