The weather forecast was good for the next few days so we decided to do a detour to Paris. Using the ACSI Card (this is a card that give you discounts on campsites out of season) I found a Maisons-Laffitte, a campsite just outside Paris. We booked three nights so we would have two full days in Paris.
The site was on the banks of the Seine and had a grocery store, restaurant, shower block and a swimming pool, although we didn’t use any of the facilities.
I was surprised at how noisy it was. Boats were going up and down the river all night, you could hear the noise from the nearby road, Planes flew over head. You could hear the trains and they were doing work on one of the bridges over the river all night.
On the plus side, it was only a 10 minute walk to the train station where you caught the A line into Paris 20 minutes away.
On the first day our plan was to go up the Eiffel Tower. So we headed off to the station after breakfast. Armed with a map we got off at Charles de Gaulle Etoile and jumped on a bus. We had calculated that it was seven stops to the Eiffel Tower but after seven stops we still couldn’t see it. We then realised we had gone the wrong way! We jumped off at the next stop, crossed the road, and got back on the number 30 in the opposite direction.
We eventually arrived and as we hadn’t been able to book tickets on line, we joined the queue. The first check we had to show our Covid Health Pass, after that we queued for tickets. We then had to queue for the lift to take us up to the 1st level.
We spent around half an hour on this level, the views of the city were amazing.
Then we took the lift up to the top platform which is 280 meters high. At this level there is a cage around the top which impairs the view slightly but is definitely worth going this high. You could see the mist coming in over the City which made it quite eerie.
After dinner we headed back to Maison-Lafitte feeling exhilarated. Très romantique!
Day 2. Started out exactly as we planned with a leisurely breakfast of croissants and coffee in the van. Arrived just in time for lunch at the Place de Concord. Light lunch of a baguette and coffee. Birds twittering around us, ducks chasing each other round the pond, quite a spectacle.
We finished our coffees and headed to Le Louvre. Hard to believe it was the middle of October. The warmth of the sun was lovely as we admired the architecture around us. So much so that we decided to skip going into the museum itself and head along the Seine to view Notre Dame.
Sitting in a cafe enjoying a glass of wine overlooking one of the icons of Paris is quite an experience. We had arranged to meetup with an old friend of Donald’s, John, after he finished work and what better place than Notre Dame.
It was nice to catch up but eventually we had to say our goodbyes. Until next time.
Finale was dinner at, La Coupole. As recommended by John. One of the nicest meals we’ve had in a very long time.
What a fantastic way to end our visit to Paris.
Mileage – 92
Route -D153/A16
Campsite – Maisons-Laffitte
Cost – €52.14 for 3 nights with EHU
