We left the hotel very early as we were scheduled to attend a demonstration at a perfumery. We learnt about fragrances and flowers and scents. I am not much of a wearer but I don’t know, there was just something about those scents that enticed me to buy two small bottles of perfume for myself.
We walked our way to the Louvre where TM showed us a secret entrance. The queue was not as long as the obvious entrance but we still spent an hour waiting just to get in. And the place was packed! It felt like being in a mall looking for sales on Christmas Eve. The only thing that we went straight for was the Mona Lisa. It was showcased in a cordoned area where flash photography was not allowed. The crowd was simply too much so after we’ve taken our souvenir photo, we left the Louvre.
 |
| the ever smiling Mona Lisa |
We made our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral…but after seeing the endless queue, we decided not to go in and just take our pictures from outside.
 |
| The crowd at Notre Dame Cathedral |
We got lunch at a nearby restaurant and sampled the crepe and escargot. Delicious! Never had I been so full with so little food. Or at least, I thought it was little, compared to what I was eating in Italy.
We decided to make our way to the Eiffel Tower again because we wanted to go up. What a disappointment to find out the queue was even longer than the one at Notre Dame. I must say that the tower did not look exciting during the day. I vowed to return the next day.
 |
| The gloomy Eiffel Tower that day |
So we walked some more and found ourselves near the Arc de Triomphe. Queues were again as long as your eyes could see. We crossed over to the Arc and did some photo shoot session there. The Arc commemorates all the soldiers who fought and died during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
 |
| Arc de Triomphe in the middle of the traffic circle |
As the Champs Elysees was near enough, we walked through the shops although they were simply too rich for our blood. It was a nice walk though. We got to see branded shops one after the other.
 |
| The Moulin Rouge |
After that, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our evening out that night. We were scheduled to have dinner at the Moulin Rouge and catch a show. No photography allowed inside the place. We were asked to check in our coats and cameras before going in. While we were having our dinner, we were being sung to by some cabaret singers. It was overall a very casual yet elegant atmosphere. And then at 9pm, the show promptly started. Personally I’ve never seen so many tall performers. The dancers looked abnormally tall. Or I was just feeling abnormally short then. Anyway, the production was well-prepared and the costumes were splendid. I thought the dinner and show cost an arm and a leg. It was priced at EUR137 by Contiki. I suppose it would have been much more because I saw that the actual price was EUR180 at the door. So it was a good deal.
We finished the night off at a nearby bar and then we went back to the hotel.
