Farewell to Zurich, and hello gay Paris

So our last day in Zurich dawned wet and shitty … probably not a huge surprise after the downpour the night before.  Stowed our luggage at the hotel and proceeded to wander fairly aimlessly around the downtown area for a few hours – had plans for more sightseeing around the lake and old town but the conditions really were pretty average so we were content with shopping, eating and honing our rain avoidance techniques.

Despite the dodgy weather, I liked Zurich and the surrounding areas (from the relatively small amount I saw) – a very attractive place, well worth a visit for a few days, and actually not as expensive as expected to be honest.

The flight to Paris was as fun-filled, action packed and exciting as any hour long flight can be, and we arrived early evening.  Taxiing into the city giving us a chance to practice our French (well, gave Bec a chance to use her good conversational French, and me to chip in with the (very) odd word or phrase that seemed appropriate – and probably wasn’t.  Still, the guy didn’t throw us out of the cab so I don’t think I insulted his mother or anything.  Or he was just too polite to say.)

In any case, we arrived outside our apartment in the Marais district safe and sound (3rd arrondissement for those who care, and apparently the gay centre of gay Paris.  Well I guess there have been some suspiciously well-presented young men wandering around the neighbourhood but hey, it’s Paris – you kind of expect it…).    Met up with Tim (a friend of Bec’s who is joining us for the Paris leg of the trip) and had some cheese and red wine while we figured out what to do next (are you sensing a theme yet?  Burp…).

The end result of the ‘what to do next’ conversation was a wander down and along the Seine (we’re very close, probably only a 10 minute walk away) and past landmark after landmark as far as the grounds of the Louvre.  Didn’t have my camera with me so no photos, but Paris is a spectacular city to wander round at night – just stunning architecture at every turn (and stunning people as well, of course…).  Back home via a bar (well, you just have to sit and people watch over a drink when you’re in Paris) and preparation for a rousing 6 hours of sleep before starting the sightseeing all over again…