Ruff n Rinse

Happy New Year Ruffians! It’s a wet start to the New Year, but it’s what we need! May God bless you all this year with good health and close relationships. New year for me means, new thought processes, new dreams, new routines! I pray that you have had a wonderful start to the year, and will see you soon enough to do our catch ups x

A wandering off to Mont Martre yesterday and then a wander back home. The weather is cold, but the sights are amazing. We started off with blue skies and by the time we decided to leave Mont Martre, it was cloudy. Mont Martre is full of artworks, there were people getting caricatures done, as well as one guy actually cutting out of paper the shape of your face sideways, which was pretty amazing to see! By the time we got back to our area Le Defense, there was ice on the ground and people were sliding all over it as if they were at the snowfields 😂 The things you hear about France and how dirty it is etc, yes there is a bit of rubbish around, and some dog droppings, and possibly even wee, whether it is from animal or human, I cannot tell, but all in all, it is not exactly what I thought it would be like. They have cleaners walking up and down streets picking up rubbish from where the wind has blown it, as it is mainly serviettes, paper. The odd can or bottle is on the ground, but they have lots of bins, and lots of seating around. The walking in between the shopping areas has humongous walkways. On the road, the cars have their lanes, but also the bikes. They have lights especially for bicycles to use to stop as well as the cars, as they look after the pedestrians. Also, the French people have been so welcoming, especially when you walk in saying ‘Bonjour’, the say it back and then start chatting away in French, for me to say straight away ‘Australian’, then they say ‘aah, English is better then?’, and I laugh and say ‘yes please’. They love that we are from Australia, because they realise how far we have come to visit them. It has been mentioned a few times on how far away we are from them 😂 It has been an amazing walking holiday. We’ve walked on average 20km a day. Everything is close to each other to see stuff (like 4 km or so). We have used the subway on average once a day. The only day where it went to -7 degrees and we were out all day and some of the night, Jazz was shivering so badly that she hit her tongue except she didn’t get sick like me the next day. I was not well the next day at all, so it was a quiet day that day 😂 but overall it has been an extremely enjoyable holiday! Today we’re off to Versailles. We’ll be taking the subway to get there and more than likely walk back until we don’t want to anymore 😂 it’s the only way to see Paris! 😊

Went to the Zoo yesterday. Saw so many different animals that we haven’t seen in other zoos like the Giant Anteater, an Armadillo, small stubby crocodile and Manatees including a baby! The animals all looked healthy and happy, moving around even though it was ‘feels like’ -7 in the morning 😂 all rugged up we were 😉

Yesterday’s trip….they call us ‘Fláneurs’ which means a ‘stroller’ so we stroll around Paris 😁 I call it wandering 😂 and maybe getting lost here and there, getting the steps up by going back and forth to get the right path, but we are getting better 😂 especially finding our hotel from the Subway 😂 there are lots of dogs around walking with their owners into any store even the ‘fancier’ shops. It’s amazing to see. Beagles I find are the more common pet, but I did see a couple of Shibu Inu’s yesterday and a few Cavoodles. Don’t they just have the prance on them 😂 Lots of statues everywhere which I love to see. Went to Les Invalides, which is a history military museum. It was good except all mainly in French so just seeing pictures and items of WW2 though I did have Mathieu (the father of my student that I looked after this year) to help me understand it. Saw Napoleon’s tomb and his Uncle Joseph’s tomb. The museum was quite good and well worth visiting. Very sad though to what happened from the French side of things. Then off to the river cruise and afterwards had a little snack, because dinner is supposed to be extra late 😂 so we had our first crepe and a little hot chocolate. Very yummy!

Still from yesterday. It feels so surreal to be here. We see a lot of Paris on movies etc and then actually walking around it all, it’s so easy. Have seen military roaming around the Eiffel Tower and some shops. You have to get your bag checked when you walk into certain places like fancy shopping centres, Disneyland obviously and even the Christmas Markets. But it doesn’t affect anything. The food is amazing! The people are gear a friendly and help you out with your French. Last night we were at the subway to get home as we walked all day and instead of walking 6k back to our hotel, decided on a 12 minute subway ride for 2€50, much better 😂 anyway we got into the subway and a train turned up. The sign said 3 minutes but I decided to ask someone in the train if it was going to Le Défence (I pronounced it like Aussies do - think dee fence) so the lady on the train was trying to work out what I was saying and the bells for the door were saying that the doors would close then she realised why I meant and hurried us inside the train before the doors closed on us cause we were standing in the doorway itself 😂. Then she proceeded to tell me that she didn’t understand until it went in her head the spelling of it and then she clarified it for me. So it’s pronounced like La Deefawnce. We had a good laugh over that but I quickly picked up the way to say it and she said that I had it pronounced properly! Another French word to my collection 😂😂😂 which is not many but it is going up!

A small idea of our day yesterday. The buildings are so wonderful to see. It is a very pretty place with the old style buildings. Went to a few places yesterday and ended up at a Christmas Markets on the other side of the Eiffel Tower. Stayed until the Eiffel Tower was about to start its first round of twinkling lights at 6pm for 5 minutes every hour till 11pm.

Disneyland was something special here in Paris! Had a great time. There till dark which really wasn’t that late 😂 the sun rises around 8:40am and goes down just after 4:30-5pm, and having a rainy day makes it darker even earlier, but it was a great day!