Paris and Liverpool - a bit of a contrast.

One thing I learned in my job is that if I am going to take time off best take a whole week. I work on shows that run every week for the most part, in taking a week off I just skip a week and start all over again in the following week. My job is a bit like the movie Groundhog Day but lasts a week rather than a day. If I take a day then I usually end up having to make up that work on the other days left, not really the point in taking a day off.  So I booked a week off the beginning of October and spent part of it in Liverpool and part in Paris (now there is contrast for you!).

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool I really liked, there was a good vibe, a nice mix of old and new downtown area was fairly compact so good for wandering around. The night life seems good, I think it would be a fun night out with a bunch of friends. I went to Alma de Cuba Saturday night a gorgeous bar in a former catholic church where at 11pm Friday and Saturday nights they have Brazilian dancers (and a petal drop). Great atmosphere, yummy cocktails, and such fun.

This is the 12 room hotel I stayed in called Parr Street Hotel, it has 3 studios on premise, a bar and 12 rooms. I would recommend it, good location, and a nice change to large hotels.

Of course being a Beatles fan I did the tour and spent some time at the Cavern Club, which was lots of fun singing along to Beatles tunes.

Liverpool surprised me with how modern it was. The old buildings down on the water are also nicely done up, full of shops, restaurants and cafes in the old warehouses. Liverpool has a good mix of the old and new going on.

This is part of a park which is amongst the shopping above (it is actually the roof)

PARIS

Paris, it was a bit what I was expecting, a large city with some parts more French than others. I am not a fan of big cities when travelling now that I live in one myself. It was still exciting after all my travels to see the Eiffel tower and experience the Eurostar.

The Eurostar, gets you to Paris in just over 2 hours. It was amazing, you could really feel the power and speed of the train. The only way to travel, so much better than dealing with airports.  And Kings Cross being only 15 minutes from the flat makes it even easier.

Obligatory shot with the Eiffel tower. In front of me were lots of men selling miniature versions of the tower (10 key chains for 10EUR anyone?) It was a bit surreal seeing it in person.

French are masters of design and there were fantastic houses and surprises around most corners. Would love to see the inside of these places.

The sun did come out. It ended up being far to warm for the clothes I packed for the rest of the trip, which was a bonus.

Part of the Louvre. I didn't attempt it this time around it is enormous.

After I arrived, I got rid of my bags, then off to my city tour via Segway, it may be a bit geeky but they look like such fun, and it turns out they are. A great way to cover a lot of ground with out tiring your feet out as well.

Musee d'Orsay, an old train station beautifully done up as an art Museum.

One of the eating areas in the Museum, I loved the open clock window.

The Museum's displays were fanatic, nothing in the galleries to distract from the art.

Loved this door down the ally behind a first door.

A closer look.

Sacre Coeur is at the highest point in Paris so all those sitting on the steps are overlooking the city, and watching buskers, a fantastic place to be on a warm evening.  You can take a funicular up but I went hard core and hiked it. After walking back down I explored the area Montmartre for a bit.  It is a fantastic little neighbourhood, sort of the French version of Notting Hill and like Notting Hill has become famous and prices have gone up due to movies like Amelie. It has also been popular with artists such as Salvador Dali, Monet, van Gough, and Picasso.

After wandering Montmartre for a bit, I found a table outside a nice looking, very French style, restaurant to have dinner. I ordered steak tartare and the waitress was kind enough to remind me it was raw (I knew there was something about it I should be remembering!) I stuck with it though and it was pretty good.  While finishing up a man asked if he could share the table with me and we got to talking, it turned out he was a location manager, he does what used to be my dream job (location scout).  It was a great ending to the day, meeting a real French person randomly. It is encounters like that which makes travelling on your own fun. 

Loving the Metro signs.