Family Trip to London and Paris 3/28 to 4/6/02

By Tab Hauser

 

Left NY 3/28/02 on American Airlines 777 at 8:30AM with carry on luggage and arrived British Time 8:30PM which was 2:30 PM N.Y. time. Dave Stubbs our guide for Sunday and Monday picked us up and for 55 Pounds and we were at May Fayre house in May Fair 45 minutes later. 

May Fayre House is nice apartment building with front desk guard.  We had a large flat with 2BR, 2 bath, Living Room, small Kitchen and cable T.V.  (British, CNN, Nickelodeon type shows, Cartoon Network and 15 channels of Arab stations to name some.)  Our exact flat was not available so we stayed in different one done the hall until the next day. No big deal, but we could not unpack like we wanted to. May Fayre house is located on a pretty and quiet street with connecting homes from the mid 1700’s. It is down the block from the Hilton which is across from Hyde Park. It is also above the Shepard’s Pub.

 

Friday- 1st day: we catch the ”Original Bus Tour” across from the Hilton.  This is a guided double decker bus with the roof off for open air viewing. The guide stays on top and points out important places along the route (along with a few dumb jokes).  We passed through most of the famous sites of London from Marble Arch, past Buckingham Palace and the Royal Tennis Court, Parliament and over the Thames River a couple of times.  You can get out at any of these places but we chose to exit off the bus at the foot of the “Tower Bridge”. This is basically a copy of the London Bridge now sitting in Arizona but build in 1894.  The walk across showed a view of the WW II British Destroyer Belfast and the Tower of London which is where we headed for.   (Maureen and the Kids did not want to take a tour of the Bridge or go up and walk across the upper walkway).

 

We got to the Tower of London and avoided the long lines (ques  as the locals call it) by buying tickets at the station. After a quick ice cream break we entered the Tower which was packed with people because it was Holiday time for the Brits also.  We watched the end of what looked like a mid 1600’s style militia giving a demo of old rifles and got on a tour with the Yeoman after.  These men are dressed in Red uniforms and are also called Beefeaters.  Our tour was a little large but we shuffled about as he discussed the different royalty that lived here and were killed here as well as what the different towers and gates were used for.  We walked around the grounds with him and then finished up in the little Church inside.  The Tower is locked down at 10:07 and completely closed at midnight in what is called the “Key Ceremony”. (see below on the Key Ceremony we took part in)  There is even a Doctor on the premises incase of a mid night emergency.  This was one of the original palaces / forts of the earliest Royals.  The Yeoman on the tour as Daniel points out was very found of the word executions and really emphasized it. It seems Kings were always giving the orders to give executions of people around them including many of their wife’s for various reasons.  He also described how 2 boy princes were murdered by what was possibly a jealous uncle of theirs so he could get the thrown but nothing was proven. The bodies were found close to 150 years later in a remote part of the castle that was unearthed.  Kings also executed people for crossing them.  Executions or beheadings were down in the Tower grounds if you were royalty or an heir to some Duke or Lord. The commoners were beheaded outside the grounds with their heads put on steaks and hung on the bridge for all to see.

 

Anyway, after the tour we stood on line to see the Crown Jewels.  There were lots of crowns with lots of diamonds.  There were various other jeweled objects like the scepter and mace. One scepter had a diamond a little smaller than a ping-pong ball!  There were also very large silver and gold and jeweled chalices and plates and goblets.

 

After the tour we hopped back on the bus to make our way to the Globe Theatre.  Melissa asked to see this as she is studying Shakespeare.  First we had to hunt down lunch.  Our first target was the old and famous pub, the Anchor Inn. Shakespeare downed a pint and meal here among other famous people.  This was at the same bus stop as the Globe but in the opposite direction. The Anchor was being renovated so it was closed.  We then continued up (very hungry) and found another pub about 1/8 mile past the “Clink” prison exhibit but they ran out of food when we sat down. (It was Good Friday and one of the nicest days of the years so everyone was out enjoying the day and eating!)  I pulled out my guide book and found a 350 year old Pub called The George.  We had Fish & but no chips (ran out) and chili and made our way back. (I had a 1/2 pint of hard cider on tap as Britain is famous for this as well as its Bitter)

 

We got to the Globe about an hour before closing and walked around the exhibit hall before going on the tour. The tour guide told us the Globe was a few hundred yards from the exact spot of the original. It was an American Actor in the late 40’s that was walking around that part of London looking for any remains of the theatre and only came across a plaque that stated the Globe was once in there.  He thought it wrong that Britain’s most famous writer and the theatre he had them worked in to be gone so he made it a life long commitment to build it again.

 

The tour guide took 30 of us inside the theatre.  It is small but amazing. They used the same floor which was made of ground hazelnut shells & concrete as the original. The wood came from the same types of trees donated from all over England and the outside had that tutor look it was famous for.  There is no roof cover the center which means no performances in the winter months.  They will perform in the rain and the gift shop sells ponchos for “groundlings” who pay less to see the show but must stand in the center and watch it. In Shakespeare’s days it would have cost 1 penny for the standing area directly in front of the stage, 2 pennies for the sheltered seats and a few more for the area behind the stage and slightly above it. This was the place to be seen by all.  In the old days the show would not be played at night, but these days there are night performances.  It is also the only roof in all of London that is allowed to be thatched. Thatched roofs in London were banned after the great fire in the mid 1600’s.

 

After this tour it was ice cream while taking a very pretty walk along the Thames from the Globe to the Millennium Wheel or the bridge by Parliament.  This must have been about 2 miles.  We passed under all of London’s bridges, stopped at a book sale and again at the wheel. The wheel we all decided is one the ugliest things on the river. It seems many have said the same thing.  We all decided to skip this combination cable car – ferrous wheel and made our way back the May Fayre house.

We took our first taxi as we realized the tour buses were not running frequently.  Dinner that night was an Indian place called Raja. Non of us really liked the food that Maureen had found memories of on her last trip so walked into So Ho and found another place to snack in.  All in all, it was a long and good first day in London.

 

Saturday we got up and headed to the Original Bus again. We had to get there before 9:56 AM as the tickets we bought yesterday were good 24 hours and we wanted to take it to the pier by the Wheel.  Today we decided to go to Greenwich.  The best way to go is the same way the King’s used to and that is by boat.  We decided to take the boat from bridge at Parliament because the trip would take us  on the Thames through the heart of London.  The weather was great and we took an outside seat upstairs while a narrator told us of all the points on both sides of the river.

The trip against the tide took about an hour and we docked at the Greenwich pier opposite the Cutty Sark in dry dock. (The Cutty Sark is a triple masted boat that once clocked 323 miles in one day)

We picked Greenwich on Saturday because we thought it would be a good day to leave London on this busy weekend and see what this quaint and famous river town looks like.  Greenwich is famous for a few things. It was the Navy Academy for many years as well as the start of time every day as in Greenwich Mean Time.  It is also known for one of the best nautical museums in the world. There is also has a covered crafts market near the pier.  After getting off the boat we headed to the info center nearby for a map and advise on nearby pubs. (note: all pubs we ate at were family friendly)  Not wanting to repeat delaying lunch like we did the day before we headed up 3 blocks until we found the Kings Arm Pub.  We ordered 4 fish and chips. I had my first 1/2 pint of a bitter and enjoyed lunch. (bitter is a naturally carbonated ale or beer that is served at about room temperature.)

 

Next we headed of to the crafts market where we bought some chocolate and jams and then to the Nautical Museum. This is a very large place that one can spend the entire day in if they would want to. It exhibits include everything nautical. From models of the P&O luxury liners (the Grand Princess we had been on was the last of the P & O display with a size of about 10 feet long).  There were exhibits on treasure hunting, uniforms, sailing, a hands on kids section and a new exhibit on Admiral Nelson to name many of them.  We spent about 1 ½ hours here and left after having a drink in the open air café.  After the museum we walked around to the right and up the hill about 1/2 a mile through a pretty park to the observatory.

It is here where time starts for the world.  First we followed some people through a gate less traveled where he showed them a mark on the wall separating the eastern and western hemispheres. (a photo opp of course with Daniel.  Melissa did not want to be in pictures but Daniel on this trip was a great sport about it.)

 

After a quick picture we entered the observatory passing the official computer clock where all the worlds watches are set to. There was the official line with a silver sculpture marking east and west.  The observatory is really a museum of the scientist that had a telescope here. (it is the 7th largest in the world and we walked up to see it above his home)

The exhibits here naturally talk about time keeping and how it was a problem for ship captains.  In the old days navigators knew where they were on the latitude line from viewing the stars or the sun. but they could never keep track of how east or west they were.  It was after a great naval disaster did the British government offer a 20,000 pound reward for anyone who could figure that out.  This was an unheard of sum of money.  Many scientist tried and failed but a clock maker after 22 years solved the problem and proved how a clock at sea could tell them exactly where the ship was on the longitude line.  He invented a clock that would take the abuse of the sea. I pointed out to the kids that to this day there are official clocks on every ship to keep Greenwich mean time so they know where they are. It was also explained that GPS’s makes clocks obsolete but it is important still incase GPS does not work.

 

After viewing the house we rested on the top of the hill with the view of the defunct Millennium Dome across the river. (Daniel wanted to know why there were not any parks like this at home and enjoyed this and other parks we went to.)

 

We walked back through the park and back to town.  The Cutty Sark was closed so we got directions on how to take the train back to town.

 

We continued our schlep changing trains and getting off at Picadilly Circus with our goal on eating at “Yo Sushi”  With a little luck and Maureen seeing  a lighted sign pointing us to the place we sat down to a fun dinner. This place is the “Disney” of sushi.  You sit on a stool at a large rectangle bar. In front of you traveling at 3 miles per hour are little plates with plastic see through covers. The plates have a different color on the rim. The color is for price.  Most of the food passing in front of you is 2 cuts of a sushi roll. There was a few yakatori sticks passing by with Chicken Terriyaki, noodles,  tuna sushu, a small salad and so forth. The cooks in the middle had different stations making different foods very fast.  If you are looking for the ultimate in sushi this is not the place.  If you are looking at a place that is  fun and fast especially for kids than I would recommend this place. The 4 of us had 24 dishes because the portions were small.

 

We continued our walk through the area stopping at HMV records and Virgin Records. It was here that we heard on the speaker between songs that the Queen Mum had died a few hours earlier.  We walked 20 or so minutes back to May Fayre house and slept real good.

 

 

Sunday:  In effort to get out of London again on Easter Sunday we arranged for David Stubbs a private guide to pick us up at 8AM and take us into the nearby country.  David Stubbs who had picked up (I think the word here is collected us) very comfortable in a Chrysler Mini-Van drove out of London to Oxford.  We arrived here about 10AM with most things closed.

Dave took us for a 30 minute walk around the central area pointing out a few old houses and university facts.  We next went on to Blenheim Palace. Before we got to the palace Dave drove through a few tight winding streets to a little surprise visit to a small church that was a few hundred years old. What he wanted to show us was Churchill’s grave. It was a pleasant surprise off the beaten path that the tourist buses never get to see.  He drove on to the palace he rounded a turn and there it was.  An amazing estate with the palace itself on 7 acres of land. This is 7 acres of building!  Blenheim Palace was built about 300 years ago by the first Duke in the area as an award for beating the Prussians in a major battle.  The palace gave a tour explaining how the land, and title of Duke was bestowed on a war here. They said it was the first time and last time a commoner was given this title that is now in its 13th generation.  It reminds me of the palaces of Fountainbleu or a smaller version of Versaille.  The tour went into the about 20% of the rooms. It was surrounded by lakes and gardens.  The Duke lives here about 6 months of the year with his family in a private side of the wing.

 

We continued on driving through the pretty areas of Cotswald. We stopped at one of the prettiest towns in Cotswald for typical Britich lunch and a look in the toy shop before moving on to Warwick Castle.

 

Warwick castle is part history and part entertainment. It is impressive from the outside.  When you go through the gates you see people in period time costume, you pass some games of chance making it carnival like.  They you enter the castle over the bridge and see the court yard, turrets, walls and living quarters.  This place is now owned by Madame Tousauds (of wax museum fame).  The first door we entered was where there were wax figures in costume dating back 500 years ago doing different things. The noise, music and even smells were all reproduced. At the end of the several rooms there was a place near the fire with the King and his men. The figures from close with the low light looked so real you thought they would speak to you.  After leaving this room we walked up the steps to the oldest section of the castle for a beautiful view of the river below.  We then went into the dungeon. It had on display different ways to hold and torture a prisoner.  Lastly Melissa, Maureen and Dave went into a special exhibit that was I believe called a Royal Weekend displaying and decorated as such. Daniel and I climbed high into the turrets and walked along the top of the walls.  We left this place putting it on the recommendation list for others.  Next being so close to Stratford we drove there.  It was already past closing so we drove through and stopped at the house Shakespeare’s mother-in-law owned and where the writer lived a few years.  It was set on a pretty garden.  The house is perhaps 75 feet long and in excellent condition from the outside. It is said the house was not changed much due to a relative still living in it until the early 1900’s when it was bought for the purpose of a museum. The thatched roof and its setting is picture perfect. After hitting an ATM machine we headed back to May Fair we had a nice dinner at the Shepard’s Pub and went to sleep.

 

Monday:  Picked up at 8:30 and driven out of London going through a 14000 acre royal forest complete with deer, horses trails and woods just outside London. In the old days you would be executed to taking a deer here. Today they are protected and multiplying.  We stopped for a rural view of the Thames in front of where Mick Jagger and his ex lived. (The ex still lived there)

 

We continued on our way and got to Leeds Castle.  This has been called the loveliest castle in the world. It is set in a like park environment surrounded by gardens for its beauty and a lake to protect it. It is exactly what you think of when it comes to a romantic looking castle that is picture perfect.  The rooms are restored because it was purchased in 1927 by a lady who fixed it up so she can live there with her family and 2 daughters.  She donated the castle to the preservation society as long as her daughters (long gone) could live there. The rooms are decorated to their tastes and are lavish. 

 

After taking 1/2 a roll pictures from different angles we went to the aviary. The mother and daughters collected exotic birds and had them displayed a 10 minute walk from the castle.  Next this was the maze. It was our first maze.  The kids had us beat here.  They got to center. Maureen & I were lost. They took a lot of pride in this. The center was elevated so they were able to give us some guidance and eventually get us to meet them.  At the end of the maze you climbed down some stairs to a man made grotto which was the exit.  We ate at the cafeteria here. The food was OK, reasonable & fast. (Shepard’s Pie, Chile, Vegetables, Salads.)

 

Next we drove to Heather Castle.  I would call this a “petite castle”

It sits next to beautiful Italian designed gardens with Roman era pots.

I call it petite because it is smaller than the other castles by as much as 1/2 the size. It is surrounded by a small moat to protect it and as a small court yard in the center no more than 30 feet across.  The rooms are all re-done. The last owner gutted the castle and made it their home.  We were able to see just about all the rooms but it was like visiting a old persons house.  I would not make a special trip to this place but it was worth it if you are a castle buff or on the way back from Leeds. 

 

Tonight we had to be in Covent Gardens at 7:30 to meet friends for dinner and then see the Royal Key Ceremony.  Dinner was in the theatre district at a place called Joe Allen and then a short taxi over to the tower. 

 

The gates at 9:30PM for about 30 or 40 people who have tickets. To get tickets you have to send a self addressed envelope with two dates. 

A Yeoman or Beefeater gives you a very dramatic speech about being here and what we are about to see. He points out the guard station at the entrance of the castle where we cross the bridge over the drained moat saying it is the oldest known guard station in the world.


He has us walk about 150 yards inside the tower entrance where he described the events about to take places. He said it was the oldest military ceremony in the world being done every day for 700 years. It involved 2 armed guards (with the machine guns and bayonet in Red Uniforms and the tall hats, 1 sergeant and one unarmed man coming down the steps and stopping at the middle gate where we were.  There was another similarly dressed guard marching back and forth to our right and then stopping at a little guard house 50 feet to our right.

Then the Yeoman with a candle lit brass lantern swinging and the key on his side walking up to the 4 guards announcing he has the Queens Key.

(The Key is considered like a flag so men had to remove hats or salute)

The unarmed guard takes the lantern and the Yeoman marches under the armed guard back to the door we were let in and it is locked. In the mean time the guard to our right takes up a sentry post at the open door where the guards and Yeoman left.  At the main gate one guard holds the light at the key holds while the guard locks down the door.

They all march back under orders from the sergeant back to the sentry.

When they get with in 50 feet of the door the single sentry yells HALT very loud and long if I may add startling us pointing his machine gun at them.  He yells out who goes there. They response is the Queens Key and he stands back at attention and simply says proceed. At this point we follow the group. The Yeoman stops and goes up the stairs to tell the Governor of the tower that once again her majesty’s jewels are locked down and safe. The Yeoman goes up with the 4 guards to the base of steps where there is an officer with a sword and 6 other armed  guards and a trumpeter playing.  After the trumpet they all fall in and march up the stairs and out of view.

 

The original Yeoman takes us back to the first gate where there is a small door opened with in the large gate to let us out. He says this gate and all others are locked down until 6AM when the milk man comes. No one goes in or out until then.  The ceremony was very pomp and regal. You feel like an insider here. Daniel when it was finished said Wow! 

 

Tuesday:

Today we headed to the tube to do a self tour of Parliament.  They only allow about 30 or so per day to wander through the capital on your own.

(We did not know it but we could have requested our own private tour guide)  The government was being recalled the next day for resolutions in honor of the Queen Mum  so the house of commons and house of lords was empty. After strolling though some large rooms we met a member of Parlimant in the main lobby who gave us a little history of the lobby we were in and told a few things about the government.  The house of Lords was a bit regal. Things in red and gold or brass.  Next were were on the floor of the actual members of Parliment. In fact I took a piece of stationary of the Speakers desk as a souvenier. Imagine walking on the floor of the Senate or House in the capital by yourself where the speaker sits and the key senators have there desks.  Members of Parliaments or house of commons is a  simpler décor of long green back sofa style seats several rows up and microphones hung by wire all over the place.  A guard walked in and taught us a few things. First he showed us the carpet on the floor had a red line about a foot from where the members sit on the lowest level.  He said the width of the floor was just long enough to keep to people from sword fighting. The red line was a warning not to step over it. The term “Toe the Line” comes from members years ago stepping over the line in heated discussion. The speaker would yell that our when they stepped over it. The guard said in the 1700’s there would sword fights on the floor itself.  He also asked us if we heard of the expression “It’s in the bag”.  He showed us the bag that the saying comes from.  It is where various petitions and legal things get put in. It is a bag attached to the back of the speakers chair.  It is in this room that the Prime Minister every Wednesday has to come down for a 30 minute questions session where Members can ask him anything they want for 30 minutes. Some of the questions are outright stupid and meant to try to embarrass him. 

 

On the floor we met a young couple from 200 miles north.   They asked us if we wanted to take a very rare opportunity to walk up to the top of Big Ben and see the gears and hear the bong (with ear protection of course) but due to preparation for the Queen Mum in the Royal Gallery here and other things going on we could not do it.

 

After Parliament we  took a 90tour of Westminster Abbey and learned about the history of how London and England came to be along with seeing the tombs and memorials of Englands famous people.  We had lunch at Sherlock Holms Pub and after wards to Madam Toussads wax museum. This is a big tourist attraction with long lines. I learned in a book if I get 10 other people I can form a group and not wait on line. The 2 groups of people behind us were willing to join in and we saved 30 minutes and a pound each on the ticket. The wax figures are for the most part amazing. I saw a documentary on the way over on the plane on how detailed they get on making the figures. Things like inserting human hairs one at time for week and actually baking in fine red wire into the eyes are done for detail.  You look at the figures and think they are going jump at you.

 

We called it a day and relaxed an hour an half before joining neighbors (the Fleicher’s)  from home for dinner at The Gay Husser Hungarian restaurant and desert at the flat.  Nice place and good food on Greek Street just south of So Ho Square.

 

WED:  Today we saved for a visit to the British Museum.  We arrived at 10:20 with 10 minutes to spare to get the 90 minute tour of place.  This is one very large museum and unless you grew up here and visited in a few times you will be completely lost and miss the important highlights.  The tour covers many of these highlights discussing the history of the pieces we saw.  We saw the entrance statues from ancient the Mesopotamian era, as well as Greek statues that were placed on the ancient old ruins walls like tiles but only 4 or 5 feet square.  We also we taken to the Egyptian room where multiple mummies were seen as well as a dried out mummy of a commoner that was found in the sand naturally mummified.  We were taken around to see Roman ere things that were in London and by request to the Rosetta stone.  This is the famous etched out stone that enabled people to translate hieroglyphics. (it was taken as a war prize from France over 150 years ago.)

Lunch was at the museum café and not very good afterwards.

 

Next stop was Leister Square where we got half price seats 3rd row corner for “The Woman in Black” at 8PM and then for a walk to Covenant Gardens Market about 10 minutes away.  This is an open style market with entertainers around the place working on tips.  After a few trinkets here we headed back into the Tube to visit Harrod’s department store.  We stayed pretty much in the food and candy department where we bought tea and candy.  Afterwards we went up and down the Egyptian escalator seeing the memorial to Princess Di and her fiancé.  The engagement ring is on display between their pictures.

 

We took the Tube back for a quick rest and then back to Convent Garden for dinner at an Italian place called Capri around the block from the theatre.  We saw the show which was a bit of a thriller but OK for the kids.  After wards we headed back in the Tube and back to the Flat to pack

 

Thursday:  8:23 AM Eurostar to Paris and taxi to Hotel Cluny Square in the Latin Quarters.  The Eurostar had horrible food and was 30 minutes late. The trip was nothing spectacular. It was easier than flying and they say about the same time.

 

 

 

After checking in we immediately walked to the Notre Dame Church.  We spent about 30 minutes here strolling about inside taking pictures and going into the back garden.  Then on the advise of a friend and the book went over the next island looking for the famous Bethillian Ice cream and sorbet place. The first place did not seem right so we walked down the narrow street to #80 and waited on line for some of the best ice cream and sorbet we have had in a while. The guide books says to go to #31 but no one felt like going further on. 

 

We walked up to the City Hall Station (Hotel de Ville) and got on the Metro with one stop to the Eiffle Tower.  Daniel is the reason we came to Paris and it is because he wanted to see the magnificent structure.

 

When we got there he commented on the long park we had to walk across to get there.  He asked to spend a little time on the grass in front of the tower to rest, frolic with Melissa and see it. We made it to the second level due to a 30 minute wait to get to the top. The view was great.  We took the Metro back and met friends from Port Washington (the Buss’s) for dinner at a local Bistro in the district.

 

We stolled to Notre Dame at 10PM and some of us had desert crepes of Nutalla chocolate and banana made fresh in front of us.

 

Friday:  We took the RER (Suburban Rail Road) to Versaille this day.

It was a 5 minute walk from the station to the palace.  This place is a bit over crowded and the lines to get tickets was ¼ mile long at least.

Fortunately we had tickets that we got at the train station as well as having an old pass the Buss’s gave us as we did not have to wait. The first thing we did was see the Royal Apartments renting for each of us a hand set to tell us what we were looking at in each room.  We then went into the Kings apartments with the head set a little faster and walked around the back to the gardens.  This is agood place to have a picnic if you brought food.  We walked back to the station stopping to get a map at an info office. There were learned that there was a daily market just a few blocks off with cafes and places to eat.  We settled down starving and had salad with duck breast,  Croque Monsier Chat (broiled ham and swiss with tomato, Pate, broiled goat cheese open sandwich, orangina, a beer and lemon soda mixture and all of us sharing a chocolate sundae!

 

Back in Paris we headed straight to the Louvre for a few highlights.

Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and a few other things spending no more than about 90 minutes here.  Afterwards we took a long walk back and rested about another 90 minutes before dinner.  D

Dinner was around the block at a French bistro a walk around the area spotting the Friday night roller blading ride with thousands of people and more desert crepes for the kids.

 

Saturday: Packed and had the continental breakfast at the hotel.  Met Mike our guide for the day.  We threw him off by telling him we did the Louvre and Notre Dame. We told him we wanted to go through the Flower Market, see the view from the top of the Samaritan department store. (A must see for anyone in Paris who wants a good view of the entire city.)

We asked him to take us to the Catacombs.  This is fascinating as it is not on the “A” list for tourists.  It is not for people who are squeamish about bones.  After getting off the Metro you walk a block of two to the entrance.  You climb down a long circular stairway and then walk about a block in a tunnel.  Eventually you get to the bones.  The story is that it was getting pretty unhealthy burying people in the small cemeteries at the churches. There was also no room and some of the churches were going to be built over.  Someone made the decision to remove the bones from the cemetery and place them in the old quarries stacking them neatly.  You pass millions of bones. Skulls placed neatly and one top of large bones and then sometimes not so neatly.  They just sit there. I thought they were cemented in place but went to touch a skull and it moved. It is a strange place.  On the way out we were told close to 6 million are buried here underneath the residential neighborhood. Strangely, when you exit, it is from a non descript little building between apartment buildings a few blocks from where you entered.

 

Next Michael took us to an area in an outer district.  WE wanted to go to a local market and have lunch.  We bought some pastries to munch on before lunch, strolled through area and had a full 3 course meal at a bistro before walking back to the hotel with a stop at the park outside building where the senate is housed.

 

Michael helped us down to the train and one were to Charles De Gaul Airport for the 6:55PM flight home.