Day 10 Paris

We met Nick at 9 this morning at the usual bakery

& caught the metro to where the Catacombes are.  We arrived at 9.45am & there were only 20 people in front of us....way better than the enormous queue we saw over the weekend.
 The Catacombes opened at 10am & we could then see why the lines are so long...they only let a few people in at a time....first we are scanned

and then buy tickets & finally head down the narrow spiral staircase.The catcombes are limestone quarries of the Gallic-Roman era which contain the remains of around 6 million people...the bones brought from many cemeteries in the city.  It seemed an incredibly long way down the limestone stairs with the boys having to watch their heads in places.

We appreciated the advantage of few people being let in at a time as it felt we pretty much had the place to ourselves so could pace ourselves as we liked & take in all around us.  The spiral staircase took us 19m below ground down over 260 steps to the darkness & silence (broken only by the gurgling of an aqueduct)

 We then had a twisting 1.3 km hallway of mortared stone before we came upon the stone portal

- the entry to the ossuary (where the bones were). We were excited to finally see the bones but as we continued along the passageways for another 1.5km it became almost overwhelming how many bones there were.

 It felt a bit wrong takings photos of peoples bones,  but it really was incredible.... despite being a somewhat solemn experience. There was quite a peaceful ambience down there.  I think it would rate as another highlight for the boys.  After walking for over 45 minutes we were then at another spiral staircase (narrow & claustrophobic) that took us back to the street level.  We were very pleased we had come back and experienced something so different.

Nick then left for uni and Cam & I caught the metro to the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur. There were lots of tourists hanging out on the steps here...

including a bridal couple having their photos taken.  The poor bride looked freezing in a sleeveless wedding dress!  

We climbed the stairs to Sacre-Coeur and went inside.  Was disappointing that we couldn't take photos as it was incredibly beautiful.  There was a service taking place as we walked around and nuns were singing ...giving a very cool ambience.

We then decided to climb the stairs to the dome.  You had to pay for this and not many people were doing it, but I remembered it being worthwhile last time I was here.  

We climbed the over 300 stairs...actually pausing at times as it was pretty hard going and the steps with all different heights.  We have been pretty proud of our fitness up so many stairs on this holiday...but this definitely got the heart rate up!  Makes up for some of the pastries I guess.  Cam bumped his head only once....and we were very pleased to finally reach the dome.....and the views truly were incredible - we were lucky to have a lovely sunny day with clear views.

 Took plenty of photos and enjoyed the view of the Eiffel Tower - I  never tire of it.  It was also good having very few people up there as we looked down on the masses.

 The walk back down was just as difficult (particularly on the foot) as there were no handrails for much of it....and in places Cam had to duck and grip the walls.  

We wandered the streets of Montmartre and I saw plenty of boutiques and shops of interest...including a shop of angels....but had to resist.

By now we were ready for lunch so went in search of a cafe for french onion soup (which was virtually all of them).  

We settled on one in a backstreet & Cam used his french to get us a table (up a precarious mezzanine floor crammed in against other tables).  We both loved it...a particularly cheesy version

....and then decided to finish with some chocolate (Nutella) crepes. 

Next we caught the metro to where the large department stores are...and we bought Nick a new scarf & a spare hat.  I can't wait for tommorrow to have a decent session in the shops without the boys - my birthday treat!

See some strange sights on the metro....

?..and love the billboards...

We then headed back to the apartment via the bakery and supermarket,, stocking up on more cheeses, meats & a bottle of Bordeaux wine to have with our bread - yum!  Nick joined us after lectures in our apartment to share this dinner.

We climbed the equivalent of 52 flights of stairs today....the knees are holding out surprisingly well.

The birthday messages have started flowing in, but it's still 3 February here so they seem premature.  Has been a very nice last day in my forties!