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Sunset, Eiffel Tower Style |
Tis time to fill you all in on the French Finale, which will draw a long overdue close to this novel-like travel reflection. Drum roll please…….
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Sunning ourselves on one of the most famous stretches of coastline in the world: The French Riviera |
And, oh, what a glorious way to spend a Sunday! At 11am we sauntered down from our closeby hotel to the one of the world’s most well known stretches of coastline, where the famous frolic, and the powerful people play, accompanied on this day by a small group of Contikians trying their hand at imitating this luxuriating lifestyle. We lolled about on deckchairs, alternating between soaking up the divine sunshine, and diving into the refreshing sea all day long and just when we felt as if we had successfully mastered the technique of being waited on, it was sadly time to go…
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Group shot in front of Paris’s most famous attraction |
We had the whole of the next day to envelope ourselves in the ambience of Gay Paree, visiting the gothic, yet overpoweringly beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral (at the time declaring this was where I’d be holding my future wedding, no less!), climbed the horrendous amount of winding stairs to reach to top of the Arc De Triomphe, strolled down the Champs Ellyses, and can now also lay claim to the fact that I have witnessed the enigmatic Mona Lisa up close in all her surreal mystery whilst at the Louvre. To actually get close enough to get to the front of the queue required the implementation of some of my ‘Tube Techniques’. ie, elbows out and just push!, and hey presto, you are front and centre!
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Put your hands in the air like you just dont care... |
The 22 year old in me will eternally cherish the carefree days of encountering Europe via Contiki; it was character building and inspiring in every possible way! From what started out something nervously akin to a Year 8 Excursion with all the rules and regulations meted out to us on Day One, we successfully produced many magical moments and amazing friendships that still linger with me a decade on.
And we can dance” *

Oohh. Now I’ve got to go back… So many memories for me too.