I love Paris is the Autumn-time

On Monday we got back from 6 days Paris, or should I say gay Pareeeee given we were staying in Le Marais in the close vicinity of the gay area. By gay, I don't mean happy (for all of you over the age of 50...)

Having been to Paris before, we'd seen what we thought was most of the sights but after this trip we now figure you could spend a year there and not see everything. For anyone thinking about tripping to Paris, spend 75% seeing sights, and at least 25% doing as the Parisians do (i.e. sipping espresso on la rue locale and spending entire evenings eating your meal.

What made the trip so good though was that we shared it with Mum and Dad Moyle (and family friends, the Jenkins). They came over and spent 3 1/2 weeks cruising England then came to London and spent a week in "Docklands" (just West of Beijing) and stayed with us for a few days. In that time, they saw far more than we have in London.

In Paris, in addition to the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Arc d'Triomphe, Champs d'Elysees, which we saw last time, I went and saw the Catacombs where millions of Parisians bones are neatly stacked after they were exhumed from a cemetery in the late 19th century (yeah the French are weird), we went to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre (including Moulin Rouge), Palace of Versailles (just a small hunting lodge outside of France... this place was where prisoner 24601 and Cosette and the rest of them stormed in the French revolution), climbed the Eiffel Tower and Arc d'Triomphe and again did the walk from the Louvre, thru Jardin des Tuileries (photo right) and Place de la Concorde, along the Champs d'Elysees to Arc d'Triomphe.
Now, the highlights. For all the things we saw, it was the company and the place itself that stand out. And the CREME BRULEE. From henceforth, creme brulee will only every be written CREME BRULEE. It turned out the incredible CREME BRULEE we ate last time in Paris was not an isolated incident. It is just so smooth and...yeah yum. And the PAIN AU CHOCOLATS (chocolate croissants)... don't start me on them.

Spending time with the Moyles was fantastic especially given it had been 6 months since we saw them. The time in Paris was so relaxed and enjoyable and to share with them a place we love (and the food) was great. We had a delicious dinner on Saturday night at Le Square on Boulevard de Grenelle where Jane and I had been before. Of course, you can guess what we ate for dessert...

Then on the last night, after dropping Jane at the Eurostar terminal, the remaining Moynkins went to a local restaurant for ... well... you should know by now, CREME BRULEE. It was the best ever. Anyone who is going to Paris, you must check out Les Philosophes on Rue Vielle du Temple in Le Marais.

Mum and Dad and I then headed off for a "quick walk down to the Seine". Never believe a Moyle when they say they're taking you on a short walk on a holiday (right Hendersons?). We walked to the Seine, over the Seine, along the Seine... just taking photos (photo right) and taking in the atmosphere until after midnight. How on Earth somewhere so beautiful can be so close to somewhere like London is beyond me.

On Monday I went with Mum and Dad to the airport to see them off. The time we had with them just flew by and it was very tough saying goodbye for now the second time, particularly given we don’t know when we’ll see them next, maybe a year. But it was great to share so many great times with them and create some memories to talk about until we see them again. It was also tough as it reminded us of how much we miss the rest of our family – Moyles and Eisenbises.

But that’s part of the gig I guess. Now we're back with our noses to the grindstone to earn some pounds to do it all again. And we have to wait all the way til Friday to do it all again: Copenhagen this weekend, then Amsterdam next.

We're off to see Ben Lee (he's a musician, again for those of you over 50) at a club on Tuesday and we'll be catching up with a friend from Sydney, Anthea, on Thursday night. Tonight we're out for dinner in Covent Garden with Josie who has just arrived in London after a couple of years of doing Canada and the US.

As usual, to see the rest of our photos, check out photos.yahoo.com/csmoyle or click the link on the right towards the top of the page.