International Marketing Study Program 2007
Paris
20th - 24th January 2007
Upon Arrival in Paris, we checked into our hotel which soon became known to the tour as “Fawlty Towers”. The ancient creaking lift could barely cope with two people and their luggage. The common iron (a necessity for the crumpled international traveller) was unheard of. Carla had to beg to borrow a secret kettle. But most disturbing of all was when I was asked to “man reception” whilst “Basil” searched high-and-low for a light globe, to allow me to do my own running repairs to our room. Three star hotel.......mmmm???
Paris itself had much to offer, especially in terms of tourist attractions. Sacre Coure was breathtaking in the evening. The Arch de Triomphe involved many stairs, but offered a great view of the city as a reward. We appreciated the magnificent architecture of the Lourve and discovered here that the military police (complete with semi-automatic weapons) where very friendly and happy to have their photo taken with a bunch of Aussies.
The Eiffel Tower could not be missed. We visited it by day, eating crepes and admiring its imposing form. Then re-visited it at night with plans to go to the summit. Upon emerging from the metro station we caught our first glimpse of the tower which by night had been transformed into an enormous pointed disco ball. The flashing lights were brilliant to say the least. The view from the top was worth waiting for and the severe wind-chill added to the experience.
Sunday was a sad day for the shop-a-holics of the tour as Paris does not engage in Sunday trading – rather a day set aside for “family” bonding and related activities. The only shops open were bakeries and souvenir stalls. Euro-Disney was a popular destination, with happy travellers returning complete with mouse ears and Pooh bears.
The MIMSP provided great entertainment for Parisians travelling on the metro as we tried in vain to pronounce the Metro stations in our best French accents. Havre-Caumartin and Place de Clichy were among our favourites! One local gentleman could not hide his amusement and then proceeded to give us an impromptu French lesson on the train.
The final group dinner in Paris was a definite highlight of the trip. Here we said farewell to Wen Chen who was returning to Australia. The charming French restaurant had a fantastic atmosphere and the menu was completely French (no English to be seen!). Our waitress was a star and explained the entire menu using a combination of broken English and charades, at one stage even retrieving a mussel from the kitchen when the correct word / action could not be found. The food was divine and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
We happily checked out of “Fawlty Towers” early on Wednesday morning to fly to New York. Our flight was delayed by snow, the first snow we had seen on the trip! Most of us were intrigued by the giant “elephant” hoses used to de-ice the wings, and then we were off to our final destination – New York, New York!
awaiting train to Paris |
on the train to Paris |
awaiting hotel transfer |
dinner, first night in Paris |
Alana with her favourite statue |
the Eiffel Tower |
the Eiffel Tower by night |
Buddha Bar |
out on the town |
exploring Paris by night |
Group dinner |
Group dinner |
|
