Daylight saving has finally finished here in Germany. We are now 9 hours behind Brisbane! Some of you might have realised the clock on my website reflected the change.
In a way this is good but it also means that now instead of the sun going down at 5:45 it goes down at 4:45pm. So by 5pm it is completely dark! This is very weird for me considering that in Brisbane the earliest the sun sets is about 5 mins to 5pm and that is on the shortest day of the year. I am really looking forward to complete darkness at 4pm!
It also means that the sun now rises at about 8am. Last week the sun was up by about 9am, making sleeping in very very easy.
They are also predicting that we might see snow here on Wednesday. If that happens it will be an early start to the season, but it will also be a very welcome change. Seeing something different over the next few months will be great. When I get home in February I am sure I will be coming home to some servilely hot weather. The cold might actually be good for a few months.
Hope everyone is well at home. Bye for now, Scott.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
Hanna's Birthday and Newest Igel Family Member
Last Sunday Britty's youngest sister Hanna, invited us for dinner for her 20th birthday. She invited us to a restaurant in the town where Britty's parents live. The afternoon started with some birthday cake about 3pm, and then we headed to dinner around 6pm.
The restaurant had a good selection of German good, and the meal was excellent value for money. It was also extremely tasty!! I took a couple of photos, check them out.
Photo taken by Britty. Nice shot of the back of Hanna's head.
From the other side of the table.
Also on the topic of Britty's family, you might recall sometime ago I mentioned that Britty's sister Kerstin was expecting. Well in August she gave birth to a baby girl, "Anna-Lena Igel." When she was born I was just her Aunty's boyfriend, but now we are getting hitched, it means that next year sometime I will be come her Uncle. Woww!!!
Anna-Lena. Maybe she will be an orchestra conductor one day??
Also another piece of news on the marriage front. Later that night, Hanna's boyfriend Lars also popped the question, and she accepted. That takes the total number of engagements in and around my family to 4 in the last couple of weeks. Man there must be something in the water at the moment!
The restaurant had a good selection of German good, and the meal was excellent value for money. It was also extremely tasty!! I took a couple of photos, check them out.
Photo taken by Britty. Nice shot of the back of Hanna's head. 
From the other side of the table.Also on the topic of Britty's family, you might recall sometime ago I mentioned that Britty's sister Kerstin was expecting. Well in August she gave birth to a baby girl, "Anna-Lena Igel." When she was born I was just her Aunty's boyfriend, but now we are getting hitched, it means that next year sometime I will be come her Uncle. Woww!!!
Anna-Lena. Maybe she will be an orchestra conductor one day?? Also another piece of news on the marriage front. Later that night, Hanna's boyfriend Lars also popped the question, and she accepted. That takes the total number of engagements in and around my family to 4 in the last couple of weeks. Man there must be something in the water at the moment!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Paris - Part 4
Day four in Paris started with Britty and myself trying to find the Museum of Modern Art. When we finally found it, it was closed. Next we decided we would go and visit the Picasso Museum. After we had navigated our way through the small back streets we came across a sign for the Museum. We followed it, and it lead to another sign. After walking for about 45 minutes we finally got there, and guess what? Yes that's right, it was closed. Apparently not many museums open on Tuesdays! Wish my travel guide had of said that!!!
Given that most museums were closed we needed to see something so we decided we would go to the Ste Chapelle. The Lonely Planet Guide had mentioned it was stunning, so we decided to give it a go. The Ste Chapelle was built in 1248, and since then the Paris Law Courts have been built around the Chapelle. This meant to get to the building we were required to go through Law Court Security, which meant a wait in line.
It is hard to describe this building, I guess the best bet is just to post the pictures. Check them out.
A picture from outside the Law Courts on the opposite side of the road. The Ste Chapelle is obviously the tall building :)
Once we got through security Britty took this photo for me from outside the building.
When you walk in the door this is what you first see. Lots and Lots of colours, and stained windows. After seeing inside I was thinking, "Is that it?" But after doing a little exploring we found a set of stairs.
When we ascended this is what you see! The American guy in front of me said "O MY!" As we entered the room. The room was completed enclosed by stain glass windows. It was absolutely stunning. Louis the 9th once used this place to store sacred relics. I wonder what sort of stuff use to lie here.
One of the round windows in the church.
After our trip to Ste Chapelle, we decided that we would go and check out the Catacombes. In 1785 Paris was having issues with overflowing cemeteries so to solve the problem they created a mass grave. They used 3 old quarries to store peoples remains. The Catacombes is an example of one.
After we descended 20M we walked for about 1km underground. We then reached a doorway that said, "This is where the death begins." Britty then decided to kiss a dead Parisian! Well almost! :)
This photo is only one tiny section of about 1.6kms of dead Parisians all piled on top of each other! Millions of people are "buried here!!"
Next it was off to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower to say goodbye to Scott and Anne who were heading to Dubai that night.
A photo I snapped while waiting.
After we said goodbye it was off to do a little more exploring on our last night. In our effort to find the Louvre one more time, we came across this fountain.
Not a bad photo considering the camera was sitting on the ground with a piece of paper pointing it upwards. No flash either.
After this we walked toward the Louvre because I really want to check it out at night.
A long exposure photo. It is a really nice area at night!
After this we took one more trip to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night. As always it looks so much better at night, but given the patent on the lights I am not meant to post a photo. After spending some time there, we then decided we would head back to the Hostel and get some sleep. Our flight was to leave Paris the next day at 9am, meaning we had about a 6am start.
Before leaving the hostel I managed to snap a couple of photos of our luxurious room.
The tap in the shower required you to keep the button pressed in. The water was mostly warm, but sometimes would go cold. I was defenantly not a custom to this type of setup in a hostel room. I have seen these on beaches, but not normally in paid accommodation.
Once again the old push in system. This wasn't so much of a pain in the arse.
Our little bed. The pillow was very strange, and took me a while to adjust. For 60 Euros a night you can't expect a palace!
Given that most museums were closed we needed to see something so we decided we would go to the Ste Chapelle. The Lonely Planet Guide had mentioned it was stunning, so we decided to give it a go. The Ste Chapelle was built in 1248, and since then the Paris Law Courts have been built around the Chapelle. This meant to get to the building we were required to go through Law Court Security, which meant a wait in line.
It is hard to describe this building, I guess the best bet is just to post the pictures. Check them out.
A picture from outside the Law Courts on the opposite side of the road. The Ste Chapelle is obviously the tall building :)
Once we got through security Britty took this photo for me from outside the building. 
When you walk in the door this is what you first see. Lots and Lots of colours, and stained windows. After seeing inside I was thinking, "Is that it?" But after doing a little exploring we found a set of stairs. 
When we ascended this is what you see! The American guy in front of me said "O MY!" As we entered the room. The room was completed enclosed by stain glass windows. It was absolutely stunning. Louis the 9th once used this place to store sacred relics. I wonder what sort of stuff use to lie here. 
One of the round windows in the church. After our trip to Ste Chapelle, we decided that we would go and check out the Catacombes. In 1785 Paris was having issues with overflowing cemeteries so to solve the problem they created a mass grave. They used 3 old quarries to store peoples remains. The Catacombes is an example of one.
After we descended 20M we walked for about 1km underground. We then reached a doorway that said, "This is where the death begins." Britty then decided to kiss a dead Parisian! Well almost! :) 
This photo is only one tiny section of about 1.6kms of dead Parisians all piled on top of each other! Millions of people are "buried here!!" Next it was off to the bottom of the Eiffel Tower to say goodbye to Scott and Anne who were heading to Dubai that night.
A photo I snapped while waiting.
Not a bad photo considering the camera was sitting on the ground with a piece of paper pointing it upwards. No flash either. After this we walked toward the Louvre because I really want to check it out at night.
A long exposure photo. It is a really nice area at night! After this we took one more trip to the Eiffel Tower to see it at night. As always it looks so much better at night, but given the patent on the lights I am not meant to post a photo. After spending some time there, we then decided we would head back to the Hostel and get some sleep. Our flight was to leave Paris the next day at 9am, meaning we had about a 6am start.
Before leaving the hostel I managed to snap a couple of photos of our luxurious room.
The tap in the shower required you to keep the button pressed in. The water was mostly warm, but sometimes would go cold. I was defenantly not a custom to this type of setup in a hostel room. I have seen these on beaches, but not normally in paid accommodation. 
Once again the old push in system. This wasn't so much of a pain in the arse. 
Our little bed. The pillow was very strange, and took me a while to adjust. For 60 Euros a night you can't expect a palace!Well that just about does it for our Paris Trip. Overall it was a fantastic trip, and Britty and myself had such a wonderful time. We met up with some friends from Australia, and saw so many great places and attractions, and as always enjoy each others company. We really fit a lot into our days, and didn't waste anytime what so ever.
Just one more word of warning for anyone thinking about a Paris Holiday. Paris is very very expensive! Food is not cheap, and drinking is utterly ridiculous. At one place I paid 8.50 Euro for a beer!
Bye for now. Scott
Just one more word of warning for anyone thinking about a Paris Holiday. Paris is very very expensive! Food is not cheap, and drinking is utterly ridiculous. At one place I paid 8.50 Euro for a beer!
Bye for now. Scott
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Paris - Part 3
Day 3 in Paris was an absolute beautiful day! It started early with Blue Skies. We decided we would get out early and try to make the most of our Paris Museum pass we had purchased on the first day.
First stop of the day was the Arch of Triumph. As normal we took the Metro to the closest stop. When we arrived we weren't disappointed. This Arch is massive, and is a very very impressive structure.
Me in front of the Arch of Triumph. The Arch is in the middle of a huge round-a-bout that has no line markings and some 12 major roads branch from it. We took the walk way under the road to the Arch and its museum. You would be nuts to try to cross this road! One other thing, watch out for people trying to steal and eat food out of your hands! Professional Beggers everywhere!
A picture from the top of the Arch of the street below. You can see there is no line markings, and people just seem to go and do what they want. There seems to be a general rule of give way to the right. This seems to be pretty normal across Europe. I guess it works, to some extent, we didn't see any crashes. There were a few close calls though. I took some videos as well. When I get time I will youtube them.
One of the main streets that branches from the Arch Round-A-Bout. The traffic was pretty heavy.
After our trip to the Arch of Triumph we then set off to meet Scott and Anne at the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. This building is one of the most famous buildings in the world and I was really looking forward to seeing it.
When we got there I wasn't disappointed. The atmosphere around the building was just great. People everywhere, sitting outside, taking photos and just enjoying the day. This is one thing I really love about Europe. When the weather is fine, people get out and saviour the day. In Australia (well Brisbane mainly) we are spoiled with brilliant weather a lot of time, making sunnies days just like every other one.
The view from the front of the Cathedral
One of the huge windows in the Cathedral. Unreal. Something like 10m wide!
The view of the altar.
On the way to the Park at the back of the Cathedral Scott and myself stopped to show off the building. Don't we do a great job of modelling!
We decided that we wouldn't climb to the top of Notre Dame at that stage because the line was too long. If we got time we would come back to it.
Next it was off to the The Panthéon. This was also covered in the Paris pass.
The Panthéon from the front. This is a massive building, and this picture really doesn't cover the grandeur of the place.
We did climb to the top of the The Panthéon. This is the view of Notre Dame from the top.
After our trip up the The Panthéon, Scott and Anne went to visit a friend who was leaving Paris that afternoon. Britty and myself, loving exercise, and loving stairs decided we would go back to Notre Dame and climb the tower. This part of Notre Dame was covered in the Paris Pass.
When we got back there, the line was not so long so we went up. We made it just in time before they closed for the day.
The view from the top.
Another shot from the top. We didn't see the hunchback at all :(
A nice asian guy took a photo for us. Looks pretty good. Thanks mate!
Then we headed back to the Hostel for a while and rested. The day had already invovled climbing 3 huge structures so we needed to put our feat up. After our little rest we decided to meet up with Scott and Anne for dinner at Montmartre. We decided to meet at Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
We couldn't miss the oppurtunity for a photo during the day.
The four of us at the restaurant
After dinner we decided to take a walk and check out the Moulin Rouge. We didn't go in of course! This was a very interesting area in Paris. Scott and Anne were lucky to survive the Metro station on the way home as some guy was carrying around a police baton, and waving it around all over the place. Paris is very beautiful, but there are a lot of dodgy people around!!
After we split from Anne and Scott, Britty and myself walked home back over Montmartre to our hostel. What a walk. So many steps! We certainly had a good night sleep!! Part 4 later. Bye for now. Scott
First stop of the day was the Arch of Triumph. As normal we took the Metro to the closest stop. When we arrived we weren't disappointed. This Arch is massive, and is a very very impressive structure.
Me in front of the Arch of Triumph. The Arch is in the middle of a huge round-a-bout that has no line markings and some 12 major roads branch from it. We took the walk way under the road to the Arch and its museum. You would be nuts to try to cross this road! One other thing, watch out for people trying to steal and eat food out of your hands! Professional Beggers everywhere! 
A picture from the top of the Arch of the street below. You can see there is no line markings, and people just seem to go and do what they want. There seems to be a general rule of give way to the right. This seems to be pretty normal across Europe. I guess it works, to some extent, we didn't see any crashes. There were a few close calls though. I took some videos as well. When I get time I will youtube them. 
One of the main streets that branches from the Arch Round-A-Bout. The traffic was pretty heavy. After our trip to the Arch of Triumph we then set off to meet Scott and Anne at the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. This building is one of the most famous buildings in the world and I was really looking forward to seeing it.
When we got there I wasn't disappointed. The atmosphere around the building was just great. People everywhere, sitting outside, taking photos and just enjoying the day. This is one thing I really love about Europe. When the weather is fine, people get out and saviour the day. In Australia (well Brisbane mainly) we are spoiled with brilliant weather a lot of time, making sunnies days just like every other one.
The view from the front of the Cathedral
One of the huge windows in the Cathedral. Unreal. Something like 10m wide! 
The view of the altar. 
On the way to the Park at the back of the Cathedral Scott and myself stopped to show off the building. Don't we do a great job of modelling! We decided that we wouldn't climb to the top of Notre Dame at that stage because the line was too long. If we got time we would come back to it.
Next it was off to the The Panthéon. This was also covered in the Paris pass.
The Panthéon from the front. This is a massive building, and this picture really doesn't cover the grandeur of the place. 
We did climb to the top of the The Panthéon. This is the view of Notre Dame from the top. After our trip up the The Panthéon, Scott and Anne went to visit a friend who was leaving Paris that afternoon. Britty and myself, loving exercise, and loving stairs decided we would go back to Notre Dame and climb the tower. This part of Notre Dame was covered in the Paris Pass.
When we got back there, the line was not so long so we went up. We made it just in time before they closed for the day.
The view from the top. 
Another shot from the top. We didn't see the hunchback at all :(
A nice asian guy took a photo for us. Looks pretty good. Thanks mate! Then we headed back to the Hostel for a while and rested. The day had already invovled climbing 3 huge structures so we needed to put our feat up. After our little rest we decided to meet up with Scott and Anne for dinner at Montmartre. We decided to meet at Sacré-Cœur Basilica.
We couldn't miss the oppurtunity for a photo during the day. 
The four of us at the restaurantAfter dinner we decided to take a walk and check out the Moulin Rouge. We didn't go in of course! This was a very interesting area in Paris. Scott and Anne were lucky to survive the Metro station on the way home as some guy was carrying around a police baton, and waving it around all over the place. Paris is very beautiful, but there are a lot of dodgy people around!!
After we split from Anne and Scott, Britty and myself walked home back over Montmartre to our hostel. What a walk. So many steps! We certainly had a good night sleep!! Part 4 later. Bye for now. Scott
Sunday, October 22, 2006
We have a Winner!!!!!!
For those of you that are not normal readers of my blog, in a recent post I outlined the Ford vs Holden rivalry in our family. This rivalry is extremely fierce, and over the years we really have not had a clear winner.
As I said a few weeks ago, we have (or should I say had) one family that kind of sits on the fence. The Vhey´s have owned a number of different Fords and Holdens (amongst other cars). But now the Vhey´s have come forward and made a decision as to which camp they are in.
In a recent email from the Vhey´s, a family spokesperson made the following comments, and I quote:
"So you know the Vhey´s really really love Holdens . yes we have changed camps but that was quite a while ago. We all agree about Bathurst none other than Peter Brock trained the winner of the 2006 Bathurst.">
The Vhey´s also supported this decision by purchasing a beautiful new Holden SS. This was the photo I received from the family spokesperson:
What a beautiful fast car! The class, the quality of the Holden certainly wins out in the end. Well at least that is what over half our family thinks!!!!! I think it is fair to say that we have a winner!
As I said a few weeks ago, we have (or should I say had) one family that kind of sits on the fence. The Vhey´s have owned a number of different Fords and Holdens (amongst other cars). But now the Vhey´s have come forward and made a decision as to which camp they are in.
In a recent email from the Vhey´s, a family spokesperson made the following comments, and I quote:
"So you know the Vhey´s really really love Holdens . yes we have changed camps but that was quite a while ago. We all agree about Bathurst none other than Peter Brock trained the winner of the 2006 Bathurst.">
The Vhey´s also supported this decision by purchasing a beautiful new Holden SS. This was the photo I received from the family spokesperson:
What a beautiful fast car! The class, the quality of the Holden certainly wins out in the end. Well at least that is what over half our family thinks!!!!! I think it is fair to say that we have a winner! Saturday, October 21, 2006
Paris - Part 2
Paris day two started for Britty and myself with a walk in the park. We enjoyed a great night sleep, and Britty was able to mostly shake off the cold/flu that she had (which I seem to have now!!).
Here are the photos from our day two activities. I think we must have walked about 20KMs for the whole day, and we were both pretty sore that night.
One of the statues in the park heading toward the Louvre.
More photos from the park with the beautiful Paris buildings in the back ground.
More from the park.
When we got to the louvre we came across a Ferrari car meet. Most of the cars were from Germany. A great mix of old and new. That's something you don't see that often!!!
Another one of the Cars. I would love to give this one a test drive.
Inside the building of the Louvre. As far as I am aware there is no issues with taking photos in this section of the building.
The Louvre's roof. This is such a great building.
More from inside.
The apartments of Napoleon the 3rd on the top floor of the building. Some amazing stuff in here.
At midday we were to meet Scott and Anne for a trip out of Paris to Chateau De Versailles. When we arrived they were busy sucking each others face!
Me and Britty outside the Chateau De Versailles. What a huge place this is. In the first section of the building they were crazy about people taking photos. I witnessed a woman staff member confiscate someones camera. What a drama this was. It was all happening.
The gardens of the Chateau De Versailles.
Scott and Anne enjoying the Gardens.
Then it was Britty's and my turn for a photo.
After we returned from Chateau De Versailles, we decided to take a walk to the Eiffel Tower. Its such a nice place to sit and talk, and just enjoy the atmosphere.
From there we headed back to our part of town, and went to visit Sacré-Cœur basilica. We went inside for free because it was mass. I think this is my favourite building in Paris. It is situated on top of Monmartre, and is lit perfected. It certainly stands out of the Paris skyline.
Well that is part 2. More to come in the next days. Bye for now, Scott.
Here are the photos from our day two activities. I think we must have walked about 20KMs for the whole day, and we were both pretty sore that night.
One of the statues in the park heading toward the Louvre.
More photos from the park with the beautiful Paris buildings in the back ground.
More from the park.
When we got to the louvre we came across a Ferrari car meet. Most of the cars were from Germany. A great mix of old and new. That's something you don't see that often!!! 
Another one of the Cars. I would love to give this one a test drive. 
Inside the building of the Louvre. As far as I am aware there is no issues with taking photos in this section of the building. 
The Louvre's roof. This is such a great building. 
More from inside.
The apartments of Napoleon the 3rd on the top floor of the building. Some amazing stuff in here. 
At midday we were to meet Scott and Anne for a trip out of Paris to Chateau De Versailles. When we arrived they were busy sucking each others face! 
Me and Britty outside the Chateau De Versailles. What a huge place this is. In the first section of the building they were crazy about people taking photos. I witnessed a woman staff member confiscate someones camera. What a drama this was. It was all happening.
The gardens of the Chateau De Versailles. 
Scott and Anne enjoying the Gardens. 
Then it was Britty's and my turn for a photo.
After we returned from Chateau De Versailles, we decided to take a walk to the Eiffel Tower. Its such a nice place to sit and talk, and just enjoy the atmosphere. 
From there we headed back to our part of town, and went to visit Sacré-Cœur basilica. We went inside for free because it was mass. I think this is my favourite building in Paris. It is situated on top of Monmartre, and is lit perfected. It certainly stands out of the Paris skyline.Well that is part 2. More to come in the next days. Bye for now, Scott.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Paris - Part 1
After about 6 weeks of waiting the day finally arrived for Britty and myself to take off to Paris for our 5 day adventure to the capital of France.
Our flight to Charles De Gaulle was scheduled to leave Hamburg at 7am, this meant we needed to forgo some sleep, and leave for the airport by 3:30am. The bus from Kiel to Hamburg takes about an hour and a half, and after what felt like more like 3 hours in the bus, we made it to the Lufthansa check-in with a little time to spare.
When we got to Hamburg Terminal 1, the line for Lufthansa check-in was huge! We were approached by a Lufthansa employee who asked us if we wouldn't mind using the new auto check-in facility. All we needed to do was swipe our credit card, select our seats, and bob's your uncle, it spat out our boarding passes. I guess it is similar to the system used by the Aussie airlines.
After we checked our bags and went through security, we boarded pretty much on time. The Lufthansa plane was quite old and pretty small which made for a rough ride on the way up threw the fog and cloud. After we got above it everything was fine.
When we got to Paris we found our way through the airport to the baggage claim section. After waiting about 30 minutes the bags arrived and we were on our way. For those that have never been to Charles De Gaulle I would have to say it is the ugliest airport I have ever seen. The colours were dead set shocking, and there was no colour anywhere.
Once we had our bags it was on to finding the train station. We knew we had to catch an RER, but we had no idea where the station was. We soon found out that the French are not particular good, or perhaps don't really care much for quality signs that point travellers in the right direction (this is a trend that would continue through the whole trip!!!!!).
After a short bus ride, we got to the RER station, and found the information booth. The guy behind the counter said that all the ticket machines were broken today, and the trip was free to the first station in Paris. Excellent!!! We save ourselves 16 Euros!!!
When we got to the first stop, we got out and headed for the exit only to find that we needed to put our ticket through the machine!! This of course was an problem given that the ticket machines were broken! After searching for what felt like forever, we finally found an information booth. The person in the booth rudely pointed us to an exit that was opened for people without tickets.
Next we started our search for bus number 31. We searched the train station about 5 times for a sign that would send us in the right direction. After about an hour we found a sign that pointed out toward the street in front of the railway station. When we got outside the bus station was now a building site. As I said earlier, the French aren't particularly keen on providing good signs for tourists. We looked up and down the street, asked a number of different people and no one could tell us where to go. After another 30 minutes of walking around in circles, we found another information box. This time the attendant was very helpful and pointed us down the street about a 1km to the bus stop!
When we finally made it to our hostel we checked in, and left our luggage in the very secure luggage room (anyone could walk in pretty much). We were then able to do our first site seeing tour of Paris. Here are the photos.
When we emerged from the underground we saw this building first. I really have no idea what it is, so if anyone knows please make a comment!
Same with this one. It looked cool, but I don't know its name. Once again please comment if you know what it is! :)
This picture was taken outside the Louvre looking back toward the buildings of Paris.
A triumphal arch outside the louvre. If you look through it you see toward the Arc of Triumph.
Me in front of the Louvre! What a wonderful atmosphere here!
The outside wall of the Louvre.
On Saturday night we caught up with Anne and Scott at a cafe that took us forever to find! It was great to see them again. The place was really really good, food was excellent, and wasn't the most expensive place in Paris, that's for sure.
All of us dinning together. Was great to catch up. Anne also managed to meet up with her friend Angela and her boyfriend Christoph who were also in Paris for a holiday.
Me and Scott at the table in the Cafe.
Our flight to Charles De Gaulle was scheduled to leave Hamburg at 7am, this meant we needed to forgo some sleep, and leave for the airport by 3:30am. The bus from Kiel to Hamburg takes about an hour and a half, and after what felt like more like 3 hours in the bus, we made it to the Lufthansa check-in with a little time to spare.
When we got to Hamburg Terminal 1, the line for Lufthansa check-in was huge! We were approached by a Lufthansa employee who asked us if we wouldn't mind using the new auto check-in facility. All we needed to do was swipe our credit card, select our seats, and bob's your uncle, it spat out our boarding passes. I guess it is similar to the system used by the Aussie airlines.
After we checked our bags and went through security, we boarded pretty much on time. The Lufthansa plane was quite old and pretty small which made for a rough ride on the way up threw the fog and cloud. After we got above it everything was fine.
When we got to Paris we found our way through the airport to the baggage claim section. After waiting about 30 minutes the bags arrived and we were on our way. For those that have never been to Charles De Gaulle I would have to say it is the ugliest airport I have ever seen. The colours were dead set shocking, and there was no colour anywhere.
Once we had our bags it was on to finding the train station. We knew we had to catch an RER, but we had no idea where the station was. We soon found out that the French are not particular good, or perhaps don't really care much for quality signs that point travellers in the right direction (this is a trend that would continue through the whole trip!!!!!).
After a short bus ride, we got to the RER station, and found the information booth. The guy behind the counter said that all the ticket machines were broken today, and the trip was free to the first station in Paris. Excellent!!! We save ourselves 16 Euros!!!
When we got to the first stop, we got out and headed for the exit only to find that we needed to put our ticket through the machine!! This of course was an problem given that the ticket machines were broken! After searching for what felt like forever, we finally found an information booth. The person in the booth rudely pointed us to an exit that was opened for people without tickets.
Next we started our search for bus number 31. We searched the train station about 5 times for a sign that would send us in the right direction. After about an hour we found a sign that pointed out toward the street in front of the railway station. When we got outside the bus station was now a building site. As I said earlier, the French aren't particularly keen on providing good signs for tourists. We looked up and down the street, asked a number of different people and no one could tell us where to go. After another 30 minutes of walking around in circles, we found another information box. This time the attendant was very helpful and pointed us down the street about a 1km to the bus stop!
When we finally made it to our hostel we checked in, and left our luggage in the very secure luggage room (anyone could walk in pretty much). We were then able to do our first site seeing tour of Paris. Here are the photos.
When we emerged from the underground we saw this building first. I really have no idea what it is, so if anyone knows please make a comment! 
Same with this one. It looked cool, but I don't know its name. Once again please comment if you know what it is! :)
This picture was taken outside the Louvre looking back toward the buildings of Paris. 
A triumphal arch outside the louvre. If you look through it you see toward the Arc of Triumph. 
Me in front of the Louvre! What a wonderful atmosphere here! 
The outside wall of the Louvre. On Saturday night we caught up with Anne and Scott at a cafe that took us forever to find! It was great to see them again. The place was really really good, food was excellent, and wasn't the most expensive place in Paris, that's for sure.
All of us dinning together. Was great to catch up. Anne also managed to meet up with her friend Angela and her boyfriend Christoph who were also in Paris for a holiday. 
Me and Scott at the table in the Cafe.Tomorrow I will post the next installment. Until then, keep well. Scott
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