Day 23 – Paris

Well the morning is a better one as we look out over the Reims cathedral while having breakfast. There is a light mist but also breaks of sunshine as well.
It is a short stroll to the cathedral and it is a very impressive sight that greets us, the statues on the front of the cathedral are the largest I have seen so far, and the inside is also very impressive, there is a difference in the amount of light from one end to the other as a result of some of the stained glass windows being destroyed during the war.
After our visit it is checkout and we have to drag our bags to the station to catch the TGV fast train to Paris, the trip takes 45 min and is a smooth trip through the French countryside. The fact that we have been traveling at close to 300 klm/hour is only released if you concentrate on the power poles whizzing past the window.
Paris garde de est is our final destination, the station is busy with people and it is a quick trip to the ticket office to book our eurorail train to London for Monday.
We decide to take a taxi ride to the hotel, the mayhem that is Paris traffic ensues but despite the impending chaos we arrive intact and having seen many tourist sights all for the princely sum of 20 euros.
After settling into the hotel we head out to have a look at the Eiffel tower which is at the end of the block, people are settling in for the evening on the grass in front of the tower with there wine and food. A perfect way to end a first day in Paris.