So another day of wondering and organising, I started off the day by coming to grips with the Metro, I have got myself a Navigo card which is similar to the Oyster card in London as it is a recharge card and mine lasts 1 week, Monday to Sunday, I also got a 10 trip ticket to fill in any gaps if I want to use the metro outside of next week. So with ticket in hand I descend into the bowls of the Metro and ride the train to the Chateau stop, from here it is a short walk to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the islands in the…

I have taken a couple of short videos from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, these almost give a 360 deg view and look out over the south and north of the tower. Because the day was so nice there was little pollution so the view is quite clear. Eiffel Tower View from to the North from the 2nd Floor. Eiffel Tower View from to the South from the 2nd Floor.

Chilly is the first thing that comes to mind as I step out of the door of my hotel and head out in search of breakfast, the day is sunny but I would guess at 5 deg to start, forecasted top of 10 deg today. I wonder the back streets and am rewarded with a local mini mart selling sandwiches and all sorts of grocery goods, I have a microwave in my hotel room so I will be back here for supplies but for now a sandwich, drink and a small pack of chips will do for lunch, total 5 euro much better. I head of around the corner remembering…

It’s 6am dark, cold and damp as I make my way to the station to catch the TGV to Paris, the rain has eased up for me to make my way. It isn’t long before the chisel nosed TGV train slips into the platform and I make my way onboard to find my seat. A few minutes more and we are travelling through the darkness and Luxembourg is fading away behind us. An hour later and the first rays of dawn start to colour the sky and Metz is the first town in France that I see in daylight. The train travels on through the countryside, white cows like beacons…

Well the trains are back on so out into the chilly 6 deg morning I go, when I woke it was raining heavily but now at 10.30 it has stopped. I have time for breakfast as I wait for the 11.37 train, this will get me to Luxembourg by 2.45 pm. The train trip is a pretty one climbing through low mountain passes, forests of pine, birch and elm line the route, there leaves changing colour and already a carpet of leaves covers the forest floor. Breaking through the forests I am meet with pastures filled with cows, mainly dairy, the green grass covering the rolling fields. Arriving in Luxembourg…

Well I wake to find a cold but fine day and after checking out of my hotel i head to the train station to catch my train to Luxembourg, arriving at the station I am stopped in my tracks with it closed, It has slipped my notice that there is a 24 hour train strike in Belgium, so back to my hotel I go and luckily my room is still available. Looks like I will be having another night in Brussels. Luckily I am able to contract my hotel in Luxembourg and they are happy to alter my reservations for just tomorrow night, hopefully the trains will be running tomorrow…

Today is my last day in Brussels, tomorrow I head to Luxembourg, if the forecast is correct it will be 7 deg and rain showers, a good day for a 3 hour train trip. so today is another day to do Laundry and then a bit of tourist shopping, I need to have a look for a good Brussels fridge magnet to commemorate my trip. The wind is very chilly and my scarf is my appreciated as I head off to do laundry, It is 9.30 and only a handful of shops are open, even the beggars are not out, so it must be cold. Luckily the laundry mat is…

Well the day is cold again as I walk out of my hotel, there is a street market setup in the small square in front of the hotel, it seems that there are different stall owners for each day of the week. Today I decide to head off to the Shuemann district and check out the EU, being a Saturday there are no meetings on but the buildings should be interesting to have a look at, I have to catch the Luxembourg train to get there which is interesting as I will be catching this on Monday. The EU buildings are all shiny interestingly shaped buildings, lots of glass formed…

It is raining heavily in Brussels tonight, as I look out onto the little square located in front of my hotel from the restaurant, the market stalls from this afternoon have gone and are replaced with the reflections of neon signs off the glistening cobblestones. But this is Friday night and even the rain will not deter the tourist from venturing out into the cold evening, with umbrellas held high and clothed in coats and scarfs, they scurry across the square and into the dry warm environment of waiting restaurants. Today was a preparation day with accommodation booked for Luxembourg and Paris, I now feel a bit easier that at…

The morning finds we a little weary from all of my travelling so I decide to have a day in and on one of wandering I noticed a laundry mat, this is a good thing as to get laundry done in the hotel will cost me over 30 euro’s and that is just for the smalls. It is another cold morning and there seems little chance of the sun appearing today, so with backpack full of clothes it is off to the laundry mat I head, finding it again is pretty easy as it is around the corner from my favourite bar the Mannaken Pis, the fun starts when I…