Our last trip was in the summer of 1997, when Nicky and I stayed in a little hotel to the east of the city. If I'm honest, we didn't have a great time. Firstly, it was very hot, and most of the people who lived and worked there had cleared out for the summer, and so loads of places were closed. Our hotel was rather basic - no air con and a room that measured about one foot longer and one foot wider than the bed. Our hotel wasn't exactly central, so we had a pretty long walk to get there. We saved up one of the things we were looking forward to most, at trip to the Musee D'Orsay, to our final day of holiday, which was a Monday.
The museum doesn't open on a Monday.
Oh yes, and to top it all off, Paris was also enjoying a visit from Pope John Paul II at the same time as us. As a result, a few million of his followers had decided to descend on the city at the same time. Whilst they weren't following the Pope around, they were filling up every available tourist destination to bursting point.
Well, after 14 years, we've decided that the time is right to give it another try, so for a long weekend in May, Nicky and I will be Eurostar-ing through the tunnel to try out Paris in the Springtime.
This time we've splashed out on what will hopefully prove to be a better hotel. It comes with 5 stars, and is just down the road from the Arc de Triomphe. We will not leave it until Monday to go to the museum.
Right, I'd better go and have a rummage in Google to see if the Pope publishes his travel plans ...
(By the way, as pointed out on the radio this evening, today should be called "Pi" day, but probably only if you're American and write the date the wrong way around. Worth making a note for 4 years time, as it will be an even more special Pi day then!)