New Year's Eve started with a bang at around 7am as we wanted to beat the queues at the Tour Eiffel. We surfaced from the Metro at Trocadero. For those of you who have been to Paris before will know this offers a great reveal of the Tour for first time viewers. And so it proved to be for one Sarah Annabel Louise whose jaw dropped as she rounded the corner of the City of Architecture and Heritage building onto the Esplanade du Trocadero. Sarah was overwhelmed at the sheer size of the Tour and became nervous about heading to the top. This anxiety heightened as we approached the Tour and made it underneath where we queued for 45mins to get our tickets. The day was overcast and quite windy but that did not detract from the experience and within an hour we were inside the North Pilier aboard our first lift up to the second level of the tower. Out in the fresh conditions Sarah was able to spot some of the sights that we had taken in over the previous three days and as she got more comfortable with her surroundings was able to loosen her grip of Mark's arm! After circumnavigating the second level we got back into... you guessed it a queue for the second lift up to the top observation deck. The tension levels ratcheted up again inside the elevator as you are able to see out the side windows of the elevator but also above you through panels in the ceiling. At the top, however, the observation deck where you alight from the elevator is fully enclosed helping to bring the anxiety levels back down. Acclimatised to being 273m above the city Sarah strode up the stairs to the open air deck and was greatly impressed by the view and the size of the city sprawling out in all directions.
Following the Tour we headed back into the Marais to search out a lunch spot that we had found in our Wallpaper Guidebook. Let's just say this turned out to be a debacle that tested our tolerance of each other. We were able to have a good laugh about it when we finally sat down for a bite to eat... not at our intended spot but a cafe across the street as our intended destination was chocker block. By the time we had eaten it was time to head out to L'Ile Seguin an island on the Seine to the south of the central city. We were both excited about what was in store for us at Cirque du Soleil.
This shot is taken outside the Grand Chapiteau (Big Top) with Corteo the central character of the show whose image was on one of the trailers. We arrived an hour before the show commenced and strolled along with other patrons from the end of the Line 9 Metro along the Seine and across a pedestrian bridge onto L'Ile Senguin. With drinks in hand we entered the Grand Chapiteau around 20mins before the performance began and found our seats. We were rapt with our view. The stage was draped with a screen with an elaborate and playful image of a curtain revealing the goings on of a production about to begin.
For the next two and a half hours we were entertained by a talented cast of dancers, acrobats, clowns and musicians who transported us to a fantastical, surreal, dreamlike space where the music really assisted in creating this space. At times we were both on the edge of our seats gasping at the death defying feats of the performers. Sarah's favourite acts were the 15 person trapeze and the suspended rope duo. Mark loved the trampoline beds and the acrobatics of the seesaw catapult. We both thought the message of the show, Corteo remembering his life upon his death, was beautifully woven through the performances. If you ever get the chance to see one of these shows you must do it!
After the show we made our way back into town on the Metro which was free for New Year's Eve. We decided to get off at Trocadero again and check out what the scene was like at Tour Eiffel. It was packed! People were everywhere hooting and a hollering and it was only 8pm at this stage. We decided to head down to the Seine and see if we could grab a spot on one of the river cruises. Bateaux Parisiens were in business and so we booked a passage on the Brigitte Bardot for the 8:30pm sailing. The perspective from the Seine of the City of Lights is quite breath taking as you slip under the numerous bridges that cross the river and look up at the beautiful and varied architecture of the landmark buildings on either side of the river.
By the end of the hour long cruise we were both starting to wilt and so we made the call to head home to the apartment and see in the New Year from there. We were home just after 11pm but were that tired that we fell into bed and were asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. Although we didn't see in the New Year we made sure that we said goodbye to 2011 in style and Mark had something up his sleeve to get 2012 off to a cracker!
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