The view from the lower level of the Eiffel Tower.

The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Another view from the top of the Eiffel Tower, of the Trocadero.

Lisa, Andrea, Kayla and I on the TOP of the Arc de Triomphe.

La Defense. The Grande Arche as seen from the Arc de Triomphe.

The inside of the Sacre Coeur.

The back of the Notre Dame. It has gorgeous gothic architecture.

Me at the Notre Dame Cathedral on Ile de la Cite.

Saturday Night in Paris!

Starting my night at the gorgeous Sacre Coeur. Ironically, we started at the place of worship then ended at the place of sin (Moulin Rouge), both in the Montmartre district.

Ending my night at the Moulin Rouge! I didn't actually go in - dinner and a show there STARTS at €140! But it was neat to be outside of it!

The ISC Trip to Paris: Wednesday to Friday

Me on the Champs-Elysees! I didn't buy anything, but I did see Louis Vuitton, Prada, Yves St-Laurent, Chanel, etc all here! ... I think those names are a little out of my budget.

The Arc de Triomphe with the HUGE traffic circle AROUND it. It has an underground walkway to get to the arc.

Cindy and Ruth at the Place Concorde.

Laura, Lisa and I having an authentic French dinner, complete with creme brulee for dessert.

The Eiffel Tower at night, as seen from the Trocadero. It's just awe-inspiring.

The Museum Day in Paris! (Wednesday)

Getting up early to go to the Musee d'Orsay and the Louvre was very hard, especially after the late nights in Belgium. Justin went back to bed while we were waiting for the buses to arrive.

We got into the Musee d'Orsay before it opened to the public. Educational groups get in early, so you can see there were very few there. After 10am, this lobby is PACKED.

One of Degas's famous ballet dancers at the Musee d'Orsay.

I'm at the Musee du Louvre with an Easter Island sculpture. Kinda freaky looking.

The Mona Lisa at the Louvre. I had to FIGHT through the crowd to get this shot - I think I took out a 10-year-old and an elderly old man. There were TONS of people crowded around it.

Mary-Pam and I were "scandalised" by Manet's Dejeuner sur l'herbe at the Musee d'Orsay.

Picasso's version of Manet's Dejeuner sur l'herbe. At the Musee de Picasso.

Belgium: Flanders Fields and Brussels

On the way to Brussels, we stopped in Flanders. Although this was not the exact site where MacRae immortalised the fields, it was near by. These are original trenches that have been preserved; nearby farmers still regularly find un-exploded bombs. Bomb disposal squads go by EVERY DAY to collect them from local residents.

The medieval streets of Belgium were fun to go walking around!

The "famous" peeing boy from Belgium! He's Brussels's most famous image. The story behing the boy is that he was the son of an important member of the bourgeosie. He was lost for 5 days, and during a hectic event, possibly a fire, he was found: while everyone else was panicking, he was non-chalantly peeing. That, apparently, was enough to be immortalised as a sculpture.

The Grand Place, the main plaza of Brussels.

My lifelong dream fulfilled: having belgian waffles in Belgium!

Grand Place at night; one of the most beautiful piazzas I've ever seen.

Just got back from EIRE!

It's about 1:30am. We've been back for about an hour, not even. Ireland was great. We managed to see everything we wanted to see, and even meet a Canadian working at the Guinness Factory who gave us free beer.

Leaving for the continent in a few hours!

The Week-End in Dublin: February 18 to 20

The overnight train / ferry to Dublin. We aren't exactly the most alert of people by the middle of the night. This is Justin and Jeremy, shortly before a nap.

Just before going back to sleep on the ferry. It was a miniature luxury cruise ship - it was the biggest ferry I'd ever seen, complete with a casino, movie theatre, several bars and ... lovely large benches that were perfect for sleeping on.

Justin and Dennis having a thumb war at the Guinness Factory bar. We met a Canadian bar tender from Canada, who gave us several rounds of Guinness on the house, so we hung out there for a while.

At the Guinness Factory: me with the Guinness harp.

Malahide Castle near Dublin.