Blast from the past - Part 2

Paris 1999

My brother Des and I and our respective partners took a coach trip to Paris for 4 days, gay romantic Paris eh.  What a laugh.  We set off from Bradford at 7.ooam and were due to be in our hotel by 7.00pm.  At 11.00pm we were still driving around the outskirts of Paris.  The driver and tour guide could not find the hotel!  Round and round Paris we went, mutiny on the cards until we gave in and just ripped the mickey out of the driver and tour guide - they took it well :)   Eventually we booked a taxi to the hotel and the driver followed that!  Here's a few pics from that trip...

The unmistakeable landmark of Paris - La Tour Eiffel.  Might have gone up it

but all the staff who worked in the tourist hotspots were on strike - how typically French.

This had to be seen to be believed.  This picture is taken at mid day in July.  Paris got hit by a micro storm and unleashed a massive downpour.  The sky turned black and you can see the cars in the background with their headlights on.  This is taken on the Champs Elysses which turned into a river.  We took shelter in an arcade until the river over run the  pavement and went into them too.

Me and Des on the Champs Elysses just before the heavens opened.  You can see the lights coming on from the shops. Remember this is mid day and it was darker than the picture looks.

Des and myself sampling du vin rouge ;)  We found a bar on the banks of the Seine just opposite
 Notre Dame Cathedral (shut due the strike).  This bar is apparantly a favourite with the arty set - arty bill too.
We walked all over Paris stopping off at numerous bars and I'm sure Des will remember how I
sampled a Croque monsieur at each one - research you understand! lol

End of a long day and what else is there to do but mess around in the pool.  No trunks? doesn't matter just
dive in in your jeans!  Think this is Des - not sure what style he has adopted here?!?  We ended up bulding
a diving tower out of the chairs and tables.

After the diving games - here's me laughing at how short our coach driver is.  After all the mickey taking
 both him and the tour guide became our mates and joined in with all the shenanigans.

Des and his excessive cocaine habit.   He was messing about with a 'stress ball'.  It must have all got
a bit too much for him as it burst in his hands lol - "hmmmm Betty"

...back at the Port on our way home the French were on strike again - quelle suprise! 
So we had a lot of time to kill.  I got bored so enlisted the driver and Des to make it look like
I was levitating up and down at the back of this coach from Cheshire.  They were quite
suprised to see me rise and knock on their window lol

Part of 'our gang' from this infamous tour.  The tour guide is holding our homemade
'Carry On Tours' banner that we put in the window.  I nick named her Hattie Jacques!
Happy days!