You're most convinced you're in Paris when you see the Eiffel Tower. Well, the rest, it does not matter so much, as most of us believe...
Recently on CNY, we went for a holiday in Paris. Once again, our context of holiday is different from most people. We had two full days in Paris which I think it's more than enough to cover the key landmarks of Paris.
Paris, to me is not a big city as I had walked the entire circle of three quarters of Paris city before with a map in hand. And once again, we did exactly that on our second day. We walked from Porte Maillot to Eiffel via Avenue Kleber and then along the River Seine, we passed Musee Du Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Institut De France and finally, Notre Dame. The walk was long but an interesting one.
At Eiffel, nothing beats the city view from the top, to see the entire Paris at one spot. We ventured to the highest level and the lift ride was quite horrifying for those who fear of heights. We were lifted to more than 100 meters off the ground and we were glad that, there was no crowd to share the space.
After Eiffel , along our journey, we encountered a kind lady who dresses so smartly and speaks English like a true French. She reminded me of Swiss Aunt. She offered to take a photo of us in front of Musee D'Orsay when she saw us struggling with a self-taken portrait. She insisted that she takes two photos, just in case as the passing double-deck buses might block the view behind. We thanked her profusely and she walked away with a genuine smile that she had made a great impression of Paris to us. She was right. We felt that but to our surprise, the photos were not exactly captured as she did not press the shutter button long enough. Well, it did not deter us from being grateful to a kind stranger in Paris.
When we were in Notre Dame, a mass was going on. I am most surprised to find out that my hero Jeanne D'Arc was made a saint and that decision was made here. I suddenly felt connected to this place. There is a statue of her and who can forget the movie starred Milla Jovovich, a model and a great actress too, which is quite rare.
After Notre Dame, we hunted for food and we ended up at Cafe Du Musee near The Louvre. The food was ok but the whole experience was made interesting by a middle-aged waitress who speaks and serves with pride and poise. She mingled and talked to all her restaurant patrons in a manner of a great hostess!
After lunch, we walked again and this time towards Galeries Lafayette. After a brief window shopping, we continued to Champs Elysees and finally Arc De Triomphe Etoile. Our second night dinner was at Leon's again where I savoured on mussels baked with cheese and tomatoes. With another Euro to spare, we had one more plate.
Overall, our second day was full and so was our first day. After a 14-hour flight, it was a surprise that we did not need espresso and cigarette like the locals do, to stay awake. We went out straight and made Arc De Triomphe, our first stop. It was the gradual feel of entering Paris, that made me feel like a child unwrapping the many layers of paper wrap just to see what's inside.
Then Champs Elysees unveiled herself with a street so straight and full of people, locals and tourists alike flocking the so-called most happening street in Paris. Cafes are staged with chair arrangement facing the walkway as a means to people-watching even during winter.
What is to miss, is not to go to The Louvre to take a peep at the famour potrait, Mona Lisa. When we arrived at the famous museum, we did just that and then spend the rest of the remaining opening hours at the museum cafe and ventured outside the museum for some souvenirs. So typical of a tourist!
Paris is beautiful and like New York, it is a famous movie set. Paris looks great, the Parisiens look great and even nicer are the architectures. Is this the facade that Paris like to show? Is that all? Maybe we need a longer stay to see and understand Paris deeper. Perhaps, another trip...
