A day in Paris

It was dubbed to be the world’s most romantic city and as such, it was a place not to be missed for both me and Jules. It is very convenient to head to Paris from London as the Eurostar, a high speed train connects London’s St. Pancras International and Paris’ Gare Du Nord via a 2-hour-15-minutes journey. The ticket price is in the region of £150 return each; and the earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets are.

It was a weekend trip and we left on a Friday night. Getting through custom was rather easy and I mostly slept throughout the journey. Upon arrival, we just looked for the famous Paris Metro, one of the most efficient public transport systems in the world. Though everything is in French, we managed to find the desired destination, Chatelet.

It has been a good 7 years since I last been to Paris and I must say, I don’t recall the Metro station being this dirty. Honestly, the cleanliness was appalling and on top of that, there is a very strong scent of… urine. Not a very pleasant experience in the station I can tell you. So we quickly made our way out via ‘sortie’ and checked-in into our hotel.

I always remember the French and their famous “no-spiikin-inglis” but the hotel receptionist was rather fluent in English. Good for me, I don’t have to embarrass myself with my very limited French. The room was just fantabulous and after settling down, we went out for a short walk. However, it was cold and everything was already closed so we decided to call it a day.

Breakfast was obviously different, no ‘nasi lemak’ or ‘fried bee-hoon’ as there was a good selection of croissant, sausages, bread, scrambled eggs and to cater for the Japanese… miso soup and noodles. After filling our tummy, we headed out for our self-made Paris tour, all on foot.

Our first pit-stop was Arc de Triomphe, approximately 20 minutes walk from our hotel. It is one of France’s most coveted national treasures; built to commemorate the generals who served under Napoleon. There is a fire which burnt non-stop to remember all those who die in the war during Napoleon’s times.
From that, it is a walk down the famous Champs-Élysées (pronounced shon-si-lei-si-eh), a very famous street filled with designer boutiques and sidewalk cafes. Louis Vuitton, or famously known as LV is one of the boutique there. Those who opened the door for us greeted us with ‘bonjour’ but as soon as we stepped in, we were greeted with ‘koni-chiwa’ and ‘ni hao’. 80% of the promoters inside there are Asians and almost 100% of the customers there are mainland Chinese.
Along the street, you can see the National French University. At the end of Champs-Élysées is the Tuileries Palace with a very nice fountain where people will take a break to enjoy the scenic beauty. The fountain is also a place where some wild ducks seek sanctuary.
Moving along, the next destination is the gem of Paris, Musée Du Louvre; the place where one of the world’s most famous paintings is kept. We were really blessed as the queue was not that long. We don’t really know how to appreciate arts and paintings so we headed to the hall which kept that priceless piece of art. The picture I took of that piece was rather unclear. Anyway, I am sure you guys have seen it before. But one thing you don’t know is…
So you think you have been spelling it correctly all these while…

Though we aren’t exactly art lovers, the museum is truly a remarkable place, so huge you can actually spend the whole day in it. It is indeed an architecture wonder and definitely a must see for anyone who visits Paris. If I am not mistaken the entrance fee for the museum is €14 per person. Not cheap if you convert but it’s a place not to be missed.

The next architectural wonder of Paris is certainly the Notre Dame Cathedral. Being inside there gave me a very serene kind of feeling. To me, this is the second most beautiful church in the world. The most beautiful one is located in Rome, will talk about it later. There is a queue to go into Notre Dame and entrance is free.

It’s quite dark inside Notre Dame and basically you can see people taking pictures everywhere. Some will be offering some gifts to the poor and light a candle while some will sit and perhaps whisper a silent prayer.

One cannot say one has visited Paris if one has not been to Eiffel Tower. We reached there after sunset and from afar, I can already see that it is such a magnificent structure. Do you know that this tower is made up of more than 10,000 tonnes of steel but the pressure it exerts on the ground is equivalent to a man sitting on a chair? This is what made Eiffel Tower an architectural wonder.
Queuing to go up the tower is a pain… queuing to go up on a winter night is torture beyond words! I think the temperature was about 3 or 4 degrees and by the time we reached the entrance; we can no longer feel our toes. We stopped at level 2 to grab a hot chocolate before queuing (again) to go up to the highest level. Though it was a torture, going up the tower is another must-do for anyone who visits Paris.

Eiffel Tower was the last destination for that day and we headed back to the hotel for dinner and some well deserved rest. By the way, there is actually a restaurant on the second level of Eiffel Tower and have a look at the name of the restaurant…

We should have been there…

… To be continued… (if I feel like it)…