Paris

A view across the River Seine

Our two day Paris trip was almost like an Amazing Race episode. That is because we had limited time and we wanted to squeeze in as many sights as possible. Still, it was a very fun experience and it left us hungry for more. 

Anyway, after touching down at Beauvais airport, we got our first taste of the chilly weather when the flight attendants opened the cabin door. Our Ryanair pilot had warned us in mid-flight that a cold front had extended into France, which is why the weather was slightly chilly. How interesting. We go from a heat wave in Italy to a cold front in Paris in summer. Anyway, as we stepped off the plane onto the tarmac of the airport, we had to make a dash to the terminal building because the area was unsheltered and it was raining. The airport itself is simple and nondescript, a no-frills terminal for budget flights after all. After collecting our baggage, Prema and I walked out of the terminal, yes, in the rain, to purchase our €13 bus tickets to downtown Paris. The one hour plus bus ride is pretty uneventful. You'll pass green pastures and... I fell asleep. But you'll catch your first glance of the Eiffel Tower if you manage to stay awake. I saw it because Prema woke me. Anyway we eventually landed up at Porte Malliot.

Our first task of the day was to get to our hostel in the quickest time possible. To do that, we needed to figure out how to use the subway- the metro. Using my limited French, we managed to get ourselves to our hostel, the 3 Ducks Hostel, without a hitch. After we left our backpacks in the hostel, we started heading towards the Eiffel Tower, our first destination of the day. When we booked our hostel, the hostel's website stated that the Eiffel Tower is only ten minutes away. Well, ten minutes away by car probably. By then, we were already famished. We woke up at 4am in Rome to catch our flight and by this time, it was already past one in the afternoon. The street that led to the Eiffel Tower was lined with Chinese eateries and in our starved condition, we decided to grab some Chinese food. I ordered rice with two dishes. What a shock I got. The bill came up to more than  €10. Apparently they peg the price of the food according to how much it weighs. That's something new to me. Anyway, to cut costs, Prema decided to just get rice and share the dishes with me.

And so we walked on down the lovely neighborhood. After what seemed like an eternity in our famished state, we finally ended up in the Parc du Champs de Mars, which is a rectangular park which stands between the Eiffel Tower and École Militaire, a military school. We found a bench to sit down and have lunch in front of the symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower.

After lunch, we starting walking down the Champs de Mars towards the Eiffel Tower. But before we reach the tower, there is a Wall of Peace which was installed in 2000. This wall of peace was inspired by the wailing wall of Jerusalem, and visitors can put their messages of peace in the chinks of the walls. Nice touch, but of course, our real motive in coming here is to go up the Eiffel Tower.

A view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.

And so we continued walking. Finally we arrived at the base of the tower. There was a huge crowd and lots of people were queuing up to ascend the tower. There are basically four pillars for people to ascend the tower but on the day that we went, one of the pillars was closed. Apparently, admission rotates from pillar to pillar on different days. Of the remaining three pillars, two were for elevator access and the other was the stairway. To save money, we decided to climb the stairs (€3). And so we started queuing up. It took us at least half an hour. And all this while, the weather was acting weirdly. One moment, the clouds would come out, and the cold winds would blow, then the next, it was all warm and sunny again.

Finally, the moment has arrived. We started walking up the tower. It wasn't as tiring as I thought it would be. Along the way, we saw some interesting nuggets of information about the tower. Though I can't remember much now, it was quite entertaining as I was making my way up the tower. Eventually, we landed up at the first floor, which is the equivalent of 19 storeys. There are lots of displays about the tower's history, and from here we got a good view of Paris.

Soon after, we decided to walk up to the second floor which is the equivalent of 38 storeys. All the while, the wind was howling and it got pretty chilly, especially if we got a direct blast of the cold wind. Amazingly, we spotted some ladies in their tiny tank-tops while the rest of us were covered up snugly. Anyway, the view here is similar to that at the first floor, just higher up (obviously). Again, there are souvenir shops here and I couldn't resist buying a small replica of the tower here. From here, we can also take the elevator up to the top floor. But the queues are amazingly long. Well, maybe next time...

Finally we decided that we've spent enough time on the Eiffel Tower and had to move on. After we came down from the tower, we decided to head for the Arc de Triomphe. Walking along the River Seine, we eventually turned left along Avenue Marceau to reach the Arc de Triomphe. It is huge, larger than a similar structure in Laos. Apparently a daredevil once flew his plane through the Arc. We had to walk through an underground passageway to reach the Arc. Above ground, beneath the Arc, we can see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. There's also an eternal flame which burns in memory of the dead who were never identified in the both World Wars. Due to the large number of people who were killed in the World Wars, the practice developed for nations to have a symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that represented the war grave of those unidentified soldiers. The day before, I had just visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Rome. It really puts me in a contemplative mood. It makes me think about the senselessness of war and how so many lives were lost. Hopefully, there'll never be a World War III, but seeing how destructive Man is, I think it's inevitable. Oh well, let's not go there.

After deciding not to pay to climb the Arc (a decision which Prema regretted later on by the way), we walked down the tree-lined boulevard of Champs Elysees which also happens to be one of the most famous streets in the world. It took us past cafes, cinemas (Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds poster is everywhere!), and luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton. Shopping's not really my thing so we didn't linger long except to grab some cheese sandwich (nice) and pop into music megastore HMV. As we walked on, eventually I saw a tourist booth, which was ubiquitous in Italy, but almost non-existent in Paris. Finally I got a nice map! Earlier we had been walking around based on the simple map in our guidebook. While we weren't exactly lost, the map in the guidebook only mapped out the larger streets and famous attractions, so we didn't dare walk down the smaller streets.

On Pont Alexandre III looking at the Eiffel Tower.

At some point, we turned right and we saw the Musée du Petit Palais with its blue dome and gold trimmings. However, it was closed for renovations though I doubt we would have gone in even if it were not. Up ahead is the Pont Alexandre III which many considered the most beautiful bridge in Paris. It is not hard to see why. It is lavishly decorated with sculptures of cherubs and nymphs and at the ends of the bridge, there are large gilded neo-classical statues on high granite pillars. On the right, there's a nice view of the Eiffel Tower, and in front, you can see the Hôtel des Invalides with the gold-plated Dôme des Invalides behind it. The Hôtel des Invalides was originally planned as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers. The name is a shortened form of hôpital des invalides, the hospital for invalids and it currently houses a few museums.

Just in front of Les Invalides is the grassy, tree-lined Esplanade des Invalides where there are people playing sports or relaxing. We walked on to the Assemblée Nationale which houses the French Parliament. There is a logo of the 2012 Olympics which Paris is in the running for. Actually such logos are found all over town, including one on the Eiffel Tower. Well, eventually they lost the bid to London.

Assemblée Nationale- A constant reminder that Paris is in the running to host the 2012 Olympics, which they lost eventually to London.

Anyway, from here we headed back towards the River Seine and landed up in Place de la Concorde which is one of the major squares in Paris. The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk which once marked the entrance to Luxor Temple in Egypt. This obelisk is more than 3000 years old! Amazing! However, we didn't linger long because at this point in time, Prema felt that she couldn't hold in her bladder any longer. Thus began the race to find a toilet. At first we tried a hotel, but we were turned away when the staff found out that we weren't guests in the hotel. Next, we tried the subway toilets. Alas, it was closed. You should have seen the look of desperation on Prema's face. Fortunately for her, we finally found a cafe which allowed us to use the toilet. In return, we bought a bottle of water from them.

And so we continued walking along the River Seine, to the Tuileries Gardens which used to be part of Tuileries Palace until it was burnt down and demolished. Today the gardens carry some 63 acres and there's a small funfair within its grounds. Beyond the gardens is the world famous Louvre Museums. As we reached there, we could see that the area was cordoned off and there were guards all around. Apparently there's some event at night. As it is, we couldn't even get close to the Lourve Pyramid. So we ended up taking pictures in front of the museum. By the way, the museum is huge. The wings, which forms the shape of a C or an inverted C depending on how you look at it, looks really long. Later on, when I checked the map,  I saw that the length of the wings is close to one kilometre. No wonder it is one of the largest museums in the world. Think about how many art pieces it must hold. Well, no luck in seeing them. Next time then.

By then, it was already 8 plus in the evening and the sun was setting. We decided to make it to one more destination for the day. Again we walked along the River Seine. Soon we saw the Île de la Cité, which is an island in the middle of the River Seine. It was also where Paris was founded. We walked across one of the many bridges to the Île de la Cité and headed towards the Notre Dame de Paris (French for Our Lady of Paris). It is is a gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité. In the setting sun, it looked amazing. But by now, it was quite late and our stomachs were protesting. Thus, we decided to return to Notre Dame the next day and find some food in the meantime.

Notre Dame which is widely considered the finest example of French gothic architecture.

From the Notre Dame, we walked over to the left bank to find some cheap food. Alas, food prices here were generally higher than in Italy. Eventually we settled on some sandwiches which wasn't fantastic ,but at least it filled our stomachs. Initially our plan was to walk on to the Eiffel Tower to see its night lights. However, by then the weather was really chilly (about 12 degree Celsius) and we weren't dressed for the occasion. Thus, we decided to head back towards our hostel, grab some clothes and then go to the Eiffel Tower. We ducked into the nearest Metro station to escape the cold and it wasn't long before we were back in our hostels.

Back there, we grab our clothes and headed to the Eiffel Tower. After walking for what seemed like an eternity, I suddenly remembered that the direction to the Eiffel Tower was the other way. Darn! So much for being so confident that I didn't bother to check the map. Well, no choice then, we had to head back. By then it was close to midnight and Prema was too tired to continue (remember we've been up since 4am in Rome to catch the flight to Paris). So we settled on a compromise. We won't get a close-up view of the tower but we'll still get to see it. Thus, instead of walking all the way to the tower, we walked towards the River Seine which is nearby. Along the way, I spotted the glittering lights of the tower, but the tower was partly obscured by some buildings, thus I decided to walk faster to the river to get a better view. What a bad decision. By the time we reached the river, the lights have stopped glittering. Instead, the tower is lighted in some orangey glow. Still beautiful, but I would have wanted to see more of the glittering lights. Well, after grabbing some pictures, we headed back to the hostel to grab some much-needed rest.

The next morning, when I woke up, I got a shock. I actually overslept! My alarm was set for 7am but by the time I woke, it was already 9am. Given that we had a flight to catch at 3pm, we didn't have much time left in Paris. Thus I shook Prema awake and amazingly, we managed to wash up and pack up in less than fifteen minutes. Since our plan was to head back to Notre Dame, we headed for the Metro and bought our tickets there. I thought I had figured out how to travel on the Metro, but this time around, we had to switch to another network, the RER, which is the regional express network. Gosh, that really gave me a headache. Luckily, after asking around with my limited French, I managed to get to Notre Dame, thanks to a very kind and friendly musician.

At Notre Dame, we decided to view the crypt first. The crypt, which is now a museum, fleshes out the history and growth of Paris and it contains the remains of buildings dating back to pre-Roman times. The crypt itself is not large. It's beneath Notre Dame and it's definitely worth a visit. Once out of the crypt, we walked on to Notre Dame itself. The interior of Notre Dame is very dark. It took a while to get the eyes used to the darkness. There's some nice artwork in there and spectacular rose windows of stained glass. But I think I like the facade a lot more, with its ornately crafted spires. It sounds quite ridiculous but there's something very French about Notre Dame. Anyway, looking at the queues to go up the north tower of Notre Dame, we decided that we couldn't spare the time and so we walked over to the Memorial to the Victims of Deportation, which is just beside Notre Dame.

The interior of Notre Dame.

The Deportation Memorial, which is underground, honours the memory of the 200,000 French men and women who were deported by the Nazis, Jews and non-Jews alike. Below, a single, barred 'window' separates the bleak, rough concrete courtyard from the waters of the Seine. Above the exit as you leave is the message you'll find at all Nazi sights: "Forgive but never forget." Well, it seems as if Man never really learn from their mistakes. Just two days after I left Paris, and just one day after London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, London was rocked by bombs which killed scores of innocent people. Just when will such indiscriminate killing stop?

Back at street level, we decided to head towards the Latin Quarter on the left bank. Basically, from here onwards, I was just following the historic Paris Walk suggested by Rick Steves in his guidebook. And time was really not on our side, so we quickened our steps and tried to cover as much sights as we could. We overshot a little but eventually we found the Shakespeare & Company bookstore. In the 20's, it was famous as a meeting place of Paris's literary expatriate elite. Ernest Hemingway, a struggling American writer, strangled and cooked pigeons in the park and "borrowed" books from here to survive. Fitzgerald, Joyce, and Pound also got their English fix here. Unfortunately for us, they were just preparing to open the bookstore at the time and we couldn't get in for at least another fifteen minutes. Due to time constraints, we decided not to wait. Meanwhile, I peered through the door and tried to breathe in the literary air there.

Latin Quarter

From here, we walked on to St. Séverin, a gothic church which gives us a close-up look at gargoyles. I remember walking into the church to have a look but I don't really recall what it looks like now. Then, Prema reminded me that we wanted to taste French onion soup and this proved to be our downfall. More on that later. Anyway, we started walking around the Latin Quarter searching for French onion soup. At the first restaurant we went into, we were thrown out when they realized that we only wanted French onion soup. Finally, we found a nice cafe that served French onion soup. There's some cheese melted on top and it's heavenly. However by then, we had only slightly more than two hours left to our flight. Thus, we started our mad dash back to hostel to collect our stuff and then to the Metro to board our train to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Gosh, we'll need an hour to get to the airport and we had to change to the RER network because the Metro doesn't reach there.

On the RER, we were really panicking as the time to our flight drew closer. At the RER station for Charles de Gaulle, we had to board a shuttle bus to our terminal and finally we reached the terminal, 30 minutes before takeoff. To our horror, the counter people told us that the desk is closed. We've missed our flight. We were asked to proceed to the Emirates counter. Initially, they told us to contact our travel agent for help. But after some cajoling, they finally agreed to help us and we were put on a later flight on the same day, some six hours later. But we were €50 poorer due to the 'administrative' fee. .

And then I was thinking, darn, I could have wandered around the Latin Quarter with all the additional time. Anyway, six hours is a little awkward. Traveling to Paris and back would take two hours, and to be safe, we wanted to check in two hours early this time. So if we had headed back to Paris, we'll only have two hours. Thus, we decided to hang out at the airport till our flight. The airport is undergoing some major renovation and there's nothing much to do or see. Well, all these because of the French onion soup though I must say that I don't really regret having it on hindsight. It's really nice.

Dubai Airport

Eventually we boarded our flight to Dubai. Upon arrival at Dubai, it seemed as though Dubai was caught in some sandstorm or something. It looked so foggy and the sunlight barely filtered through all that fog. Well, I wanted to feel the hot desert air, but I guess it's not the right time, though the weather is still quite warm. At the terminal building, I bought some souvenirs and then decided that I wanted to try some Arabic food. Alas, the airport has international cuisine, even McDonald's, but no Arabic food. The closest is Lebanese food. I got some fried dumplings with some vegetables, and all I can say is, it's not to my liking. Anyway soon after, we boarded the flight back and it's the end of my two week European vacation.

Click to view my Paris pictures.