Paris - The Eiffel Tower

Paris - The treasures of the Louvre

The Louvre was our first major visit. It was just mind boggling. We spent the whole day there, but still saw through only about half its collection. One painting I didn't see was 'The Lacemaker' by Vermeer. It was on my list, but we were so tired at the end of the day and just didn't have the energy to walk over to that part of the Louvre.

The magic and romance of PARIS

We were moving for a year to Melbourne, Australia and a big vacation was due. It was going to be our first visit to India after marriage. Though Raj did not have too many days for a vacation, we wanted to fit in one European city into our itenary. Our first choice was Florence, Italy. But since we had to go to Miami to get our visa, we changed plans at the last minute and chose Paris instead. (The French consulate in Atlanta was convenient given our crazy packing and winding up schedule) I was paranoid about security after the Madrid bombings and the ransom threats. But once in Paris, I forgot everything.

The trip did not really start out all that good. We scrambled into Atlanta airport with only 2 hrs to the flight. I was singled out for a random security check that took all of 2 hrs and we just made it to our plan. Landing at Charles De Gaulle, we lost baggage, paid exhorbitant luggage storage charges, discovered that we'd forgotten to take our hotel's phone number or directions, walked for over a mile dragging our heavy carryon, .... We were mad at having lost almost all of one precious day. But after a relaxing nap, we felt ready to take on the city. I was expecting to find an overrated city with its share of history, but the magic of the city blew me away. We loved walking the streets, the confusion of the metro, the awesome museams, ... everything.

We were given to understand that the French people would not respond to any enquiries in English and the only french we knew was 'merci'. But every person we asked for directions responded marvellously, even the chic lady who we asked directions to the Wagram metro. We asked her directions in slow English and though not knowing a single word of English, she gestured directions to us. It appeared like she would've taken us down to the metro if we hadn't understood her mimes!

The metro was confusing at first and we took quite a few wrong trains. Climbing out of a metro station into an open street with no trace of the activity underground was a little unsettling. Added to it was our not-so-good sense of direction and slightly confusing directions for first timers. But we soon mastered it and were cruising along like pros.

Day 1:
After a short visit to Arc D'Triumph and the Eiffle tower the first everning, The Louvre was our first major visit. It was just mind boggling. We spent the whole day there, but still saw through only about half its collection. One painting I didn't see was 'The Lacemaker' by Vermeer. It was on my list, but we were so tired at the end of the day and just didn't have the energy to walk over to that part of the Louvre. We strolled over to the Eiffle Tower again in the evening. It is to be seen to be believed. It has always looked picturesque, but standing underneath it, you marvel not at the beauty, but at the engineering that went into building it.

Day 2:
The next day, we overcame all sorts of train confusion to visit the Chateau D'Versailles. Only there could I really understand the extent of the frustration of the french people against their king and queen. The palace recks of decadent luxury and that Lois was one vain person. The only disappointment was that the Hall of Mirrors was being renovated and we could only see a 'double room' of mirrors, rather than the hall. But what little we saw was enough to make us hold our breath. Huge mirrors adorn the walls with great crystal chandeliers dropping from the ceiling. The beautiful paintings on the ceiling gave our necks quite a strain. There is a large planned garden just outside. Again, we were too tired to walk all around and contented ourselves with having our lunch there.

Day 3 & 4:
On our return, we nipped over to the Musey D'Orsay to catch the impressionists and went over to the Notredame Cathedral to climb up the bell tower of the fictionary Quasimodo. Apart from the views over Paris, Notredame is brilliantly Gothic on the inside and is has detailed carvings on the outside. The quaint little streets off Notredame offered souvinier shopping.

Our third day had us visiting La Concorde, Des Invalides, taking a cruise on the river and climbing the Arc De Triumph. We visited the George Pompidou center for modern art, unfortunately did not understand any of the art on display and kept giggling away all the time. 

Days 5 & 6:

The plan was to just walk around and enjoy Paris, but I had to drag Guru back to the Louvre, my fascination. 

The last evening of our stay, we dined in one of the quaint cafes on Champs Elyess and rolled on the grass under the Eiffle Tower. There were still many many places that I wanted to visit. Unfortunately,the days weren't just enough for it all.

After the modernity of US, the old world of Paris was a definite charm. The weather was pleasant without any sudden changes in weather that we'd heard about. I've had many people telling me that all European cities are the same with more old buildings than one can see, but I cannot imagine how one can ever get tired of admiring their beauty. Each time I saw the Notredame, I found something new to admire. Thanks to Ian for giving us invaluable tips on Paris. Ramya and Nattu adviced us to take lots of Indian food, which we did(thanks Sabitha) and we didnt go hungry or have to search for vegetarian food.