As You Thinketh!

Trip to France: Day 1 - Paris

Arrived by ferry from Dover to Calais and reached Paris by bus at 6am in the morning. Collected Paris visit 3-day pass and city map from the Gallieni ticket counter and proceeded to take a train to Opera, which is in the heart of Paris.

Opera is a very beautiful building. The square in front of it was well lit. BNP and Societe Generale had huge buildings in the square. Moved on towards statue next to Rue du Rivoli. The Jardines des Tullieries (gardens) were also on Rue du Rivoli. Got the first sight of the Louvre building at the end of the gardens. It was a short walk from there which brought me to Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Europe.

Place de la Concorde is humongous given that it is in the centre of the city. From there one gets a view of the Ferris wheel, Obelisk, fountains and the Avenue des Champs Elysees leading up to the Arc Triomphe. The Obelisk had Egyptian encryptions on it. It is a beautiful monolithe stone.
Avenue des Champs Elysees, one of the most beutiful streets in the world, was bordered with trees which had lights all over them. At quite some distance I got a view of a miniature Arc de Triomphe.

Walked down Champs Elysees and took a left to walk towards Les Invalides, the accommodation built by a king for wonded or disabled soldiers. Passed the Science museum and Churchill statue on the way. The Pont Alexandre III bridge leads up to the Invalides. Got my first view of the river Seine in all its spleandour. The Air France main building was also close to Invalides and was it huge?!

Walked back after visiting Invalides towards the Arc de Triomphe. The shops were just about opening in the morning on Champs Elysees. Had a look into the gorgeous Louis Vitton showroom. Finally reached Place Charle de Gaulle where the collossal Arc de Triomphe stands.
Arc de Triomphe was built to honour French soldiers who fought the Napoleonic wars. Climbed the Arc de Triomphe to get an amazing view of the city.

Walked back down Champs Elysees and down one of the sub-lanes to Parc Monseau, which is a beautiful park. Caught a glimpse of the beautiful flower decoration in The Four Seasons Hotel lobby on the way back to city centre. Took the train from there to Tullieries. Queued into Angelina Restaurant on Rue de Rivoli to sample their famous hot chocolate. It is the most delicious drink I've tasted. Managed to grab a croissant to go with it.

Took the train from there to Monmarte to visit the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur. The Basilica is situated right on top of the hill. There was a mass in progress and it was a pleasant sight. Climbed to the top of the basilica to get a magnificient view of the city. Walked out of the Basilica to Place de Tetre where all the artists had assembled. Famed artists like Salvador Dali and Picasso used to live close by. Bought a few sketches of important monuments in the city there. One must pick up paintings there if one vists the place.

Took the metro to visit the Eiffel Tower. I have seen the tower many times on television but seeing it right in front of my eyes was totally different. That someone could think about building it, designing it and actually building it left me stunned. The lighting made it even more mind-blowing. Climbed the stairs to the top. The view was awe-inspiring. Could see the entire width and breadth of the city. Managed to take a few long distance shots of the city from the top.

To bring a long day to an end, took the metro to the 3 ducks youth hostel and snoozed.

posted by Vasanth Sandilya @ 11:34 PM