Travelling Back In Time (Part 8): Paris, The City Of Love

Paris - the City of Love, the City of Lights. It is a city rife with opulence and grandeur, steeped in age-old glamour. For centuries, Paris had been a gem of a city - glittering, ostentatious, yet bohemian in some quarters. It is like a beacon of light, enigmatically attracting lots of talented artists, fashionistas, politicians, scientists and its fair share of notorious business people.

The view from our hotel room

Paris is a city where we thought we knew lots about, way before we stepped foot into it. But, oh, how wrong were we in some aspects. Beyond the glittering facade lies a city of tired glory and petty crime. We read about the prevalent pickpockets and kept our guards up. Yet, we were accosted a number of times by potential swindlers, and I even found the hand of one young Romanian girl in my handbag when her counterpart pretended to tap me on the shoulder to ask for directions. So, yes, being in Paris may mean immersing in a grand old dame of culture and beauty, but it also means that we had to be on our guard all the time. It was also exceedingly crowded, attracting tourists from all over the world. So it could get tiring at times for me.

We chanced upon a standing protest at a street corner one evening! 

Yet, there were plenty of instances where we were mesmerised by the rich history and culture of Paris, and it was really surreal to see world-famous monuments that we read so much about.

Our Parisian adventure was leisurely and unfettered. We ambled languidly around the cobblestoned streets, indulged in long lunches and tea breaks in the famous sidewalk cafes, spent hours in museums and took things really easy.

Old, beautiful architecture amidst a backdrop of brilliant skies in Paris

When in Paris, do as the Parisians do - we let the Bees sample some red wine. Needless to say, they were not fans! 

Some of the highlights of our Paris vacation are:

1) Train travel

We took the train from Munich to Paris, which was a relaxing and unhurried 6-hour journey. Very much like travellers of yore, we ate breakfast on the train, played chess, read books, indulged in idle chatter and napped!

Rail travel had always been hailed as romantic, and I could understand why. Sitting back, listening to the repetitive chugging of the train, while admiring the pastoral landscape outside the window - that was a truly beautiful and memorable experience for us.

2) The Eiffel Tower

We spent a placid, lazy afternoon lying on the big meadow just in front of the Eiffel Tower. We just sat around, lazily chatting with each other, eating hot dogs and drinking coffee. With the golden rays of the early evening dusk raining on us, against a resplendent backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, life seemed pretty glorious and carefree!

3) Open-Top bus tours
We took the very reasonably-priced open-top bus all around Paris, just sitting back and soaking in the grand sights, smells and sounds of this old city, while enjoying the cool summer breeze.

4) The Seine River
We strolled along the Seine river, admiring the copious love locks on the Pont de l'Archeveche, realising that this river had been throbbing with life and commercial activities since centuries ago.

5) Notre-Dame Cathedral

We were dazzled by the intricate and brilliant carvings of saints and angels on Notre-Dame Cathedral. Sadly, the crowds milling all around this archaic cathedral hurt our eyes too!

Urgh - the crowds!

6) Parisian shopping
We milled with Parisian residents in a weekend flea market, browsing through old trinkets and cheap clothes (yes! It was possible to buy cheap clothes in Paris!).

And we were shocked by the exorbitant admission fee to visit the luxurious toilets in Printemps - all of S$3!! We also sauntered along the entire length of Champs Elysees, which was 1.9 km long

7) The Louvre

We spent long, luxurious hours in The Louvre, exploring galleries of antique paintings by the greatest masters in the art world - Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelango, Raphael, and so many more! It was such a mind-altering experience to see relics from civilisations as old as time, and to admire legendary paintings like the Mona Lisa.

We were fascinated by the artists painting replicas of the great masters in the museum

8) Montmartre
We lingered in the bohemian, cobblestoned neighbourhood of Montmartre for almost a full day, sitting at sidewalk cafes in narrow alleys with pretty cupcakes, peeping at the facade of Van Gogh's old home, and marvelling at the infamous Moulin Rouge.

We ambled up to the grandiose Sacre-Coeur Basilica at the top of Montmartre, and immersed in the magnificent view of the whole of Paris from this vantage.

It was such a beautiful, leisurely day where we could stroll around leisurely, watching random streetside performances by bands, letting Little Bee take some carnival rides, browsing through super-fresh fruits in a fruit stall, and just resting, gazing into blank space beside large fountains. Montmartre is definitely my favourite Parisian hangout place!

9) Choco-Story
We spent a morning in Choco-Story, a chocolate museum! We watched how the chocolate chef make delicious chocolate and ate loads of samples!

We also learned about the history of chocolate, and hauled a whole load of scrumptious chocolates back.

In all, Paris was an experience of highs and lows, of acquainting ourselves with the great masters of the past, while coming to an understanding that all great lords may degenerate into modern-day debauchery. I confess I am not a fan of the crowds in Paris, but I admit I was fascinated by the celebrated historical monuments of this magnificent city of lights.