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short breakaway to Paris
"Paris, also known as the city of lights."
On a Monday, I took off from the Netherlands early in the morning by chartered bus, crossed Belgium and in the late afternoon I arrived in Paris, checked in in Hotel Doree in the Montmartre district. I had Monday night, and the whole Tuesday and Wednesday to spend in the French capital. The first thing I did is buy a croissant, a French delicacy that I can`t get enough of.
My intention was to rent a bike to explore the city. I thought that by bike, I could cover a larger distance (and see more) than by foot. But seeing the traffic, the few bikes and the impudence towards pedestrians, I realised that it wouldn`t be an good idea to ride a bike in Paris. I found out that it`s easy to get around by bus and by subway, they ride with a high frequency and there are many stops all over the (inner)city. With a Mobilis card, you can travel unlimited by bus and subway.
The first night I walked around in the Montmartre district and after that I took the subway to La Place de la Concorde, an impression square that connects the Louvre with the Champs Elysees. On La Place de la Concorde (concorde means unity) is also an 3200 year old obelisk with Egyptian hierogliefs. Back in the days there used to be a guillotine on La Place de la Concorde where more than 1300 people were decapitated. Along the entlightened Champs Elysees I walked to the Arc the Triomph, on a square named after Charles de Gaulle. Arc the Triomph is 50 metres high and it`s possible to climb the 284 steps of the stairs to get on top of the Arc the Triomph. Champs Elysees is a famous shopping boulevard with stores of i.a. Louis Vuitton, Virgin Megastore, FNAC, Cartier, McDonalds, Quick and the Disney Store.
"The second day in Paris"
The second day I wanted to find Little India, situated in the Passage Brady. Looking for this passage, I walked into an alley and I saw a couple of 50 year old prositutes in nothing more than fur coats at 8.45 in the morning... I couldn`t find Passage Brady in the first place, but I saw some other nice neighbourhoods where i.e. (West)African and the Arabian communities live. Eventually I found Little India, but this very little and most restaurants and businesses were closed. In a small grocery shop I bought tea masala powder, to make some chai at home, my favorite drink while in India.
Later that day I walked along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. This 320 metres high tower was finished in 1887 for the World Exhibition and back then it was the tallest building in the world. When it`s windy, it can pull out 12 centimetres and when it`s very hot, the Eiffel Tower can grow 15 centimetres. I didn`t go inside the Eiffel Tower, I already did that the last time I was in Paris, 6 years ago. Close to the Eiffel Tower is the Unesco building. In the afternoon I went to the Sacre Coeur in the Montmartre district. This white church was build from 1876 to 1919. While sitting on the stairs in front of the Sacre Coeur, you have a magnificent view over northern Paris.
After that I went to Les Halles, an underground shopping center. In the Les Halles area are a couple of hiphop related shops with cd`s, records and clothing. I heard that in the Summer also b-boys and b-girls hang out here, but I didn`t see any, it was way too cold that day.
On Wednesday I went to Tour Montparnasse, a 59 stories high skyscraper. In 38 seconds the elevator takes you up to the 56th level, with the panoramic view for tourists. And you can walk the stairs to the 59th level to go outside on the roof. The day I went up there, was a clear day with a blue sky and the view reached very far. I remember that in 1996 that I went up to the 3rd level (highest) of the Eiffel Tower, all I saw were clouds lol. While I was on the roof of Tour Montparnasse, two windowcleaners climbed in the hangcab and were let down... looked like a very scary job to me.
After that I went to Institute du Monde Arabe with a museum with old pieces from the Arabian world. From the rooftop on the 9th level I had a nice view over the Seine and the backside of the Notre Dame. Back outside I walked to the Notre Dame, the only cathedral in the world with a underground drive in parking lot. At the Notre Dame, Napeleon was crowned to emperor in 1804. This cathedral can seat 9000 people. Close to Notre Dame is Centre Pompidou, a funny looking arts and shopping centre. And later on I went to see the outside of the Louvre and it`s glass pyramid entrance. Inside of the Louvre you can see artwork from all over the world, like Mona Lisa and from Greek to Roman and Egyptian art. The rest of the day I spend in China Town.
"The third day in Paris"
On Wednesday I went to Tour Montparnasse, a 59 stories high skyscraper. In 38 seconds the elevator takes you up to the 56th level, with the panoramic view for tourists. And you can walk the stairs to the 59th level to go outside on the roof. The day I went up there, was a clear day with a blue sky and the view reached very far. I remember that in 1996 that I went up to the 3rd level (highest) of the Eiffel Tower, all I saw were clouds lol. While I was on the roof of Tour Montparnasse, two windowcleaners climbed in the hangcab and were let down... looked like a very scary job to me.
After that I went to Institute du Monde Arabe with a museum with old pieces from the Arabian world. From the rooftop on the 9th level I had a nice view over the Seine and the backside of the Notre Dame. Back outside I walked to the Notre Dame, the only cathedral in the world with a underground drive in parking lot. At the Notre Dame, Napeleon was crowned to emperor in 1804. This cathedral can seat 9000 people. Close to Notre Dame is Centre Pompidou, a funny looking arts and shopping centre. And later on I went to see the outside of the Louvre and it`s glass pyramid entrance. Inside of the Louvre you can see artwork from all over the world, like Mona Lisa and from Greek to Roman and Egyptian art. The rest of the day I spend in China Town.
"The last day"
On Thursday, the chartered bus took us to the Bastille area to spend the last few hours before it would take the group back to the Netherlands. On the return journey we passed Waterloo, the place where Napoleon lost in the battle field. Nowadays there`s a statue for Napeleon
