Travel Journal #1 : Paris

Ernest Hemingway once said that "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast". Though I read this quote an year after my visit to this alluring city, each word of this deeply resonates with how I remember Paris.

Eiffel Tower 
Photo by Thorsten on Pexel

Arc de Triomphe
Photo by Ashley Elena on Pexel

Glass Pyramid - Louvre
Photo by Timea Kadar on Pexel

Arc de Triomphe - Louvre
Photo by Rodrigo Kugnharski on Unsplash

It was the second week of June and I arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport in the evening. I had my stay arrangements at a Timhotel in Clichy, which was at half an hour drive. My fascination with the city started right from that drive to hotel, though there were no tourist attractions on the way.

It was my first time ever in Paris and I was astonished by the phenomenon of full daylight by 9 in the night. Indeed, with the twilight after 9:30 pm, I was enjoying my stroll on the quiet streets of Clichy. I have always believed that during the day one explores the charm of a city and after evening, it's the soul of the city one gets to know.
Metro Signage
Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash

My next day started with taking a subway from Porte de Clichy to Saint-Lazare. Saint-Lazare is one of the main intersection stations of Paris and connects to several beautiful city attractions, such as Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame and Les Invalides. As a matter of fact, I would suggest that exploring Paris with the help of Paris Metro is very convenient and cost-effective. A Paris Metro ticket costs € 1.90 and can be used for any number of transfers for next 2 hours on train and 90 minutes on bus.
Palais Garnier (Paris Opera)
Photo by Margerretta on Pexel

Sain-Lazare station has a mall of it's own which is very amazing and it's worth spending time there. Indeed, the Paris Opera, which is called as Palais Garnier, is also 10 minutes walk from there. Wherever I went in Paris, I was mesmerized by it's quaintness. Be it experiencing the grandeur of Palais Garnier or feeling the sense of calmness on Rue Auber.

Eiffel Tower
Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

After exploring a bit, I took my journey further to one of the seven new wonders of the world, Eiffel Tower. I took a metro to Bir-Hakeim station through Gare Montparnasse. After reaching Bir-Hakeim, I walked for another 5 minutes, though I could already see the top of Eiffel Tower and could barely handle my excitement to be there. Once at the Eiffel Tower, I could not stop myself by continuously gazing at it. 

Beneath the blue sky with a few cumulus clouds, I was standing spellbound by the view of this magnificent tower. Sitting on the grass besides Eiffel Tower, I just gazed at it for a while and wondered, "how could anyone ever find this ugly?" (Apparently people earlier found Eiffel Tower to be ugly and remarked it as "metal asparagus".)
View from 2nd floor of Eiffel Tower
Photo by JOHN TOWNER on Unsplash

Having enjoyed the view from beneath, I then took a lift to the second floor of the tower. There are few moments in your life when you cannot believe the beauty in your sight. I was such a panoramic view which left me completely astonished. With Seine flowing besides Eiffel Tower and historical monuments such as Arc de Triomphe in your view, I was left with a memorable moment which got time-stamped for me forever.

Bateaux Parisiens
Photo by Gautier Salles on Unsplash

As I left Eiffel Tower, only to come back in the evening, I was brimming with excitement and thrill for my next piece of today's journey - Cruise along River Seine. I reached Quai de la Bourdonnais for my cruise through Bateaux Parisiens, after a 10 minutes walk. As I boarded the cruise, I was captivated by the beauty of the river, as it filled me with a sense of calmness. There are moments while traveling that you realize the spiritual impact a travel could bring to an individual, and I was completely experiencing one.
Bateaux Parisiens
Photo by Joe deSousa on Unsplash

My cruise lasted for an hour and for that entire hour I could not stop myself from admiring each and every lamp post on each and every bridge that we crossed under. And it wasn't just these bridges, statues and lamp posts. The buildings and the apartments alongside the river front looked so beautiful, I could only wonder how it would feel to sit there on an idle evening, and just appreciate unbelievable beauty of this unbelievable city.

Eiffel Tower at night
Photo by Rosivan Morais from Pexels

As my cruise ended, I just came back to the ever-beautiful Eiffel tower and enjoyed the rest of the day exploring nearby streets and finally sitting near Eiffel Tower. As the dusk settled in, the entire Eiffel Tower was illuminated with sparkles and I enjoyed the magnanimity of the show.
Eiffel Tower at night
Photo by Jill Evans from Pexels

My second day in Paris was all set for a Hop-on Hop-off adventure. I believe that to make the most out of your journey, you should explore places leisurely. It's more satisfying than rushing between metro/bus stations. And for the places I had planned to visit that day, I needed quiet a lot of leisure. I started with the ever-breathtaking Louvre. Do you know that at any day, more than 35000 works are at display in the Museum of Louvre, practically making it impossible for anyone to explore the entire museum in a day.

Yet I took my chances and walked in the museum. I already had a voucher purchased for the museum visit, as I did not want to waste a lot of time standing in line for entry tickets. Once I entered the museum, it was a whole different world altogether. I could barely stop myself from taking pictures of anything and everything that came in my view. Every painting, every sculpture, every artifact was so complete in it's art form, that I was only left with the feeling of admiration. I also got a chance to see the painting of Mona Lisa, and I could say that the painting really binds you, once you get to look at it.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Photo by Adrienn from Pexels

Notre-Dame de Paris
Photo by Huy Phan from Pexels

After spending almost half of my day there, I enjoyed a Panini, which I bought from at restaurant at Rue de Rivoli, sitting in Jardin de Tuileries. The day was all bright and beautiful and continued further to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Notre-Dame de Paris brought me a sense of calm and peace I could feel that I was in the moment, enjoying every bit of it. The amazing Gothic architecture, the rose windows and the tranquility of the cathedral were enough to leave yet one more memory, that will stay with me forever.

My day got even better as I walked at the bridge near the Notre-Dame de Paris catherdal, Pont au Change. It was evening and there were a few stalls on the side of the bridge selling amazing paintings and newspaper posters. That is where I found my perfect memorabilia, awesome paintings of Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame de Paris.
Palace of Versailles
Photo from imagenooz

Palace of Versailles interiors

My third day involved a bit of more travel than the last 2 days and lots of wow moments. I was headed to the Palace of Versailles. In every sense, I saw opulence in every artifact, every painting, every fresco and even across all the gardens of the Palace. Walking through the halls and the rooms of the enchanting Palace was a true sublime experience, and the grand chandeliers, huge mirrors, precious marbles and ornamented gilded bronzes more than dazzled me throughout the day.

As I returned back to Paris, I was certain that the day spent at Palace of Versailles would be reminiscent to me for a very long time. In Paris, I reached nearby Latin Quarter and started to search for an Indian cuisine restaurant nearby. I was successful in finding Safran, am Indian cuisine restaurant, and my taste buds had a great treat.
Champs-Élysées
Photo by Burak AYDIN from Pexels

Champs-Élysées
Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash

After enjoying a sumptuous meal, I headed to Champs-Élysées. While I was planning for my Paris trip, I was curious to know why Champs-Élysées is so famous and I came across this information that Champs-Élysées literally means "Elysian Fields", roughly translating to a street of heaven on earth. The experience of walking in Champs-Élysées, amongst world's most luxurious brands as well as few affordable ones, feeling the vibes of a cultural hotspot and looking at the avenues of Parisian Nightlife, I could feel why this place is understood to be a sort of street of heaven on earth.

The third day concluded my journey and I was heading back home on the next day. In hindsight, I could say that I took a bit of Paris with me and left me with an urge to visit yet again. During my visit to Paris, I realized that Paris is not just a city, it's an experience. It's immersing yourself in the soul of city and celebrating the beauty it's been holding since ages.

(P.S.: I was highly disheartened to find that most of the photographs of the places I visited in Paris are not getting recovered from my external hard disk drive, however, I am happy to be having few of them still with me.)




I guess readers of my blog would have got some good information of the City of Paris and the places that are a true reflection of the beauty of Paris.

I would love to introduce to a few more blogs which could be helpful to you with your interests:

1. Please visit AK's travel blog for interesting travel ideas and travel experiences. For someone who has traveled to 20 countries and lived in 4 of them, AK's surely going to give you great travel tips:
https://akworldtraveller.blogspot.com/

2. Lion has a great passion for traveling and has a new travel goal - He plans to travel upto 100 countries by the time he is 30. This blog will be a sea of great tips about exciting places around the world:
https://liontravelstheworld.blogspot.com/

3. If you like to explore new places and also get tips about the food, lifestyle and culture of these places, Maxine's blog is where you should go for great insights:
 https://adventureswithmaxine2019.blogspot.com

4. I have yet to find someone who enjoys travel and not music. If you are also a music lover and want to know more information on the latest in music, please visit this blog for more fun:
https://soundmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

5. Indeed, travel and food go hand in hand. And , following blog from Anuja will give you details of mouth-watering recipes. I am sure you will enjoy  it:
https://anujascakery.blogspot.com/2019/05/chocolate-and-orange-cake-recipe.html


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