A day in Paris..
Although three years have passed since I left Paris, I am extremely tempted to pen down the experience of one of the many Saturdays spent in this beautiful city of love!
9am, Romance Standard Time, as the time zone there is called, I head straight up to an old charm Parisien restaurant for a sumptuous breakfast to keep me going for at least half a day
After gorging on my huge breakfast spread all for a good 4€ I am en route my first stop 'The Louvre'..
Thousands of exhibits, hundreds of galleries and dozens of opportunities to get lost.
'I ain't goin' in there again,' moans a plump American tourist on the brink of a breakdown. She's made the classic mistake of trying to see too much.
My goal is to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo - and look at a few other exhibits on the way.. #self content n focussed
I emerge from the metro into the fabulous Carrousel du Louvre, dominated by a glass pyramid..After a lot of lost directions I arrive at the Venus de milo..a classic, found on a greek island looong long back.. capture a few more exhibits for my folks back in India and head to The Monalisa.... There she was, enigmatic, serene, intimidating and so many more incomprehensible emotions...
She's now housed in a secure glass unit after some hooligan tried to tear away the canvas... staring as she was at each of us who were trying to capture her in videos and photos...
I'm done from The Louvre in an hour, perhaps I took Paris for granted then, thinking I have a good 14 months to see it at my convenience ..
Heading towards Le Jardin, I pick up a few extremely economical postcards, fridge stickers, miniature eiffel towers and mementos for the many friends and family back home..
Past noon already and its now time for a ferry on The Sienne, whilst enjoying the hustle of Paris city.. I pick up a Kebab Roll(just in case my taste buds need some company) and wait in line for my turn to come on the cruise... the first stop supposedly from my station is going to be Notre Dame- the most famous of all Cathedrals welcoming tourists from all round the world!
It looks lavish from the outside, the architecture brilliant and as intricate as it could possibly be.. a tour inside is over and I breathe a chunk of fresh air on coming out, courtesy- the huge crowd inside...
Hopping back on another ferry on the same ticket, I'm heading to Arc de Triomph, which although is not as famous as the Eiffel or Notre Dame, could easily be the centre of attraction in some other city..
Back to the ferry and complete the tour without getting down anywhere only to relax and rest my anxious eyes to experience one of the most breath taking sights - The Eiffel.. Its 5 by the time I reach, and after walking fairly long, I witness the wonder in full... awe-struck and speechless... The Eiffel marvels and basks in sheer beauty, bound to turn anyone utter the word 'Wonderful' on merely looking at it... I take a quiet seat in front of the masterpiece, only to notice people of all kinds from all kinds of places..united in just the way they're overwhelmed at looking at The Eiffel, like me...
I don't realise how long I'd been sitting there lost in my thoughts, when suddenly I experience another mindblowing moment- The Illuminated Eiffel.. hence giving Paris its name.. The city of lights!!
Its 8 o clock..
Too difficult to say if Paris is beautiful coz it has The Eiffel, or The Eiffel is what it is coz its in Paris.. coz both compliment each other- the flavour of the city, the love in the air, the friendly smiles at every street, the deliciously appetising food, the best wines, the old world charm, the calmness of The Sienne... each adds to each and the result is Paris!!
Although three years have passed since I left Paris, I am extremely tempted to pen down the experience of one of the many Saturdays spent in this beautiful city of love!
9am, Romance Standard Time, as the time zone there is called, I head straight up to an old charm Parisien restaurant for a sumptuous breakfast to keep me going for at least half a day
After gorging on my huge breakfast spread all for a good 4€ I am en route my first stop 'The Louvre'..
Thousands of exhibits, hundreds of galleries and dozens of opportunities to get lost.
'I ain't goin' in there again,' moans a plump American tourist on the brink of a breakdown. She's made the classic mistake of trying to see too much.
My goal is to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo - and look at a few other exhibits on the way.. #self content n focussed
I emerge from the metro into the fabulous Carrousel du Louvre, dominated by a glass pyramid..After a lot of lost directions I arrive at the Venus de milo..a classic, found on a greek island looong long back.. capture a few more exhibits for my folks back in India and head to The Monalisa.... There she was, enigmatic, serene, intimidating and so many more incomprehensible emotions...
She's now housed in a secure glass unit after some hooligan tried to tear away the canvas... staring as she was at each of us who were trying to capture her in videos and photos...
I'm done from The Louvre in an hour, perhaps I took Paris for granted then, thinking I have a good 14 months to see it at my convenience ..
Heading towards Le Jardin, I pick up a few extremely economical postcards, fridge stickers, miniature eiffel towers and mementos for the many friends and family back home..
Past noon already and its now time for a ferry on The Sienne, whilst enjoying the hustle of Paris city.. I pick up a Kebab Roll(just in case my taste buds need some company) and wait in line for my turn to come on the cruise... the first stop supposedly from my station is going to be Notre Dame- the most famous of all Cathedrals welcoming tourists from all round the world!
It looks lavish from the outside, the architecture brilliant and as intricate as it could possibly be.. a tour inside is over and I breathe a chunk of fresh air on coming out, courtesy- the huge crowd inside...
Hopping back on another ferry on the same ticket, I'm heading to Arc de Triomph, which although is not as famous as the Eiffel or Notre Dame, could easily be the centre of attraction in some other city..
Back to the ferry and complete the tour without getting down anywhere only to relax and rest my anxious eyes to experience one of the most breath taking sights - The Eiffel.. Its 5 by the time I reach, and after walking fairly long, I witness the wonder in full... awe-struck and speechless... The Eiffel marvels and basks in sheer beauty, bound to turn anyone utter the word 'Wonderful' on merely looking at it... I take a quiet seat in front of the masterpiece, only to notice people of all kinds from all kinds of places..united in just the way they're overwhelmed at looking at The Eiffel, like me...
I don't realise how long I'd been sitting there lost in my thoughts, when suddenly I experience another mindblowing moment- The Illuminated Eiffel.. hence giving Paris its name.. The city of lights!!
Its 8 o clock..
Too difficult to say if Paris is beautiful coz it has The Eiffel, or The Eiffel is what it is coz its in Paris.. coz both compliment each other- the flavour of the city, the love in the air, the friendly smiles at every street, the deliciously appetising food, the best wines, the old world charm, the calmness of The Sienne... each adds to each and the result is Paris!!
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