Paris

Krakow

2227hrs CEST

We were in Paris last week. Here are the highlights of our stay there.

Eiffel Tower

Long time from now, when I look back to my first visit to Eiffel Tower, when everything else I've seen and experienced may've faded in my memory, these three moments, however, will remain vivid:

a. We reached Paris late in the evening. Our hotel did not have a view of the Eiffel Tower. We didn't want to hit bed without seeing the tower. We caught the train, got off at Bir-Hakeim station - an underground train station. As we climbed the stairs to reach ground level, we were greeted to a spectacular view of the tower. That moment felt slightly out of the blue as we didn't expect such a brilliant view coming out dingy little underground station. It was our first sight of the tower and it took my breath away..

b. We were standing at the bottom of the tower admiring the beauty of this engineering marvel with the mouth slightly open and blissfully unaware that its only a few seconds to go for the hour. *stroke of the hour* And just like that… the tower started twinkling! Magical!

c. Next day, we went up the tower. There is a champagne bar at the Summit. It was twilight time, with the beautiful Paris beneath us, we toasted a glass of Rose Champagne. Gold!

Pantheon

The architecture, design and grandeur of this building is truly a wonder. High dome, beautiful interiors and beaming arches outside. Unlike Notre Dame or St. Paul's, Pantheon wasn't busy at all (a welcome change, actually). After visiting Paris's Pantheon, I am really looking forward to visit the real Pantheon in Italy.

Pantheon

Louvre

We saw Venus De Milo. We saw Mona Lisa. We learnt this museum is an embodiment of pure love and appreciation of French history and to the field of arts. There is a massive collection of world famous paintings, sculptures and other artwork that are so rich in detail, depth and huge in their canvas that after not too long gazing around our brain's status read: Art_Sculptures_mindblown. To describe the paintings, sculptures as incredible, magnificent, beautiful will be an understatement. And allocating only 3/4 of a day to spend at Louvre is laughable.

Monalisa and her mob of photographers

Palace of Versailles

The best bits were the Hall of Mirrors, Coronation Room and impressive paintings here and there. The bad bit was the massive crowds. We went on a Thursday which is supposed to be the relatively quiet day of the week for Versailles. Looks like everyone had the same idea. The palace was packed. We were moving through each sections of the palace with hardly any time or space to pause and have a good look at the rooms/exhibits. The gardens were beautiful. We were told about a fountain show but it never started. The weather also played along as it rained most of the day. Disappointing overall.

Amorino

This place is magic. One cant go past this shop without having a scoop of gelato. There were different flavours to try so we had something different every time. We also tried Crepe, Gaufre and shakes. Absolutely yummy!

Notre Dame

An ancient, majestic church, which does not charge tourists any entrance fees. As you walk towards Notre Dame, the size of its edifice takes your breath away. Incredible architecture. Once inside, one cant take their eyes off the amazing stained glass. We had taken our binoculars to get a closer look at them. Boy weren't we happy to took that thing! The detail and the rich colour on the glass were truly a sight to behold. Must see! Oh, and dont miss the Gargoyles.

We also visited Rodin Museum, Tour Montparnasse, Arc De Triomphe and Museum d'Orsay.