Advertisement
Published: November 29th 2006
Edit Blog Post
And so it was. To my last stop on my latest European adventure (except for going to England) ... and to my favourite city I have travelled to ... Paris!!!!!!!
Arriving into Gare De Lyon, I then finally worked out the metro line to get to Anvers and my accommodation at the Woodstock Hostel. After getting in and seeing one of my roommates who was getting high at the time, I decided to wander around the Montmarte area before the sun set. Walking up the steep hill of Montmarte, passed many souvenir shops and cafes and restaurants, to finally reach Sacre Coeur, the famous basilica on the Montmarte hill, which offers some of the best views Paris. As it was around about 4:30, the sun was setting and I sat on the steps in front of the basilica just watching the sun set for about 30 minutes. Just to sit there and take it all in, that I was in Paris once again ... this amazing city, and the last stop on my European travels, sometimes you are afforded these times in which to just soak it all in, take in what you have seen and done and what else
lies out there. Okay that might be a bit much, but anyway thats what I did.
From here I wandered back to the interesting area known as Pigalle. Interesting is probably not the operative word, lets go with bohemian! Bohemian Paris is at its heart right here in Pigalle, where the Moulin Rouge is and the red light district and there are many cabaret shows, including the Nouvelle Eve, where we went on Contiki last year. It was right here, at this cabaret place where we had visited on our 2nd night on tour and 2nd night together, that I learnt 2 of my best friends from that tour had just got engaged. I was pretty much in shock, and thought the setting was pretty cool, I am happy for both Molly and Craig and look forward to seeing them in LA and Vegas to celebrate this news!
So I walked around Paris happy after that. I wandered down the coolish Autumn streets of Paris, passing Parisiens and admiring this amazing city. I still love the flats with the tiny balconies and think how cool it would be to live in them.
So I would spend 3
and a half days in Paris, I will not go into detail about every detail about what I did and when (as I have done previously), but many of the things I did, I did a couple of times, so it would feel like I was repeating myself.
I took in the Opera House (where the Phantom of the Opera originates), along with the hundreds of people who flock to the area. To the left of the Opera House is the restaurant where Princess Diana, famously ate her last meal and left the premises (famous video footage) before what we all know what happened.
Much of the time was spent strolling the streets, just soaking up everything. I headed to the Louvre, actually I stumbled upon it after turning a corner, not really knowing where I was. Amazing, it was amazing last time I was here and it just takes your breath away. I know many people don't care too much for the glass pyramid as the entrance, but I think its fantastic and adds to the grand building of the Louvre. I wouldn't go into the museum this time as I had already done that, and the
Sacre Coeur
After walking down the hill the view at night time I was there was late, so it wasn't worth it. But I came across the inverted pyramid, with the tip of another pyramid coming out of the ground (Da Vinci Code!!!) and if you listen closely I am sure you can hear Mark Seymour singing 'Holy Grail'.
Walked through the Jardin du Carrousel and then to the gold plated Joan of Arc statue. From there I would just wander around, I think I got lost in a few streets heading to Place de la Concorde, and up the Avenue des Champs Elysees. Before turning at the Grand Palais and passed the Charles de Gaulle statue before walking on the Pont Alexandre III (or lover's bridge) and taking some more photos.
After my first morning waking up in Paris I was awoken by the amazingly drunk roommate in the bunk above me, I was off to city Paris in the early morning. Walking along the Pigalle area a cop car pulled up beside me and asked for my passport and documents, now young and innocentl little old me is walking around an area known for weird and different people and they single me out as someone looking suspicious???
Maybe I am looking more creepier in my old age?
Anyway I also visited Madeleine which is a Parntheon like structure (its a church) that looks down to the Place de la Concorde and the Assemble Nationale. I think that is one of the things I love about Paris. The fact that all these famous structures and places of importance look ahead to others, with long and wide stretches of roads or gardens. The Eiffel Tower has the Parc du Champ de Mars in between itself and Ecole Militaire on one side, then the Seine River before the Trocadero. The Arc de Triomphe is at the centre point of all these roads, the most famous the Champs Elysees, which looks straight down to Place de la Concorde and the Louvre way in the background. But it all mixes. Even Hotel des Invalides and Pont Aelxandre III. Its just so fantastic and I would wander these areas many times over on my trip here.
I also caught up with a friend from England, Christina, and her friend who lives in Paris, Becky. We had a couple of very good French meals in some stylish setting. The first night we
ate together, we were basically eating just near Notre Dame, which I had visited once more just before meeting up with them. This is a fantastic area, as you hit the Latin Quarter and we continued to party on through the night there also, but the bars seemed to be packed with All Blacks supporters as they had just been playing France and won convincingly! Good times were had though!
I have got this far and really haven't mentioned the Eiffel Tower. This great structure that took my breath away the first time and continued to do so, however I still think it looks best at night as it lights up, and it was rather emotional standing beneath it while it all lit up - fantastic! I could go on for ages about this and Paris, but I probably wouldn't do any of it justice.
Also managed to do a boat trip, which was pretty interesting, if not a little squeezed. But travelling along the Seine River, as the sun hit was magnificent, passing many historical buildings and places - it never ceases to amaze me.
So thats really just a snippet of what I saw and
did. Finished the last night with dinner on Montmarte, amongst the many sketch artists wanting to draw you. Very nice meal and great area. After sleeping in a little I was rushing to get to Gare Montparnasse to get a train out to Tours. Getting there just in time and an hour train to Tours, where I walked around for a little bit, but it was wet, so retired to a cafe before getting a bus to the airport and back to London. Before getting to Tours airport the last person I saw, was this man probably reaching 50 years of age, with a styled moustache, wearing a beret, holding a baguette in one hand and in the other was a leash with a poddle on the other end. So my last view of France was almost too far fetched to be true ... but oh those French and their funny ways!
----------
So thus ended my recent jaunt around Europe.
I love this continent its so interesting and each country offers something different.
To think what I have seen, done, achieved here in the last 2 years makes me rather proud.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.041s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 10; qc: 21; dbt: 0.0198s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb