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The pilots somehow managed to safely transport us to Paris, only half hour late at 9:30 am. The make up on the airhostesses after the 7 hour flight looked like bad icing on a cake. “Bhagara Baingan’s” face was bloated with sleep. The cabin crew would leave and be replaced with fresh plastic smiles and maybe an “Egg Burji” steward, this time. But the passengers would have to stay back in the same dingy atmosphere, until they disembarked in Ahmedabad. Feeling relieved to be out of the aircraft, we walked through the air bridge into the Charles de Gaulle airport, and I felt a chill of excitement. Ooh la la! I was in Paris!
We bought the Paris Visite card and took the RER B train from the airport, and were entertained by a father and son playing melodious French music on funny looking wooden instruments. I felt bad that we didn’t have change in euros to tip them. We got down at the Gare du Nord Station and the guy at the information counter gave us a pocket map of Paris Metro. Check-in at our hotel was at 2 pm, so leaving our luggage in the lockers at the
train station, we took the subway to Saint Michel, to see the Notre Dame. My first sight of Paris was all that I had imagined and much more. Paris was beautiful, refreshingly antique and charming. We followed the signs to the Notre Dame cathedral and there it was an imposing and ancient structure.
A Gothic cathedral, located on the Île de la Cité in Paris, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Paris. The Notre Dam, with its dramatic towers and spire is considered as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and I couldn’t believe I was standing right in front. I went around and around the cathedral examining the beautiful architecture, while Rajesh was busy clicking pictures. Entrance into the cathedral is free and there was no line, so we went in. It was dark inside, illuminated only by candles, calm, peaceful and serene. We sat on the benches and I thought of the bell ringer Quasimodo in Victor Hugo’s novel, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”!
We got out of the Notre Dame and walked along the stretch of souvenir shops and cute little bistros to the Seine River. We stood there for
a while, gazing and feeling the pulse of Paris. We watched the cruise boats go by and decided to go on a night cruise, which was probably more romantic than the day time one. We then took the metro to Luxembourg. Getting out of the station, we were right in front of the gates of Jardine du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens). I took a quick peek into the gardens, which looked beautiful, but I was more drawn towards the Latin Quarter and La Sorbonne.
Founded in the 13th century, La Sorbonne (the Sorbonne University) is located in the center of the famous Latin Quarter of Paris. The Sorbonne University is the historic soul of the Latin Quarter, where higher learning has flourished for centuries. The Quarter was named for the students who used to speak Latin in the cafes and bistros near the school as a symbol of their education. This is the students' and artists' quarter, but it’s also an area which still remains somewhat bohemian. The students no longer speak Latin, but La Sorbonne still stands, with its 19th century classrooms and the original 16th century chapel. My friends have scorned me for wanting to visit Universities like
Oxford and Harvard. But luckily Rajesh shared my interest in these great Universities, from which famous scholars and leaders have emerged.
Walking along Boulevard Saint Michel, exploring the winding little streets of the Latin Quarter behind it, I peeked into some of the art shops selling beautiful, but outrageously priced art. I gazed hungrily at the inviting outdoor cafes and bistros that lined the boulevard. It was time for lunch. The menus were displayed outside; we picked one that we liked and ate our first meal in Europe, sitting in an outdoor bistro, enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris. After lunch, we stopped at an internet café called 'Milk' (an odd name) and emailed our safe arrival to our friends and family.
We checked into our Hotel Campanile Nanterre, located in La Defense, the business district of Paris. La Defense is modern Paris, it is the prime high-rise office district of Paris and many of Paris's tallest buildings can be found here. Our hotel was away from the main touristy areas in a quiet neighborhood, and very close to the train station. I was happy with our comfortable room and friendly front desk staff. Showering and refreshing
ourselves, I couldn’t wait to leave to check out the rest of Paris.
We took the Metro to Bir Hakeim and walked over to the Eiffel Tower, Paris' most-recognized icon. The magnificent structure, more than any other landmark, represents an elegant and contemporary Paris. The iron tower, which was built for the 1889 World Exposition by Gustave Eiffel, is a relative newcomer to a city whose history stretches back to over a millennium. I had read that it was wildly unpopular with Parisians when it was unveiled, and was nearly torn down. It would be hard to imagine Paris without it. As I walked towards the tower, I couldn’t peel my eyes away.
A long line of people were waiting to go up the Tower. Some were brave and walked straight up. We waited for over an hour to buy our tickets and take the funicular up the tower. As the funicular slowly climbed up the tower, we gazed at the unique mesh of steel that was welded together to construct one of the world’s wonder. The view from the top is not at all breathtaking for a New Yorker, who has been up the Empire State Building.
But seeing the magnificent structure at such proximity was well worth the wait.
We walked around the tower into the gardens and wandered aimlessly into Paris, totally captivated by its splendor. We got lost on purpose and discovered a delightfully tourist-free Paris. Attempting to locate the Metro, we found ourselves in a posh neighborhood and asked a lady with a child in a stroller for directions - “Bonjour Madame’ could you please tell us how to get to the Metro?” The lady had no clue as she always drove her car and called out to a gentleman named Pascal for help. Pascal spoke something in French and I said Merci! I loved the sound of the name Pascal, it sounded like “rascal”. French was music to my ears. The locals speak it with a nasal hint and I loved to hear them talk. With a love for linguistics, deciphering a few words and mostly comprehending body language, I was always able to understand them.
Pont Neuf, our final stop for the day, for our sunset cruise is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris. We walked over the bridge, gazing again at the river Seine,
sitting in the nooks on the bridge and people watching. I thought of our friend Jack, whom we had met in Newark airport and wondered where he lived? A row of cafes and creperies lined the Seine and I was hungry for a crepe. We stopped at a roadside creperie and ordered a crepe filled with blueberries, bananas and nutella. While he was making our crepes, we got chatting with the crepe boy. He told us that in spring, the sun does not set until 10:30 pm in Europe. And sure enough the sun was shining bright and gay at 9 pm.
Seeing some of Paris' most beautiful sights glide past as we drifted down the Seine River is an unforgettable experience. We passed the Musee du Louvre, Musee d’ Orsay, the Assemblee Nationale, the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, Alexandre III Bridge and many more. More than the national monuments, I loved the numerous ancient residential buildings with their cute little French balconies and flowers. We gazed at the numerous restaurant boats that passed us with colorful flowers, jaunty music and romantic diners. We waved at the groups of friends and family picnicking on the banks of the
river Seine. Wine flowed freely from bottles, as lovers kissed and the shimmering play of light on the water took my breath away. The Eiffel Tower crowned the Paris sky at night with its festive light, and glittered up a storm every hour. It was a sight to behold!
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Birendra Sinha
non-member comment
Paris !!
A beautiful narration of your trip to Paris !! Liked the way you have described your visit to all the beautiful places in and around Paris. Looks like you and Rajesh has a great time.