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Published: April 22nd 2008
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Paris, Day 1 & 2
Paris is a city of class and our tour here has allowed us to experience Parisian class is the widest sense of the term.
Our trip began in London, having flown in from Sweden the previous day. I am mighty glad we don’t have to fly again for a month. Our Heathrow experience was a lot more pleasant this time around - the underground from the airport is very easy. The backpackers in London fine, nothing special but everything you expect from a hostel. Accommodation is expensive in London - the price we are paying here is the same for our 4-star hotel in Bangkok.
We spent the day wondering through London, in particular the frenetic Oxford street. Although the density and diversity of people was actually beyond New York, there is something more comfortable about London.
An early start the next morning was a bit of less comforting, as was meeting the people we are going to be spending the next three weeks with. They all seem very agreeable those - predominately Aussies , with some Kiwis and Canadian’s thrown in - and we are all getting along well, particularly after some
Effiel Tower at night
It's full of diamonds! nocturnal activities!
Our journey began with a bus trip down to Dover, which was slow if nothing else. Dover itself is fairly spectacular; it is uncanny feeling being here and looking at those white cliffs after all those World War II movies I watched as a young man. The feeling is only enhanced by Dover’s modern position as a thriving transit port, which takes much of the emphasis away from those white cliffs.
From Dover we caught the ferry across to Calais for our first look at the French coast, another World War II site, although now that history has been overpowered by docile French countryside. We got to see a fair bit of the countryside on our 4-hour bus-trip through to Paris. Arrival in Paris bought conditions that perhaps do not feature so prominently in most tourist brochures, but proved immensely interesting as we were able to see another side of the city - I’m not sure whether my fellow travellers would agree though.
Our hotel was located in what could only be described as an urban slum; the building next door is an abandoned factory, complete with smashed windows and barbed-wire fences. Driving through Paris
French Security
First stop puberty, next stop machine gun throughout our stay here has proven that this poverty is in no way isolated. Instead, Paris has a massive underclass that appears to take up the majority of the city. This was our first experience of Paris class.
Our second came with a night tour of Paris, which could not have been in stronger contrast to our earlier experiences. Central Paris at night is truly magnificent, particularly when it is all lit up - you can really feel the romance. Driving through the city at night and walking around the next day, you couldn’t help but be taken in by both the brilliance and the history of the city. You really feel like you are taking a journey through modern (western) society. Every corner appears as a beautifully crafted landmark. The French have a very strong sense of history; as an example, the Parisian military headquarters features numerous bullet holes from a World War II struggle which go unrepaired as a tribute to the battles that were fought.
However, the two senses of class are never far apart -witness the example of the string men. These economically and ethnically marginalised individuals are a feature of many tourist attractions,
Effiel Tower
Can you feel the romance? particularly at night. What they do is try pick out lone individuals, especially females, and tie a piece of string around the victims hand. They then set about making a bracelet and do not release the ‘customer’ until a set sum has been exchanged. The string men, along with the every present pickpocketers, beggars and street merchants - either selling a range of Eiffel tower merchandise or beautifully crafted art - undermine the apparent romance of Paris.
The next day was designated as completely free time, which was great - it is one of the best things about this tour, particularly as we are travelling as a couple. There is only two other couples, which surprises me. There are more broken hearts and country lads. Anyway, we set out by ourselves, first stop the Eiffel Tower. We decided to bypass the fat Americans and walk the first two floors of the tower, catching the compulsory lift to the top. The tower was nothing like I expected; the wait was not at all long, and there was no romance; just the rush of rude Frenchman and wandering tourists. In contrast to the beauty of the night-time lights, I only really appreciated
Arc De Triumph
Featuring Crazy round-a-bout the tower as an engineering feat. The view was spectacular as well, when I could get the space to have a look.
We moved on to the Arc De Triumph- Napoleon’s tribute to himself that he never got to see. Quite a fan of himself, that Napoleon. The main highlight of the Arc was the roundabout that surrounded it; there are twelve exit points and absolutely. I am told that an accident occurs every 8 minutes and no insurance company will cover accidents that occur on the Roundabout.
The Louvre followed after a walk down the Paris main street, including a stop at the local McDonalds - an order of a ‘Royal with Cheese’ and a beer giving it a particular French flavour. Apart from that, shops are shops. The central attraction at the Louvre was the Mona Lisa, although the Louvre itself is massive, featuring eighteen kilometres of galleries and 400,000 works. If you were to spend a minute at each, it would take 9 months to see them all. We spent nowhere near that amount of time. Instead we rushed through, taking time only to see the central attraction, which we fairly uninspiring. What was must
uninspiring however, was the Louvre Atmosphere, which was more like a theme park then a gallery; loud, full of running kids and photography. Because of this, and or lack of passion for pre-modern art (portraits and such) was stayed for all of half an hour.
Better was the next stop at the Modern Art Museum where we saw some wonderful impressionist art, including some Monet and Van Gogh.
The day finished with a group picnic beside the Eiffel Tower, complete with champagne and snails - which I did eat, although did not relish. The night however, was just beginning and we moved onto a river cruise/tour. With most of the touring already completed, it was the remaining champagne that was the main attraction and closer relations the main result!
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