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Clockwise from top left:
Arc de Triomphe; Eiffel Tower by day; Sacré-Cœur; Moulin Rouge; Eiffel Tower by night; Notre Dame Paris. City of love. City of light. Perfect location for a city break on my birthday weekend...
Taking the Eurostar, it was hassle free and we had arrived in Paris from London in two and a half hours. I'd been made aware of pickpockets but taking the RER from the Eurostar station to the hotel, I was genuinely in fear of all the people asking me to buy a ticket from here and there and following us like an ominous shadow with our heavy cases. The RER is different from the Metro, they only come every fifteen minutes, so by the time we thought we'd escaped the station, we saw a queue build up to take the same train as us. The overused sardines in a can metaphor couldn't have felt more real as we were pushed and shoved around the train as more and more people entered in their droves as the automatic doors finally jammed shut. The feeling of claustrophobia set in as the train started moving; ticking off the stops, closer to our destination. Once we were out in 'fresh' air, we found our hotel located in an authentic Parisian town filled with cafes and restaurants and a thirty second walk away from the nearest Metro, on the same line as the Champs Élysées. We arrived around 3pmso after dropping off our cases we managed to fit in a casual walk along the Champ Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, Concorde and the Louvre. I have already been to Paris so I knew that it was a straight line (albeit a half an hour walk) from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. The temperature was warm so it was a nice stroll juxtaposed to the bustling backpackers on the pavements and traffic in-fuelled beep every minute road leading up to the Arc.
One birthday gift was tickets to the Moulin Rouge. It was something I'd never even considered but made for a nice change instead of getting off the Metro to take a picture outside and then hopping on the Metro again. The audience were seated at 1920s era lamp lit tables with white tablecloths (ours was stained with red wine glass rings but alas) and the room had a red colour wash to evoke the boudoir feel. When the show started, it felt like one of the most anti climatical, overrated shows I'd viewed. Give a group of girls some glitter, diamonds and flowers and you'll get the opening of the show. Not just the fact that it was all glitter and tat, but some of the dancers at the back were laughing and talking and some of the dancing was out of time...again I thought of a group of girls making up a routine in ten minutes for a family party. That's even an insult to aspiring young dancers and apologies for the female stereotype. After a few routines and scantily clad outfits later (female nipples probably being the sold out every night selling point) there were some exceptionally skilled performers reflecting acrobats and circus style talent. The show represented a carnivalesque culture with clowns, ringmasters and the famous CanCan but overall in my opinion, I don't think it was worth the €100+ ticket and the phrase Emperors new clothes comes to mind. However, it was an experience regardless and its continuous popularity reflects Parisian urbanity at its core.
Another birthday gift was climbing (okay, taking the elevator) to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. Our shaky legs and fear of getting too close to the edge meant we didn't quite make it to the top floor but the views over Paris, even in the rain, were incredible . I eavesdropped a tour guide saying to return to the Eiffel tower at night on the hour but 10pm was too light to see it lit up so 11pm was perfect. When we arrived ten minutes before, it was lit up a warm golden. We saw people laying in front of the Tower on the grass and had no idea what we were expecting but as soon as it hit 11 o'clock, what I thought was an already mesmerising view took my breath away as the tower sparkled as though the clouds had poured glitter on it. This alone made the statement 'city of light' bring so much meaning to Paris.
We escaped the rain during the day by taking the boat trip along the River Seine, with a narration of all the buildings surrounding the river. I would highly recommend a boat tour as you get to see some of the beautiful buildings (including the Musée d'Orsay) from the front view on the left bank of the river as opposed to the street view jam-packed with tourists. You also get to see all of Paris's famous landmarks without having to endure all the heavy traffic and impatient commuters and taxis beeping their horns at every opportunity. What's more, taking the boat meant you got to sail under all the bridges, including the Love Lock Bridge: "close your eyes and make a wish. You can even steal a kiss".
We managed to pack in all other sights such as the Notre Dame, Sacré-Cœur and the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter was overflowing with students but where else can you eat a three course meal for one for €10?! (it was delicious too!) Although what excites some people about city breaks are hidden local gems that are a far cry away from the busy popular locations, I felt at ease around here as, despite there being lots of beggars and homeless people littering the streets, there were plenty of tourists and police quietly observing the area so I was quite content in the backpacking bubble.
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