3 days in Paris

Hearing: Sister Act 2 on TV.

I figure its about time i gave a rundown of our trip to Paris along with the promised photos.

After our problem with the hotel was settled our first day was spent seeing the sights of Paris. We started with the Arc De Triomphe and then walked from there along the Champs Elysees all the way to the Louvre. And trust me when i say it isn't a short walk. But the weather was good, Paris busy and we enjoyed ourselves stopping now and then to take photos. I had to take one of my mum in front of the fountains featured in the movie "Devil wears Prada". Up next was the Eiffel Tower and the view from the top was worth the wait in line. An unobstructed 360 degree view of the city and very, very high (i kinda underestimated it).
























We did want to see the tower light up at night especially with the blinking lights but it doesn't get dark in Paris till late in the evening - around 10pm! So we made a quick trip to Notre Dame Cathedral which actually was perfect timing. The light of the sun setting on the cathedral transformed the colours and it was beautiful. Back at the Eiffel Tower we perched on the steps of the Trocadero Gardens along with lots of other tourists to watch when the lights would transform the tower into a Paris moment. And when it lit up, a gasp of awe and surprise rose from everyone there and no, I'm not exaggerating.



































































Day 2 found us at Versailles.



We spent the whole day there. The place is massive! Apparently the Palace and grounds used to occupy the size roughly the same as that of Paris - now its not so but still its huge. The Palace itself is a marvel with paintings covering the walls and ceilings, delicate and ornate designs around mirrors and doors, statues and all sorts of antiquities. The recent movie "Marie-Antoinette" starring Kirsten Dunst is shot entirely on location there and i did see a lot of the places that featured in the movie like Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette's room, the chapel they were married in (check out the ceiling in the photo) and of course the Petit Trianon. My favourite place of all has to be Marie-Antoinette's Estate, more specifically, the little Hamlet built for her. Its as though you've stepped back in time.








































































































































Day 3 post our Louvre excursion.

Mum and i climbed the steps to Sacre Coeur in Montmartre and took a peek inside the church and at the area around it. The cafes, painters and sketch artists were all at the ready anticipating the next tourists. And though i realise its quite put on, i still like seeing it. Before quitting the Montmartre quartier i just had to stop by the Moulin Rouge and see the red windmill for myself. Its not as impressive in the day as it would be at night but still it is an infamous icon of Paris. Our day ended with coffee (naturally) in a market street called Rue Montorgueil. Its filled with cafes, grocers, bakeries and the sort and i actually think the whole trip would have ended on a good note was it not for an altercation i had with some idiot.


Mum and i were walking to a metro stop, arms linked talking away when some french idiot steps in my way and on my foot! I was about to apologise when i realised it wasn't my fault and i stood there a few seconds expecting an apology from him but he didn't say a thing! No "Pardon" no nothing AND he didn't even move! As i waited i realised he wasn't going to move, HE was expecting an apology from ME! I lost my cool and did something that i normally wouldn't have done - i pushed him out of my way and continued walking. He did not like that and started yelling in french which i can only imagine to be profanity and insults and yet again most unlike me i stopped walking and turned around and yelled back that he could "Bite Me!" and that he was an "A$$hole". I was so mad! Honestly, the nerve! After that (I'm sorry to say) i was very happy to be heading for the airport and out of Paris. I guess i cant let little things like that spoil an otherwise pleasant trip but they do get to me. I guess as time wears on I'll only remember the good and hopefully forget the bad.

Anyways, that's enough from me, there is more in this post to try even the most attentive reader. I'm off to plan a little surprise for mums birthday tomorrow, she doesn't want anything just a cup of coffee with me (aren't mums sweet? they all say that) but I'm sure i can do more than that.

VP

Read More

Paris reflections

Hearing: Rockstar - Nickleback

I got back from yet another Paris yesterday. It was a layover spent in the hotel, sounds crazy i know but those of you who fly will understand. The afternoon before pickup spent walking around the local area - i had intended to send something from the local post office but i didnt realise it was a Sunday. I had tried to get some sleep but my efforts were fruitless, i just couldnt. I was lying in bed for over an hour with no results. I ended up grabbing my jacket and heading outside.

There is this small grassy area infront of the hotel near the driveway where i lay down and just watched the clouds go by. I got to thinking where i was and where i wanted to be and if this is what i wanted and all sorts of D&Ms. I was thinking that i was really lucky to have this job but being away from my family isnt any fun either. I missed being home (maybe im homesick) i miss being able to go into my backyard and breathe clean air as opposed to 24/7 airconditioning. I miss clouds!! I missed being able to sit on grass and watch the sky as the clouds move accross it or birds fly past. There is a serious lack of nature in the sandpit and i never realised how important it was for me to have it.

Then i got to thinking about where i was, i was in PARIS! and yet i wasnt giddy happy, not even excited not even remotely interested, i could have been anywhere. For as long as i remember ive wanted to travel and flying seemed the best way (and it is) but im begining to think there is such a thing as too much travel. Usually travel is a big deal you spend ages saving up for it, you plan the hotel what your going to do and see, tell everyone, count down the days, check and triple check that youve packed everything and are really excited. But you dont get that with this job, initially you do but it wears off. Too much travel. How else can you explain feeling ho-hum about being in Paris?

Then it was a case of looking again at what i wanted and seeing clearly that i wanted to be home but not a 9-5 job indoors cuz i think thats just as bad but a job that would allow me to travel and work, or even work in a different country every year or so moving to another country. Maybe freelance webdesign or teaching english in Japan - ive always been facinated by that country, ever since i was in year 3 and out teacher told us about it - as a possibility. But they are currently far fetched ideas and bordering on the castle in the sky fantasy so till i could make it feasabile i knew one thing and that was family, i had to be where my family was and it didnt matter what i did as long as they were there with me.

Sheesh i think i really am homesick. I love the travel but it can really play tricks on you. LOL!

VP

Read More

A lazy day in Paris

Hearing: Hotel music and people chatting in the lobby.

This trip has been my first operating trip to Paris, the one I wrote about in my last entry was taken on my 4 requested days off. I was called off standby for it which I didn't mind but it meant that I wouldn't be able to meet one of my friends in London. Anyway I had a wonderful day.

Since I didn't go inside last time my first stop was Notre-Dame. Out front these kids were feeding sparrows from their hands, very cute.



I shelled out 5euro for the audio guide and listened to all sorts of things about the cathedral I didn't know - like one of the oldest tombs is the most modest one and quite easy to overlook, that the cathedral fell into ruin at one stage and Victor Hugos ¨Hunchback of Notre-Dame¨ while exciting controversy, brought attention to the cathedral once again and saved it and that over 12 million visitors come every year. It also explained the significance of its layout, the stories behind famous round windows and sculptures in the portals on the facade. Although there were signs saying photography wasn't allowed tourists everywhere were posing for photos all over the place, in such a disrespectful manner and while I sometimes do take photos inside churches and cathedrals I didn't feel right to take photos here.

From there I i walked to the Louvre where I wanted to see that Da Vinci's smiling lady but it so happens that on Tuesdays the Louvre is closed...Oh well, next time maybe (I love being able to say that so simply *grin*). I sat to the side of the square and watched people taking photos infront of the glass pyramids, kids playing while their parents took respite in the shade and sellers lugging around buckets of ice and water bottles.



A lazy walk through the park infront of the Louvre (Jardin Du Carrousel) took me past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (a smaller version of its famous brother), to the Obelisk and down Ave Des Champs Elysees till I found a nearby metro stop.



The Metro is very easy to navigate and efficient like that of London, so a short ride later and I found myself in the Jardin Du Luxembourg. Its not a typical 'site' of Paris to see but my friend recommended it and it definitely fell within the lazy day category. The garden forms the grounds of the Palais du Luxemborg which was built for the widow of Henri IV but she was banished before its completion and its had many uses since including an air raid shelter built under the gardens themselves. Anyway the gardens cover 60 acres of land and are beautiful. They have everything from tennis courts, horse rides, kids playgrounds, outdoor cafes, a bee-keeping school, puppet theatre to large man-made ponds with toy boats floating around. Being a sunny day the lawns were covered with people stretching out in the sun or settling down for a chat. Naturally these were my kind of people so I pulled up a patch of grass and stretched out myself.

As the sun began to sink and I began the long trip back to the hotel feeling well and truly lucky.

VP

Read More

Paris, France

Hearing: Fan whirring on high and traffic

Bonjour, Sava?

What a day! What a day! What a DAY! Is Paris overrated? NO WAY!

So it started with 4 requested days off where I was supposed to be going with my friend O- to Prague except in true VP style the plans fell through. O- is buying an apartment and the papers would be ready for her to sign halfway through my days off so that was that. What to do?

I was chatting to a friend of mine A- who said he'd been given a long Paris and I thought to myself why not? Next day I bought a ticket, hopped on the flight - got upgraded to business since I was friends with the CM and my friend was serving the side I was on - Perfect! I had a window seat and coming into land I could clearly see Paris below including my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe and the square like frame building in the La Defense district...I was very happy.

 

The next day I woke up not feeling 100% - I was sick and not the I've got a headache/flu sick, it was the I'm going to throw up any minute sick but I was not going to stay in the hotel, HELL NO! I got Primperan off A- and it worked to kill that feeling but left my temperature high and me still feeling nauseous and unsteady but I could cope with that - I was more worried about having to run into the bathroom every 5 seconds if I needed to throw up.

That handled, A- and I set off for Paris - first stop Notre Dame. It was horrible going, so hot on the trains so it made me feel worse but seeing Notre Dame was worth it. I'll let the photos do the talking.

 

Next was the Eiffel Tower and I confess I got a little teary - my eyes could not believe what they were seeing and my brain did not register it either - I stood there just looking up overwhelmed that I was lucky enough to see this icon.

We grabbed more water, a couple of ice creams, I called mum, pulled up a patch of grass to lay on in the shade and just drank in the atmosphere and breath-taking view. A- had to cool off first underneath this huge fan that was also sending out a mist. You can see he wasn't the only one with the same idea.



We walked from there up one of the fancy streets before landing smack bang in the middle of Champs de Elysees right next to the famous Arc de Triomphe. Being such a shameless tourist, as I was crossing the road I stopped in the middle and took a photo.



The last stop for this trip but not the least was Sacre Coeur atop a hill. Beautiful - everything - the cathedrale, the area surrounding it, the atmosphere, the view - oh my - the view was just stunning. Directly infront of Sacre Coeur is a whole bunch of steps (its pretty high up - thankfully the alternative was a sort of cable car the price of which was included in my day trip metro ticket) which was littered with people all enjoying the view of Paris below. To the right there is an area where you can see the Eiffel Tower and we were fortunate enough to be there for the sunset and the lighting up of the tower. The area around Sacre Coeur was filled with restaurants, creperies and portrait artists who would draw you to perfection for a small fee.

 

 

The Montmartre district in which Sacre Coeur lies is bustling and alive - very different to the rest of Paris. It feels like you've stepped away from the typical and uncovered the real Parisian atmosphere - its also home to the Moulin Rouge and associated businesses lower down. Just be careful where you go and when.

For now good night, I look forward to the next adventure.

VP

Read More