Paris is labelled as one of 'the most romantic cities in the world' and, keeping that in mind, in a way, we - the four of us - were like mud-wrestlers in a Russian ballet (?!)... or something like that anyhow :-). I think we all secretly promised ourselves that we would return one day, under different circumstances, with a different ''cast" ;-)
But meanwhile, we were here to do the 'tourist thing' and just have a great time... which we did! :-)
Avishek (the man with all the maps) can be credited with having planned this trip down to perfection (well, nearly). Its actually surprising, in hindsight, how much ground we covered in just 2 days!
The bus that we booked ("Eurolines'') left a few minutes after midnight on Friday night. This wasn't the most comfortable option but cost-effective nevertheless. It travelled all the way to the East of Paris and dropped us off in Gallieni at the crack of dawn on Saturday!
This is when we started fine-tuning our day-plan. Soon after, we were at the Notre Dame (cathedral) built in the early Gothic style of the 12th century. The digital cameras had their first glimpse of Paris...
[Right/Above (Photo): Alongside Notre Dame]
[Below (Photo): The Eiffel Tower!]
Now we catch 'da big pheesh'! Eiffel Tower! This part was exciting (and maybe a bit silly), for me at least. It was like being a kid again. After we climbed out of the 'Champ de Mars' metro-station, my radar was on. "Where is the tower?" Ironically, I was probably the last one to spot it :-(. But, when I did - I was mesmerized!It is truly magnificent! The trip was already worth it... and I wore a permanent, exaggerated ear-to-ear smile! :-) ... The number of Indians we saw at the base of the Tower was surprising. I was tempted to sing our national anthem to see how many people actually joined in. The only thing missing was a 'tea-stall' and a 'phuchka-wala' (phuchka = pani-puri = gol-gappa = well, if you haven't had it yet, your life has little or no meaning!) ;-)
[Right (Photo): Infront of the Palace of Versailles]
During the course of the day, we would be seeing more of the Tower, but for now we had to make a move. Next stop - Versailles... The palace of Versailles! By now, Chandrani's strolley had turned into a major headache and we were all taking turns to lug it around from place to place. We breathed a little easy when we deposited it at the entry point, but our visit wasn't all that 'smooth'. First, I lost my ticket (The authorities were however, nice enough to give me a replacement). And then, there was rain! (We bought flimsy umbrellas with 'Paris' written on them) This cut short our trip around the gardens. I choose not to elaborate on the grandeur and splendour of the palace - it is but obvious. The painted ceilings in every room tell you a story, which is part of one continuous story (if you pay enough attention). It is a miracle how I did not bump into anyone! :-)
Post Versailles, we retreated back to the centre of Paris in search of our hotel – about time we checked in and got some rest. This was a nice and comfy 'bed-and-breakfast' near the Opera-house, on Rue Cadet. All of us were tempted to sink into our mattresses and get some 'shut-eye'... but better sense prevailed - a nap at this juncture would have been disastrous! So, after a quick 'refresh' we were out and about once again - Eiffel Tower, Take Two.
This time we would climb to the top... that is, eventually... when we got our turn. The queues at each of the four entry points were somewhat less menacing than the ones we saw earlier in the day. As we ascended, the view went from 'great' to 'wow' to (finally) 'breathtaking!' when we reached the summit.
During the course of the day, we would be seeing more of the Tower, but for now we had to make a move. Next stop - Versailles... The palace of Versailles! By now, Chandrani's strolley had turned into a major headache and we were all taking turns to lug it around from place to place. We breathed a little easy when we deposited it at the entry point, but our visit wasn't all that 'smooth'. First, I lost my ticket (The authorities were however, nice enough to give me a replacement). And then, there was rain! (We bought flimsy umbrellas with 'Paris' written on them) This cut short our trip around the gardens. I choose not to elaborate on the grandeur and splendour of the palace - it is but obvious. The painted ceilings in every room tell you a story, which is part of one continuous story (if you pay enough attention). It is a miracle how I did not bump into anyone! :-)
Post Versailles, we retreated back to the centre of Paris in search of our hotel – about time we checked in and got some rest. This was a nice and comfy 'bed-and-breakfast' near the Opera-house, on Rue Cadet. All of us were tempted to sink into our mattresses and get some 'shut-eye'... but better sense prevailed - a nap at this juncture would have been disastrous! So, after a quick 'refresh' we were out and about once again - Eiffel Tower, Take Two.
This time we would climb to the top... that is, eventually... when we got our turn. The queues at each of the four entry points were somewhat less menacing than the ones we saw earlier in the day. As we ascended, the view went from 'great' to 'wow' to (finally) 'breathtaking!' when we reached the summit.
[Left (Photo): The Eiffel Tower... in lights!]
The sun was setting and cast its glow on the entire city. In a short while, the city lit up as did the Eiffel Tower!
Just when you thought that things could not get any better... they just did! The Eiffel
Tower was already shining majestically when it decided to start 'sparkling'! At this point, we were stationed on the 2nd floor. Numerous bulbs along the length of the Tower blinked on and off for a good fifteen minutes... and the Tower took the form of a massive piece of golden jewellery studded with diamonds! Almost guaranteed to leave onlookers spellbound...
[Right/Above (Photo): The Eiffel Tower - dazzling in the darkness!]
This part is strictly for Hindi-movie buffs - as we walked away from the Tower (looking back from time to time), over the River Seine, the 'Kal Ho Na Ho' title track was playing in my head and seemed very appropriate... :-)
Hot Chocolate! Delicious chocolate crepes! And we marched on towards Champs Elysses. Mid-way, there was some 'action' - we bumped into this 'foreign' gentleman who tried to make conversation with us. In a matter of seconds, the police arrived! Apparently, this strange fellow was a 'money-changer' and just to prove that we were not linked to him in any way, we had to display our passports and show the cops our wallets! Thankfully, this 'ordeal' was over in a few minutes and we were 'free to go'... (phew!). A word of caution (from a lesson learnt): If you're a foreigner in the EU, always keep your passport handy.
Champs Elysses - lined with shops and showrooms of the 'who's who' of fashion - where handbags cost the same as cars back in India (Louis Vuitton anyone?)! Anyway... it was already close to midnight, and we were starving. We ended up having pizzas and spaghetti with red wine at this rather 'expensive-looking' Italian place. Pretty good :-)
Henceforth, some more action! Sujeet was nowhere to be found. He was lost! Then again, if you ask him, he'll probably tell you that the three of us were lost... although we hadn't moved an inch. This led to panic, anxiety, acidity, text-messages, attempted phone-calls (incoming calls were barred on his phone... how convenient!) and the exchange of 'compliments' (that is, when we were finally reunited); a little 'masala' as a finishing touch to a choc-a-bloc and very eventful day! :-)
We cruised down to our hotel and promptly dived into our beds. Tomorrow would be another 'non-stop' day...
This part is strictly for Hindi-movie buffs - as we walked away from the Tower (looking back from time to time), over the River Seine, the 'Kal Ho Na Ho' title track was playing in my head and seemed very appropriate... :-)
Hot Chocolate! Delicious chocolate crepes! And we marched on towards Champs Elysses. Mid-way, there was some 'action' - we bumped into this 'foreign' gentleman who tried to make conversation with us. In a matter of seconds, the police arrived! Apparently, this strange fellow was a 'money-changer' and just to prove that we were not linked to him in any way, we had to display our passports and show the cops our wallets! Thankfully, this 'ordeal' was over in a few minutes and we were 'free to go'... (phew!). A word of caution (from a lesson learnt): If you're a foreigner in the EU, always keep your passport handy.
Champs Elysses - lined with shops and showrooms of the 'who's who' of fashion - where handbags cost the same as cars back in India (Louis Vuitton anyone?)! Anyway... it was already close to midnight, and we were starving. We ended up having pizzas and spaghetti with red wine at this rather 'expensive-looking' Italian place. Pretty good :-)
Henceforth, some more action! Sujeet was nowhere to be found. He was lost! Then again, if you ask him, he'll probably tell you that the three of us were lost... although we hadn't moved an inch. This led to panic, anxiety, acidity, text-messages, attempted phone-calls (incoming calls were barred on his phone... how convenient!) and the exchange of 'compliments' (that is, when we were finally reunited); a little 'masala' as a finishing touch to a choc-a-bloc and very eventful day! :-)
We cruised down to our hotel and promptly dived into our beds. Tomorrow would be another 'non-stop' day...
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