MP and I had five days to spend in Paris and in retrospect, that is probably too long for one city, but because of the flight times, etc., we really had no choice. I had expectations for Paris, like most people I had heard the stories of how romantic this city is and how fabulous the sights and sounds are… I think it is unwise to go to any place with any preconceptions! This is not to say that you shouldn’t research the place you are going, but just be wary that there are many different views in the world.
I recommend getting yourself a cornet from the ticket person (basically a book of 10 tickets) and a map of the metro and RER system – it really is a cheap way of travelling around Paris (about 1.70 Euros per trip) and the outlying suburbs. The metro gets you to all the sights you want to see (and some you didn’t know you wanted too) within the city limits and the RER takes you to the outlying suburbs. But do be warned that all the tunnels that you walk along, have a distinct smell of urine…
Picking up French phrases is really easy and fun too! You get very good at saying the basics like ‘merci’, ‘pardon’ and ‘bonjour!’. It feels a bit like you are playing at being French at first but it soon become second nature – I had to stop myself from saying ‘pardon’ to an Omani just the other day!
I have to admit the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower, I did a little girly squeal. MP and I were standing at the Louvre, just after some snowfall actually, I turned around and there it was! Well, half of it anyway…
(Photo: Just a glimpse...)
No matter what you are told, to see the iconic and sometimes cliché sights of Paris is pretty amazing and quite surreal at times. Do go and see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Versaille (as long as it hasn’t snowed, or they close it…), Notre Dame, etc., etc., etc…. Amazing!
(Photo: The watchers on top of Notre Dame)
One place I highly recommend that isn’t in all the guide books is the Catacombs. This creepy place under the city is really interesting and somewhat eerie! Walls made from the skulls and long bones on thousands of Parisians’. I really wanted to see some ghosts or catch it on camera, unfortunately we didn’t…
(Photo: A wall of bones...)
But my most favourite moment for the entire trip was the snow! Yes it snowed and snowed and snowed. This was my first experience with the ‘white stuff’ and I couldn’t get enough of it! I missed the snow storm that Paris had, we were on a day tour to the D-Day Beaches (also something everyone should do) but the day after was just magical. I even enjoyed the cold and those of you who know me, know that I am a Queensland who loves her sunshine! MP did not enjoy the snow, he didn’t seem to appreciate the romance of it and when it turned out that half of Versaille was closed when we went there, he really didn’t like it. But crunching through the snow, wearing big coats, gloves, scarves and a beanie, sliding on the ice, seeing your breath in the air and the quiet of the white sent my little heart a fluttering!
(Photo: The romance of snow)
Word to the wise in Paris however, there are a lot, and I mean whole lot, of dodgy people. There are beggers every where, pickpockets, conmen, dodgy trinket salesmen (5 for 1 Euro…), oh and watch out for the ‘bead men’ or ‘string men’ depending on what they are trying to sell you. Basically a random man will grab you and start either winding some beads or tying string around your wrist and then they charge something like 8 euros for it. Your best bet is to ignore them completely because they will hound you. We told one to ‘go away’ and he called MP a ‘bullsh!tter’ for the effort. You have been warned… It definitely put a big downer on the whole trip for me. Being constantly on your guard does not make for an enjoyable trip.
I have realised after this trip that cities are pretty much all the same – full of people (tourists and the locals who are annoyed with the tourists), sights to see and places to eat, sleep and spend your money. I’m feeling somewhat cynical about it all. If I ever went back to France, I would love to go to the South of France, rural areas. Yes I know that most of what I said will also occupy these places, but maybe there’ll a few less tourists, a few less dodgy people and a few less tourist-hating locals!
(Photo: Finally!)
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