Bonjour Paris!
Bonjour Monsieur! I was in Paris! Our tourist bus from Hannover travelled all night to reach the most beautiful city in the world, Paris! As our bus was manoeuvring through the busy early morning traffic on the way to the city centre, I could catch a glimpse of Stade de France, site of the 1998 FIFA World Cup Finale, with Paris 2012 written on it, along with the 5-ringed Olympic symbol. That was because Paris was bidding for the 2012 Olympic Games at that time, which eventually went to London.
First stop, Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart), on Montmartre. The beautiful church complex, atop the hillock, offers a tremendous view of the city of Paris, and I was thrilled to see Eiffel Tower from there!
After a stroll in the church complex, we went on a short trip of the city centre with brief photo-sessions near the Eiffel Tower(also with the Paris 2012 logo on it) and Notre Dame. We checked into our hotel which was near Marie de Clichy (I hope I am spelling it right).
I set out to explore the city on my own, armed with a map, something that I absolutely love to do. I got into a shop to buy some souveneirs and a very beautiful French brunette greeted me "Bonjour Masseur". And she didn't know English. I tried with some "merci...oui" etc she made me point to the stuff that I wanted to buy. That cute smile on her face was radiant. She gave me a good discount and a smile. Little did I know then that I'd realize the next day that I had paid double the price for those souvenirs. The brunette had tricked me with her radiant smile! :(
Next stop, Notre Dame. What a beautiful place! People don't call Paris "the most beautiful city in the world" for no reason. And the French are real romantics! Romanticism oozes in everything they do: in the way they speak, in their names, in the city architecture. Just everything.
I had a sumptuous lunch at one of the cafes facing the street, something which Paris is known for. I tried a few French delicacies, an entree named "Amuse Bouche" and a chicken delicacy.
Next stop, was my dreamland, Roland Garros! To watch French Open 2005, live! I didn't have a ticket, but I knew about these evening tickets and I was just hoping that I would get one. I hopped onto the Paris Metro, which is very convenient by the way, and reached Roland Garros in the afternoon around 2 PM. There was a huge crowd but I chatted up this couple who were part of a larger group of youngsters and I sneaked into the front with them. And I managed to get a ticket! I was on cloud nine! And the ticket gave me access to the center court (Philippe Chartier) and also to the side courts! I went straight into the centre court and as I entered, Roger Federer had finished his match. I was disappointed, but soon got over that as I saw Mary Pierce coming in! She has been one of my favourites since long and I saw her play live! After watching a couple of great matches involving Patty Schnyder and Elena Dementieva (oh....she is so hot!) and getting autographs from Arantxa Sanchez and John McNroe(!!), I sat down to watch a mixed doubles match involving our very own Mahesh Bhupathi. I also watched a Spanish teenager named Rafael Nadal win one of his preliminary round matches - he went on to win French Open 2005 as a rank outsider! I think he has great potential! I was among the last to get out of there that evening. A very fulfilling afternoon indeed.
I was off to the city centre again to see Eiffel Tower by night. I was too late to climb the tower, but I was there right on time to watch the lights on the tower glitter.
Next morning, I got up and I was excited to visit my other dream destination: Muse du Louvre. I was in the metro again and the best part about Paris Metro is that one can easily get around the city with it 'coz there is a metro station right near every tourist destination.
The Louvre complex is amazing and I was thrilled to be in the Grand Gallery! I was even more thrilled to see the "Mona Lisa" but unfortunately couldn't catch a good view of it because of the crowd. After that I had my lunch in another restaurant and I reached Champs Elysees (which is one of the 12 great avenues) and took a nice walk down the avenue till the Arc de Triomphe (Victory arch).
After brief stopover at Place de la Concorde (with the millennium wheel) I was back in my hotel for the day.
Next day was to be my last day in Paris. I took a trip to Chateau de Versailles. Absolutely stunning place and extremely well maintained. I was back in the city by afternoon and I set out to explore the post-modern part of Paris: La Defense. After roaming there for sometime I was back in the city again visiting Place de la Bastille and I shopped for some Parisian perfumes, for the two most beautiful women in my life: my mom and my sister..:-)
After a brief stopover at the Eiffel Tower for the last time, I re-joined our touring group. We were on our way back to Hannover soon and I just couldn't stop thinking about Paris all through the night.
First stop, Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart), on Montmartre. The beautiful church complex, atop the hillock, offers a tremendous view of the city of Paris, and I was thrilled to see Eiffel Tower from there!
After a stroll in the church complex, we went on a short trip of the city centre with brief photo-sessions near the Eiffel Tower(also with the Paris 2012 logo on it) and Notre Dame. We checked into our hotel which was near Marie de Clichy (I hope I am spelling it right).
I set out to explore the city on my own, armed with a map, something that I absolutely love to do. I got into a shop to buy some souveneirs and a very beautiful French brunette greeted me "Bonjour Masseur". And she didn't know English. I tried with some "merci...oui" etc she made me point to the stuff that I wanted to buy. That cute smile on her face was radiant. She gave me a good discount and a smile. Little did I know then that I'd realize the next day that I had paid double the price for those souvenirs. The brunette had tricked me with her radiant smile! :(
Next stop, Notre Dame. What a beautiful place! People don't call Paris "the most beautiful city in the world" for no reason. And the French are real romantics! Romanticism oozes in everything they do: in the way they speak, in their names, in the city architecture. Just everything.
I had a sumptuous lunch at one of the cafes facing the street, something which Paris is known for. I tried a few French delicacies, an entree named "Amuse Bouche" and a chicken delicacy.
Next stop, was my dreamland, Roland Garros! To watch French Open 2005, live! I didn't have a ticket, but I knew about these evening tickets and I was just hoping that I would get one. I hopped onto the Paris Metro, which is very convenient by the way, and reached Roland Garros in the afternoon around 2 PM. There was a huge crowd but I chatted up this couple who were part of a larger group of youngsters and I sneaked into the front with them. And I managed to get a ticket! I was on cloud nine! And the ticket gave me access to the center court (Philippe Chartier) and also to the side courts! I went straight into the centre court and as I entered, Roger Federer had finished his match. I was disappointed, but soon got over that as I saw Mary Pierce coming in! She has been one of my favourites since long and I saw her play live! After watching a couple of great matches involving Patty Schnyder and Elena Dementieva (oh....she is so hot!) and getting autographs from Arantxa Sanchez and John McNroe(!!), I sat down to watch a mixed doubles match involving our very own Mahesh Bhupathi. I also watched a Spanish teenager named Rafael Nadal win one of his preliminary round matches - he went on to win French Open 2005 as a rank outsider! I think he has great potential! I was among the last to get out of there that evening. A very fulfilling afternoon indeed.
I was off to the city centre again to see Eiffel Tower by night. I was too late to climb the tower, but I was there right on time to watch the lights on the tower glitter.
Next morning, I got up and I was excited to visit my other dream destination: Muse du Louvre. I was in the metro again and the best part about Paris Metro is that one can easily get around the city with it 'coz there is a metro station right near every tourist destination.
The Louvre complex is amazing and I was thrilled to be in the Grand Gallery! I was even more thrilled to see the "Mona Lisa" but unfortunately couldn't catch a good view of it because of the crowd. After that I had my lunch in another restaurant and I reached Champs Elysees (which is one of the 12 great avenues) and took a nice walk down the avenue till the Arc de Triomphe (Victory arch).
After brief stopover at Place de la Concorde (with the millennium wheel) I was back in my hotel for the day.
Next day was to be my last day in Paris. I took a trip to Chateau de Versailles. Absolutely stunning place and extremely well maintained. I was back in the city by afternoon and I set out to explore the post-modern part of Paris: La Defense. After roaming there for sometime I was back in the city again visiting Place de la Bastille and I shopped for some Parisian perfumes, for the two most beautiful women in my life: my mom and my sister..:-)
After a brief stopover at the Eiffel Tower for the last time, I re-joined our touring group. We were on our way back to Hannover soon and I just couldn't stop thinking about Paris all through the night.
posted by Sagar @ 2:08 AM
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