What You’ve Heard Is True
In a way, one of the world’s most amazing cities didn’t hold very many surprises. For instance, it wasn’t a surprise to nearly get run over on a pedestrian crossing despite the green man showing. It wasn’t a surprise that some of the elderly men wore berets and played Pétanque. It wasn’t a surprise that upon arriving at one of the city’s most visited landmarks, I was asked whether I had any money I could spare. It wasn’t a surprise that everything I ate was delicious. It was almost as if I’d been to Paris before. There was a great sense of familiarity to the place, but that’s what made it all the more exciting to explore.
I only had two nights to see all of Paris and had set myself a strict and grinding itinerary in order to do it. The plan wasn’t to spend ages at each attraction. Instead, I would catch the Metro or walk between the attractions, take some photos and move on. You may not like the sound of that, but it ended up working perfectly for me.
I was staying in the lovely Montparnasse area on the left bank of the Seine, home to Tour Montparnasse, France’s tallest (and probably most hated) skyscraper, in a brand new Novotel (You can read my glowing review at TripAdvisor.com). The area is typically Parisian, with tree-lined avenues full of cafes, restaurants and pharmacies with their dancing neon crosses outside. A wander down Boulevard de Montparnasse brings you to Jardin du Luxembourg, my absolute favourite part of Paris. It’s an oasis of tranquility and calm, yet busy with people using the gardens for recreation and socialising. The park is littered with perhaps a thousand green metal chairs which are free to use. Most of them were being used by people just sitting and enjoying the warm early Spring sunshine. Some people were reading books, some were quietly chatting with friends. Some people were huddled around small tables discussing the intricacies of an ongoing chess match. Some were watching the families sailing boats on the octagonal pond in front of the Palais du Luxembourg. It was a charming place to spend a morning and I found myself being overtaken by its peacefulness. I actually sat for about an hour, not really doing anything and watching people walking past, something I’ve never enjoyed doing.
Of course, I visited the essential tourist attractions too. Tour Eiffel, one of the world’s most recognisable monuments is an incredible structure. Seeing it for real for the first time gave me a very unusual feeling. Standing directly underneath it and looking up at it is almost as good as going up it. I opted to take the stairs to the first level and buy a ticket for the lift to the second level. It’s something I recommend doing as the queues for the stairs are considerably shorter and it’s a bit cheaper too. You don’t have to be particularly fit either as it’s only 340 steps. You are of course rewarded for your effort. The views are obviously fantastic.
Paris is an attractive tourist attraction for so many reasons. Its comparatively small centre means you can see almost all of the major attractions in a couple of days, providing you’re fairly fit and you’re wearing comfortable shoes. Public transport is cheap, clean and reliable. The Metro in particular is excellent and with ticket prices at a fixed €1.40 to anywhere within the system, it’s a steal. Another charm of Paris is that you can escape the tourist traps and see the real Paris very easily. In most cases, you are only one street away from the bustle and beggers.
Now, go on to part 2, where I’m shot up Tour Montparnsse in Europe’s fastest lift and visit the hustle and bustle surrounding Notre-Dame. Or, go to Flickr to see all of my Paris photos.
