In the previous part of this series of write-ups on my trip to Paris, I visited Tour Montparnasse to find out how difficult seeing famous monuments such as Tour Eiffel can be through early morning haze, and went on to the marvellous Notre-Dame. In this, the third part, I get blasted by a vent at the Louvre, get worn out on the Champs-Élysées and get soaked on top of the Arc de Triomphe.
(Incidently, if you haven’t read part one and/or part two, you really ought to.)
When I told people I was going to Paris, almost all of them asked me whether I was going to the Louvre, to which my answer was ‘yes’. And I did. Technically, I didn’t go inside the Louvre, but I did look at it from the outside. I’d read on the net how the big exhibits such as the Mona Lisa are now behind bullet proof glass and that to see it, you have to battle through a mass of tourists. While I’m sure the inside of the Louvre is very interesting, there’s no way it can all be seen in a day and with my tight schedule, seeing it from the outside was all I could manage. It was still worth it though. The iconic glass entrance pyramids are a spectacle, although rather busy. I was there while half of Spain’s school children were visiting, along with almost the entire population of Japan. I wandered around a bit, taking photos now and again. While in full wander, I spotted something moving up the side of one of the glass pyramids, and I stopped to have a coser look. Even now, I’m not totally sure what it was, but I guessed it was an automatic window cleaning robot. While taking a photo of it, the floor began to vibrate, met with a huge roar and a blast of warm air which made me jump out of my skin. I’d inadvertedly stepped onto a large grate set into the floor. I smirked, as I often do when I do something in public that draws attention to myself and carried on walking.
The Champs-Élysées is…OK. I’m someone who doesn’t like busyness. I like to be able to walk in a straight line, without having to constantly adjust my walking pace or change my direction. Call me crazy, but I also don’t like it when people stop walking right in front of me, causing me to barge into them. Unfortunately, that happened a lot on my walk down that most famous of shopping streets. It was more of a means to and end really. I wanted to get to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees provided the most direct route from where I was. I spent about 2 minutes in Virgin Megastore and enjoyed seeing the Police on rollerblades, but other than that, if there was a quicker alternative route to the Arc, I would certainly have taken it. As it was, I’d already walked 8 miles that day and was starting to get tired, so I had no choice but to put up with it.
My second favourite part of Paris after Jardin du Luxembourg is the Arc de Triomphe. It’s a stunning monument sitting grandly in the centre of a death trap masquerading as a roundabout. Never before have I been quite as impressed by stone carvings as I was at the Arc. It’s size and beauty is breathtaking. And the great thing is, you can now go up to the top of it. After 284 steps, you’re met with great view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower nestled in the Paris skyline. The Champs-Élysées stretching out to The Louvre with La Grande Arche at La Défense sitting on the opposite horizon. Twelve major avenues meet at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_l’Étoile, where the Arc sits. Thank godness there’s an underpass to reach it as the traffic is chaotic at best. It’s a fact that if an accident were to occur on the roundabout (and it often does), no one bothers to find out whose fault it was. From my vantage point on top of the Arc, it seemed like there were no rules. Drivers appeared to only be focused on their desired destinations and to hell with the consequences. The video I shot paints a more accurate picture of what it’s like. It’s as if the traffic is trying it’s best to steal the Arcs limelight. Oddly, it almost does.
I had been lucky with the weather on my trip. The first day was glouriously warm and sunny and day on which I chose to visit the Arc was warmer still. But while enjoying the spectacle on the road below, I didn’t spot the clouds rolling in and got a fair old soaking trying to get to the one and only exit. Luckily, I didn’t have far to go to find cover. The obligatory gift shop selling useless tat was only a few steps away.
And that’s part three. You’re almost done. Part 4 see’s me going to the Grande Arche de la Fraternité at La Défense climbing Montmartre and finishing up back at Tour Eiffel. If you haven’t done so already, go to Flickr to see all of my Paris photos.
In this second write-up on my trip to France’s wonderful capital city, I’m going to cover a few more of the major attractions that I visited in my short time there. If you’ve yet to read part one, you probably should. It sets the scene.
Visiting Tour Eiffel was the very first thing I did when I arrived in Paris. Well actually, the first thing I did was get lost, and subsequently, rather hot and sweaty. The trouble I had wasn’t with the direction, but with finding the correct platform for the RER train I’d planned on taking. I wanted Line D, but hadn’t banked on there being Lines D1, D2 and so on. I spent around ten minutes descending stairs, going through ticket barriers, going up escalators and being swept away in crowds of people before giving up and opting instead to travel to my hotel on the Paris Métro. Upon arriving at Montparnasse Bienvenue, the metro station nearest my hotel, I decided for reasons unknown not to walk directly to the hotel, but to wander aimlessly for a mile or so before realising things weren’t right and turning back. Only after inspecting my room, flicking through the tv channels, testing the light switches and chugging a bottle of water did I then go to the Tower. To find out what I thought, read part one.
You won’t find many surprises in the list of other places I visited in Paris. All of them are well known attractions and everyone knows what they look like and what to expect from them, but they’re still essential things to see. Tour Montparnasse is the tallest skyscraper in France. It boasts terrific views of the city, rivaling those from Tour Eiffel, mainly because you can see Tour Eiffel from Tour Montparnasse, which you can’t from Tour Eiffel because you’d be standing on it. Sadly (and typically), I visited on a particularly hazy day and I could barely see anything other than what was directly beneath the tower. It was still worth the visit though. I’d never been up a skyscraper before so it was an experience if nothing else. And the lift to the 56th floor is the fastest in Europe, flinging you up in 38 seconds, so that was good. If you like having your ears bleed as you hurtle up a lift shaft to have to squint at a barely visible Eiffel Tower, then Tour Montparnasse is definitely worth a look.
I gave more of my time to Notre-Dame than I thought I would. It’s exterior is grand and beautiful and it’s interior is even more so. Some of the stained glass windows were staggeringly intricate and the colours were incredible. Multi-coloured rays of sunlight shown onto the walls, floor and “beware of pickpockets’ notices. A service was starting as I finished wandering around and I actually found myself sitting down and listening to the words. I didn’t understand what was being said as it was in French and Latin, but I enjoyed the ambience all the same. I’ve never really liked visiting churches and cathedrals, but have visited so many in my life that I suppose it’s natural for me to carry on doing so. Notre-Dame was probably the grandest that I can remember.
In part 3, I visit the Louvre and walk up the underwealming Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. To see a slideshow of all my Paris photos, go to Flickr.
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.
