Sight Beyond Sight: May 2012

The City Of Romance - Paris

This is the first time I'm traveling to a European country. My Heart was beating fast. Yes I'm pretty damn excited. The fantasies as well as the amazing stories of the romantic city i picked up from movies and books kept playing in my head during my 13 hours long flight. I managed to get some sleep tough, while learning some handy French words. Upon arrival I purchased the Paris Visit 3 days unlimited pass for zone 1-3(cost about €20+) at The airport information counter.

I boarded the RER train with excitement and alighted at the st. Micheal station where The first building I saw when I come up from the Underground station was the magnificent Norte dame building. It was early in the morning when there are no tourist around. The soft morning sun shined gently behind the centuries old monument, hmmm...what a great sight. Thank you Paris for such a heartwarming greeting :).

Well, being in the foreign city of the first time i kind of lost my sense of direction. I turned my map sillily from clockwise to the counter clock wise, while trying my best to strain my eyes to look for the french streets name. I finally managed to locate my hotel - Hotel St. Jacques at Latin Quater, all thank to a nice Parisian guy who kindly enough to walk me to the hotel :) I quickly downloaded the city map on my iPhone using the hotel wifi. And then i'm all set to go while chewing some 'pates de fruits' ( jelly gummy candy but taste better). The Norte dame was just a 5 mins walk from my hotel, so I paid the building a visit after I grab my first French breakfast at the nearby Eric Kayser, a famous Paris bakery chain. I fell in love with their pastries almost immediately ;) it was awesome!

I would say The seine river cruise is a must for first timer to Paris as It provide a good and comprehensive introduction to the beautiful and yet historical city. Besides the century old buildings which stood harmonically along both sides of the river, one may see many Parisian chilling and relaxing by the riverbank too. Wave to them and they certainly waved back to you with a cheerful smile:)

Not familiar with the city's metro system, i decided to a long walk from the pier back to my hotel, while enjoying the cooling breeze and the amazing city landscape. Back to the hotel. I searched for iPhone apps for the metro system and I found 'Guide Paris'. A simple app that all you need to do is to select the departure and arrival station. ( you can refer to the tourist map for the nearest station name) it will tell you which station to alight or transit, which service line and direction to go. Easy but the down side is it does not provide the connection to the RER service line. The metro - fast rail service connecting the city like a spider web. While the RER - link between the city and the suburb like the airport and Disneyland.

Knowing to use the metro system give you great agility. However if possible try to walk on the street, as there are so much more to see. For the following days i started my day with a shot of espresso (about €1~€1.20) and a croissant. That's what the local do in the morning :)

You can't avoid visiting the museums and monuments in Paris, therefore it's better to purchase the 2 days unlimited museum pass and it will save you some euros. Please plan ahead since some museum is located far away from the town, such as the chateau de versailles.

the other interesting places i have visited included

1. The Centre Pompidou art gallery,

2. The galleries Lafayette shopping centre -
Aside luxury designers handbags, another thing worth looking for is the famous macaroons- Pierre Herme, once you've tried it, you will think twice before you buy another macaroons again somewhere else.

3. The Lourve -
The magnificent Louvre museum. It is the most fascinating place in Paris! The famous 'Mona Lisa' painting is there ;) but it was not the only reason you should go there, there are many more historical paintings, artifects and statues to be seen from ancient Egypt to the land of rising sun.

4. The Eiffel Tower & the Palais de Chaillot -
As suggested by a local, i arrived at the Palais, to witness the beauty of the Eiffel tower for far, and then slowly walk towards the tower for its more breathtaking close-up view. There are 2 way to get to the top of the tower, First take the lift but have to endure to kilometre long queue. Secondly take the staircase, which made up of about 650 steps. I have choosen the stairs up to the first and second deck because the shorter queue. The Eiffel tower was truly charming from bottom to top. It's masculine steel structure....while the architectural of the tower which consist a series of arch and curves have added some feminine touch to it. And when it is light up during the night, it become even more charming. it is indeed an amazing piece of artwork.

5. Arc de Triomphe

6. Sentier -
Its a street market which offer variety of local products, such as chocolates, bakeries, fruits, seafood, cheese, meat and so on so forth.

7. Le Marais area,

8. Latin quarter area - do try the famous ice cream in Paris - Maison Berthillon,

9. La defence - Paris business centre with modern architectual.

10. MontMartre - the location of the white domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

11.Musée du Cinéma - Cinematheque Française

12. Chateau De Versailles - Don't forget to buy a cup of hot chololate from the famous france restaurant - Angelina, as its signature Hot chocolate is the top of the world.

Tips:

1. Convenient stores like 7-11 are not as easily found as in Asian countries like Hong Kong and Singapore. Do stock up some fruits and drinking water from time to time.

2. The hotels are indeed expensive, but you don't always have to stay in the budget backpackers inn, special promotions are available during the low season or the beginning of the peak season. So do more research and it might save you some euros while enjoying a comfortable hotel room.

3. For budget travelers, a proper meal in Paris and London might cost you a fortune. But you don't have to worry too much, as you can alway buy the pre-cooked meal from the local supermarket shelf. Convenient tasty, cheap and you can bring it to everywhere you go.

If possible do make one or two trip to the restaurant for a good meal, after-all local cuisine is also part of the traveling experience. Many restaurants offer formulae - fixed price course dinner. Walk around or make a few more turns and I'm sure you can find one that suit your taste and wallet ;)

4. Attitude problem - I have heard many stories about unfriendliness of the local people. To be honest I did not Encounter one rude local during my visit be it at Paris, London and Milan. As i have mentioned, some local may even guide me to my destination, with a smile. Be humble and initiate with a friendly smile or a simple phase of local greeting. That's help alot.

The Centre Pompidou art gallery