I will be doing a series (at least I hope) of some trips I
did over the past few weeks.
Earlier this month, France celebrated Toussaint (also known as All
Saints’ Day). I was fortunate
having Thursday and Friday (November 1 and 2) off from class. So how better to spend a four-day
weekend than going to Paris!
For me, it was such a great time to go to the city since the
weather wasn’t too frigid yet. I
was also extremely excited since the last time I went was with my family for
Thanksgiving in 2007. So I was
essentially celebrating a five-year anniversary. (I may have to make this a
regular thing.)
Upon arriving in Paris by train, the three-day adventure to
cover as much as possible began.
We were fortunate to have beautiful weather that day… which made it
wonderful to walk around and see as much as I could. The first stop:
Notre Dame. I am always
fascinated with architecture and how certain design feats were
accomplished. Paris is certainly
an incredible place to go for those with similar interests. Another thing at the Notre Dame that
simply amazes me is the beautiful stained glass. Although you are unable to see it from the outside, you
would surely be stunned at the detail, color, and design of the windows. I promise I’ll stop here and not go all
“History Channel meets QVC special” on you, though. But really… stained glass… check it out.
After leaving Notre Dame, we went towards the museum famous for its three
ladies. The Louvre. We decided to save the Louvre for the
next day since we would have the entire day free. You would need much more than a day to see the Louvre,
though. After walking around
nearby and seeing more of the architecture, we decided to walk towards the
Champs Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe and pass through the gardens along the
way.
I have to admit, walking down the Champs Élysées is one of
my favorite parts of Paris. It’s
just an amazing feeling that you get since you know that you are getting to
fulfill your dreams about having the traditional Paris experience. That feeling augmented a good bit when
I would walk into many of the glamorous stores along the famous avenue. That feeling then quickly diminished
after seeing the prices. Traveler
Hint: If you want people to be
impressed, then go into the store and buy the cheapest (yet still practical)
item that you can find just so you can walk around Paris with the bag. As a completely random example, say you
find a pair of marked-down shorts in Banana Republic since the store is attempting
to get rid of them quickly.
They’ll be practical when it warms up a bit. Clearance sections are your friend, though.
What better way to end the day than to see one of the most
iconic monuments in the world: the
Eiffel Tower. And just when you
think it couldn’t get any better seeing the tower during the day… you get to
see it by night. Seeing the tower
at night covered in lights is incredible.
What is even more amazing is seeing the tower at every hour, on the
hour. At this time, you are able
to see the tower light up with flashes for five minutes. It is one of the best ways to end your
night in Paris.
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