Walking through Paris

Paris is one of my favourite destinations and I love going there anytime I have this opportunity.

I love to travel and to discover the world and I`m sure that annywhere you go you’ll find something amazing, special and interesting to see. Although, there are some places where you fell that you can go again and again. This happened to me in Paris.

This bohemian city, always crowded and full of curious tourists, deserves to be visited at any time of the year. Of course, it is very important to know what you want to discover when you go to a new city, if you prefer indoor spaces, museums, exhibitions, cathedrals, chic restaurants or if you like to take it from place to place and admire the surroundings.

Personally, I love to combine them, but when I have a little time in a city, I prefer to feel the outside vibration. Going on the streets, admiring the architecture of the buildings, resting on a bench in a park, and then going to the next point of attraction. I do not always follow a map, I love exploring and I also like to let myself guided by my inner map and to listen to my instinct because I know it will lead me to wonderful places that I want to see.

Returning to the Paris trip, here are some conclusions and places that remain in my heart in a random order, because I don`t know if I could class them:

1. Le Tour Eiffel can be seen from many places in Paris and it is always surprising and impressive. It’s great to see it by day, but you cannot miss it in the evenings when it lights up for 5 minutes at a fixed time, offering an amazing show of lights. Once you have seen the Eiffel Tower from the outside, you should not miss the chance to climb up and see Paris at 300 m high.

2. From the tower, if you go by the Seine, you will enjoy a wonderful view and you will pass along the bridges. One of the most famous bridges is Pont Alexandre III, where if you spend 15 minutes to watch, you will have the opportunity to see at least 10 brides posing for their wedding pictures. It is a fashion, especially for Asian brides to make their photo session in Paris. I heard that some of them come here 2 years before the wedding to take the photo shots. However the architecture and grandeur of this bridge is worth admiring.

3. If you cross the bridge you reach the Hotel des Invalides, the weapons museum, where you find Napoleon`s tomb and you go back in time through the wars and military suits. I personally complain whenever I read about the end-of-war balances, but I understand that it is important to know just how much evil a war brings into the world and that we have ti fight for peace.

4.  If you are back on the Seine, go further and reach the Place de la Concorde, there is an obelix that originary from ancient Egypt and sometimes a wheel where you can climb to admire the scenery from the heights. From there you have two options: go ahead and cross the Tuilleries Gardens or go left and explore the Champs Elysees ending with the Arc de Triomphe.

5. Le Arc de Triomphe is a very special place that impresses you with grandeur and gives you the opportunity to climb to its peak. It’s a very special landscape of the Champs Elysees, especially if you catch the sunset.

6. If you return to the  Jardins des Tuilleries, there you can relax on a chair in front of the lake, or you can feed the pigeons. A scenic landscape, especially autumn, with all the colorful leaves on the ground

7. Then we reach the Musee Louvre, which is breathtaking when you see the architecture and magnificence of the building. Of course you have to get inside to see Monalisa live and admire the works of art from all over the world, from antiquity to now. At Louvre I succeded to beat my record of footsteps taken in a day, so be prepared for a long walk, because it’s huge and there are miles of art to say so.

8. After you pass through the experience of the museum and feel that you have cultured yourself enough, go to the Seine shore and pass by the Pont des Arts, where the love locks were hanged. In present it is not possible to hang any of them anymore because the edges of the bridge are made of glass. They had to take this security measure so that the bridge would not collapse again, but, however, tourists also find other places to hang the love locks.

9. The next beautiful bridge is Pont Neuf, which is the place where, generally, boats that make cruises on Seine, depart. An experience you can`t miss. Here, if it is summer, people usually sit on the waterside and enjoy a picnic or drink a bottle of wine. In Paris, it seems to me that people go to picnics everywhere, so even when you walk around, you still feel like eating because people always eat everywhere. The picnic on the shore of the Seine with a baguette, some pretentious cheeses and a bottle of wine should be on your list.

10. After this stop we reach Notre Dame. One time we were fortunate to catch a light festival that consisted in projections of the cathedral’s history. It’s really impressive. It’s nice to come into the cathedral, but unfortunately because of the agglomeration you cannot enjoy her beauty. That’s why I should mention that I have discovered two other churches with an impressive architecture, both on the inside and the outside: Madeleine and Saint Eustache.

11. From Notre Dame, if you depart from Seine and walk through the streets you will discover many restaurants and cafés where you can relax and admire the scenery and a small church, Saint Chapelle, which is not very well-known but absolutely beautiful.

12. Walking around Paris makes you hungry, if you do not have too much time to stop at a restaurant, or you do not want to make a picnic, a crepe is always the right choice. I enjoy a lot the salty crepe because I do not eat sugar, but for sweet lovers, chocolate crepe is a great choice. It seems to me that everywhere you buy some, it is very good, because it is fresh and it is always a great flow of hungry tourists. However, it is a special place where it is said to be the best crepe, in the Latin Quarter. You will realize which is the place because it will be a huge line of people. It is very interesting that although there are other crepe places to the left and to the right, still everyone is standing in line there because it is said that there you find the best one and I admit that it was the best I have eaten.

13. You don`t have to miss the Paris Opera because it is very close to the Louvre and very easy to reach. Another building with a special architecture both on the inside and the outside.

14. Close to the Opera are the La Fayette Galleries which, depending on the season, impress with their decorations. You can also climb to the upscale Galleries where there is a rooftop where you can admire Paris from the heights and you can also enjoy a glass of wine from the bar.

15. Between the Opera and the Louvre you can make a stop at the Palais Royal and Jardin Royal. In Paris wherever you look everything is royal, beautiful and special.

16. If you arrive in Paris in the summertime, stop at Canal Saint Martin, a place where you can make a picnic, eat something good or drink a beer. It’s a place full of people willing to relax and feel good.

17. Of course, if you have time you can go to a Moulin Rouge show or at least you can go through the area to see the famous place. There is also the café where the movie Amelie was filmed.

18. In another area, one of the highest points of Paris (130m) is Montmartre where you can the Sacre Coeur, with another exceptional panorama.

19. If you are tempted by more gloomy places, you can visit the catacombs of Paris, where you will be surrounded by many skulls of unknown people. It was an interesting experience, but if I only had a few days in Paris I cannot say I would repeat it because is pretty scary.

20. Leaving Paris behind and going further we reach the Château de Versailles. All I can say is that it’s great. And it’s even more wonderful if you’re lucky not to get a busy day or take a ticket to jump over the line because it’s very crowded. It’s a palace that impresses me, I really liked the mirror room, but the Jardins de Versailles are on top. They are wonderful. It’s a place where you can get lost and you’ll be happy if it happens, I just lost myself and I spent 3 hours finding the way back and then went out somewhere near the palace, but the experience was unprecedented. What’s even more wonderful is that they now have speakers in the garden and while you walk around there you can listen to the symphonic music that perfectly completes the frame.

21. If you still like to visit museums, I managed to see the Palais de Tokyo, the Musee D’Orangerye, the Musee d’Orsay and the Musee Rodin, and also the Fragonaud Museum (Fragonaud, where I discovered how perfume is made).

22. If you want to see the modern part of Paris you can go to La Defense. There is a modern triumphal arch built in a straight line with the old one. It’s a skyscraper area, with office buildings, rooftops where you can have a very beautiful experience with the Eiffel Tower and it’s the area where you have contemporary art on the street.

What’s great in Paris is that wherever you go it’s always something to see around and you will never feel that those places do not satisfy your thirst for discovering. This city imposes a royal air and even if it is crowded and full of tourists, the surrounding beauty relaxes your brain and gives you a good feeling.

It’s great for visiting in any season. I want to go sometime around Christmas because the city is wearing holiday clothes full of lights and takes you to a fairytale world.

TIPS&TRICKS:

• If you are under the age of 26 (If you are 26 years, no longer apply) entrance to the museums, climbing on the triumphal arch and entrance to the Palace of Versailles is free of charge.
• Versailles gardens are not free for those under 26 but they are free for everyone starting at 17:30, of course. I think this time varies depending on the season.
• Do not eat around the Eiffel Tower. These restaurants are have special high prices for tourists and poor food. I had the misfortune to try them several times and every time I was disappointed. Later, I was advised by locals not to do that anymore.
• Be very careful about the bag and the phone, especially in extremely crowded areas, as there are thieves in all the major capitals of the world. Unfortunately I have experienced an unpleasant experience at the Eiffel Tower where someone stole my mother’s phone.
• If you stay for a week in Paris and need to go by subway, it is best to get your pass. You have to be careful that the pass is valid from Monday to Sunday, if you do it on Thursday, it will expire on Sunday. This is the policy. You have to keep the subway ticket, you often use it at the exit, but they have quite often over control.