The most beautiful city in the world! We went to Paris this May full of dreams and looking forward to seeing the world’s most popular city, and our dreams came true 10 times and double.
The city is very large and very well connected by a super efficient metro system. As far as possible, but a carnet which gives you 10 tickets for 9.8 Euros (1 Euro = approx Rs50). The buses give you more to see of the city than the metro.
Then the sights - the Eiffel Tower - we got out of the metro and stared in the distance at the tall construction rising up in awe, we were actually seeing it in real and not in a book. We took the elevator to the top and went berserk clicking pictures of the whole of Paris.
Then the Louvre - breathtaking even for an ignoramus about art like moi, the Mona Lisa is so tiny and there are at least 200 people around trying to see it, then the Venus de Milo and of course the countless paintings, some as large as a huge wall. The Louvre was a palace before it became a museum and still looks very regal.
We arrived at CDG, and got lost while finding immigration, its very large but duty free isnt great, the RER train is the best way to get into the city in the
shortest possible time, its only 7.6 Euros per person and this includes a metro fare
from Gare du Nord/Chatelet to any other station.
The people we met were veery helpful and a smattering of bad French
is enough for them to smile and guide you on where to go. Sunset is only around
9:45pm(in May/June) which was great for us to see more in the daylight
Please do try and walk as much as you can, there is so much
to see, that you miss if going by metro. Towards the end, we walked the whole day,
from the Arc De Triomphe to the Champs Elyees to the Place de La Concorde to the
Jardin Des Tuileries to the Louvre and it was tiring but great
The Eiffel Tower, which is much better viewed from Trocadero metro
rather than Bir Hakeim....Monoprix, which is a chain of supermarkets/department stores all over
Paris with very cheap delicious food, clothes, cosmetics et
al...Champs Elysees which is the best road in the
world to walk down...then the Place de la Concorde
We met and saw countless Indians there, who were legally and illegally selling things/souvenirs, and some who whom were making a lot of money...it was a little odd to be speaking Hindi at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower!
Hotel De L`Industrie
Location: 3 minutes walk from the Strasbourg St Denis metro which we didnt know
was in/near the red light area. However we didnt see anything or anyone remotely
similar to being in a red light place
fantastic prices, family run with helpful owners - Madame Tailleur.
We paid 35 Euros for a double room with a toilet, shower and breakfast, rates are
from 28 euros for 2 people with bf to 40 euros. Very reasonable for Paris and so close
to the metro. The hotel is 10 mins from the Pompidou Centre and around 25 minutes
walk from the Champs Elysees
Restaurants - So many of them! Paris has wonderful cafes where the prices
range from 7 euros for a three course meal to 20 euros per person....Most people in
cafes seemed to be whiling away their time drinking coffee, and people watching. At
this small restaurant on Boulevard de Strasbourg, we had a fantastic 3 course French
meal for only 11 euros each
On the Boulevard Sebastopol, we ate the cheapest meal -
Chinese, run by a sweet Latin American man for only 9 Euros for 2 people! Based on
tips, we did try the crepes which were great and the greque sandwiches which werent
so great, and of course the paninis, at a number of places. There is a roadside shop
which seemed really popular judging by the people around eating where we had good
paninis in the Quartier Latin, as you walk down from the St Michel metro towards the
Pantheon.
STILL TO BE CONTINUED.....