It was time to say bye bye to Brussels ! At 09.30, I took an Eurolines bus (one way Euro$24) to Paris. The bus journey took 4.5 hour. On arrival in Paris, I took a Metro to my hostel (Le d'Artagnan Euro$23 dorm), one station from Gare de Lyon. It took me about 15 minutes to find this hostel after a few advice from locals on the directions. As the check in time was 15.00, I waited for 30 minutes at the reception counter. As a member of the Malaysian Youth Hostel Association, I do not have to pay for any membership fee. I liked this hostel as the room was clean and well kept. The curfew time was from 12.00 to 15.00 to allow house keeping and room cleaning from their hostel staff. The hostel was fully booked when I checked in. The hostel served very generous buffet style breakfast ie ham, bread, jam , honey, yoghurt, butter , milk, coffee & tea, fresh apples etc.
After the check in, I bought a pack of 7 train tickets (carnets at Euro$1.60 per ticket) from the hostel ticketing machine. Armed with a city map, I took my first train ride to St Michel Boulevard area. You probably need 5-6 days in order to visit the major tourist sites in Paris. More days are required if you like to see all the French museums.
Paris is big so you need to plan well for your daily visits. I spent a fair bit of time walking along the Avenue des Champ area which requires 2-3 km of walking, Paris has 3 tourist sites which fall under the civilized wonders of the world category ie Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame & Versailles Palace and Gardens. I met three Malaysian travelers at the hostel and took the opportunity to join up with them for my Versailles visit.
1) My first day in Paris - these pictures were taken on my first day in Paris. The fruit of labour after wandering around with a city map. You reap what you sow ! A big learning curve for me especially taking the Metro trains in Paris !
Buildings, monuments, statues relating to the past & present : Old England, Air France, River Seine, President Jacques Chirac, Charles de Gaulle, Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis XVI - all these prominent and influential statesmen had a major role in shaping France today to become a progressive and advanced nation of the world !
2) St Eustache - A Catholic church, one of the finest in Paris. It took 105 years to complete
(1532-1637)
3) Musee du Louvre - This fortress was built by King Phillip Augustine in 1190 to protect Paris against Viking attacks. Later it was replaced as a renaissance style building. The most recent addition is a glass pyramid in the main courtyard.
4) Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel - The world famous triumph arch ! The Arch was built to celebrate Napoleon's war victory in 1805.
5) Notre-Dame - a civilised wonder of the world ! Completed in 1330, this cathedral is a Gothic master piece . Spectacular, magnificient to look at, both the interior and external ; the front, the sides and the back building.
6) Eiffel Tower - another civilized wonder of the world ! I was elated and smiled when I took this picture of Eiffel Tower (completed in 1889) from a distance. It was raining and the sky turned grey at the time of my visit. Not satisfied, I re-visited Eiffel Tower at night. This time it was raining cats and dogs and my lower body was wet but well worth the efforts.
7) Place de la Concode - Europe most magnificent and historic Square ! Standing tall in the Square is the 3,200 year old Luxor obelik (I visited the Luxor Temple, Egypt in Sept 08), two fountains and eight statutes.
8) The Palace and Gardens of Versailles - I paid Euo$20 for the entrance fee to see this 17th century Palace, a prestigious civilized wonder of the world ! You need 4-5 hours to see and appreciate the various exhibits in the Palace and the vast gardens and royal courtyard. What a grand place to be - so much to see and admire: the interior décor, colored marble, stones, wood carving, murals, furniture, mirrors, chandeliers, big vases, large columns, circular paintings in the ceilings, big vases, famous French paintings and portraits etc. Take your time to stroll around the gardens and courtyard and the sights of the Fountain of Neptune, Dragon Fountain, Fountain of Latona, The Chateau will entice you to stay longer in these places.
9) Luxembourg Garden - located not far from the St-German-des-Pres, this place has a large garden, fountains & palace - a great resting place for locals & tourists to laze around. Some of the monuments and buildings dated back to the 16 & 17th century.
10) Invalides - Built in 1671, the hotel des Invalides was used to house the wounded and homeless soldiers served during the Napoleon period. The Dome Church is where the Napoleon's tomb lied.
11) Patheon
12) Palais Royal - Built in the 17th century, this palace has a chequered past. One of the Wings is now become the Ministry of Culture.
Something to ponder in Paris: How do you rate French people in terms of their creativity in art & sculpture ? I salute them. What other areas they excel ? Fashion ? Perfume ? Aerospace ?
" Paris is a city of gem in Europe. So much to see . Maybe you need a month or a life time to roam this city in order to discover it's real beauty.
The Secret of Life - Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship"
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