Paris, May 2006

After writing about our Phuket trip, I thought I'd take a step back in time to write about our very first trip together. It was my overseas vacation trip since graduation and my first time to Paris. While Angie had been to Paris before, this would be the first time we were travelling together.

Naturally, I was still very inexperienced with Europe and with planning this entire trip but Angie was the seasoned traveler and did all the research on the places to visit. This was the trip that got me hooked on travelling.

I did map out the places we wanted to visit on my GPS and it's in the Google map below.


View FR-Paris in a larger map

Garmin Mapsource GDB file located here.

Europe was (and still is) a very expensive place to visit. However, you can find a cheap hotel by spending a little time doing your research on the Internet. The first tip to choosing your hotel is to decide what are the places you wish to visit in Paris. There is just so much to see and you can save yourself time and transportation cost by picking a location central to all the attractions you wish to visit.

For us, we picked Hotel Helder Opera, a small little 3-star hotel (closer to 2-stars, really) near the Opéra Garnier. The rooms were very small (barely enough space to move around) but that is quite typical of central Paris. We had a chance to visit my brother's hotel room at Sofitel and it was also very cramped (not what you would expect of a typical 5-star hotel). However, it is unlikely that you will spend much time in your rooms as there are so many beautiful places to see in Paris, so the cramped hotel rooms should not be a concern. There was also a McDonalds around the corner from Helder which was where I got my Internet access.

Eating in Paris can be very expensive due to the Euro exchange rate but one of the places we found to eat cheap is at Monoprix (a supermarket) down the road from Helder. We managed to get sandwiches, water and other groceries from here. However, while in Paris, you definitely should budget a few dinners in a proper restaurant to get the experience of dining in France and tasting real french food. France is also famous for its bread and its pastries and it was quite common for us to see people walking past carrying a baguette in hand or having a cup of coffee and croissant in a cafe by the roadside. I really enjoyed their pastries while we were there.

Day 1: Notre-Dame (GPS Coord.: N48 51.192 E2 21.021)

On our first day, we checked in our luggage and took a train out to Île de la Cité, the island where Notre-Dame is located. There, we dropped by the France Tourisme travel agent to book our Loire Valley tour before walking across the bridge to visit Sainte Chapelle.

Sainte Chapelle was originally consecrated in 1248 and is located on the same island and it is a very beautiful cathedral. Entry is free and inside you can see many types of statues and stone gargoyles.

The interior walls are also richly decorated with many colours which, although faded, still show their previous splendour.

On ground floor, you will see many remnants of broken gargoyles and other damaged statues.

The other main attraction of St. Chapelle is the humongous stained glass windows inside. It is so large that it must be seen in person to fully appreciate it.

Located on the pillars separating the windows are statues of the 12 Apostles.

Some of the windows are dusty and it is apparent that any cleaning effort would be a major undertaking due to the size and height of the windows.


Upon leaving St Chapelle, you will come out beside the Palace of Justice whose architecture is very beautiful and ornate. Definitely worth viewing since it's so close by.

Right next to the Palace of Justice is the La Conciergerie. This is the prison that housed many inmates during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. As many as 40,000 inmates died of execution or imprisonment during this period. Walking through this prison, we could see many examples of the poor conditions that prisoners were kept in.

One of the most famous inmates here was Marie Antoinette and her cell has since been converted into a chapel in her memory.

While in the Conciergerie, one other attraction to keep an eye out for is the Hall of the Guards which is a grand vaulted hall in the basement.

From the Conciergerie, it was a short walk to Notre Dame Cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris). This one of the largest and well-known churches in the world and is a fine example of French Gothic architecture.

When we first arrived, we saw signs pointing to the Crypts beneath Notre Dame but we couldn't see it. As we were in a rush, we decided not to spend time looking for it. The sky was also starting drizzle so we wanted to rush indoors to get out of the rain.

We took a few minutes to take pictures and admire the architecture of the cathedral. The amount of detail that went into the building is phenomenal.

If you have time, you should head inside to admire the stained glass windows or view the enormous size of the building inside.
This is definitely one of the places you must visit while you're in Paris.

On existing, we wanted to visit Berthillons (N48 51.099 E2 21.408) for ice-cream. Berthillons is renown as the best ice-cream in all of France and the last place to still make their ice-cream by hand the traditional way. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad and we had to rush off before we had a chance to look for it. If you’re ever around Notre Dame, you should make some time to look out for this famous little shop.  

On our way back to our hotel, we saw the Rose Line (Paris Meridian) while we were cutting across the Place Vendôme and Ritz Hotel. Coincidentally, that was the time that Tom Hank's The Da Vinci Code movie was being screened in the cinemas. We didn't linger because the weather had gotten worse with light rain and freezing wind. Even with our heavy jackets, the wind chill was extremely bad and we frequently had to take refuge inside the shops to warm up.

Day 2: Eiffel Tower & Invalides

On our second day, we woke up early and took the Metro train to visit the Eiffel Tower (N48 51.470 E2 17.704).

Unfortunately, that morning was very misty so visibility was very poor. There are 3 levels of the Eiffel tower that you can visit with the most expensive ticket allowing you to visit all 3 levels.

At the very top level, there is a mailbox and you can mail a postcard to yourself from the very top of the Eiffel tower. However, since the visibility was so poor, we decided to only buy tickets to the middle level. We got a great view of the surrounding areas from here. While were up here, there were several climbers that were practicing climbing and descending from the Eiffel.

From the Eiffel, we took a short walk over to Invalides (N48 51.493 E2 18.832). Invalides is definitely a must-visit if you are visiting the Eiffel as it is very close by and the architecture is simply beautiful. It is a massive building that is surrounded by a moat although the water has been drained away a long time ago.

Invalides was originally a hospital and retirement home for war veterans.

Invalides is also the resting place of Napoleon's tomb which is the key tourist attraction here.

The architecture on the buildings are incredible and any visitor should take a moment to walk around outside the building instead of rushing in to the main attraction.

On the picture on the left, you can see the beautiful and detailed design of the knights in armour on the windows.

Due to its military history, Invalides also houses the Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum) which is the national military museum. The picture on the left are of Japanese cannons captured during the Shimonoseki Campaign (1860s).

I just had to feel the power between my legs. (he-he-he.... I know that is such a corny old joke).

In the Army Museum in Invalides, you can see wonderful displays of antique armour, swords, and mortars. The picture on the left is a combination pistol-sword for King Louis XIII. This was a very unusual piece so I took a photo of it.

There was also a giant black powder mortar that shot cannon balls the size of my torso.

We also saw a statue of a knight in full armour on top of his horse. Angie posed next to it while we took a photo.

Further down from the armoury museum, we saw Napoleon's tomb. It is situated in a circular indoor hall immediately underneath the golden dome of Invalides.

The thing that struck me most about his tomb was that it was such a small tomb and didn't look very comfortable for spending an eternity on showcase to visiting tourists... but then Napoleon was famous for his small stature.

From Napoleon's tomb, we are able to exit out the other side of Invalides where you can get a clearer view of the golden dome of the Chapel of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides. The dome is pasted with real gold leaf (about 6 kilograms worth). It has to be re-gilded periodically due to wear from the weather.

From this exit, we took a 15-min walk to the Rodin museum. The weather was getting warmer so I took of the heavy jacket I was wearing. After carrying it for a while in my hand, I realised how heavy all the leather was and that's another tip for those of you who plan to do a lot of walking on your holidays - make sure you travel light.

The Rodin Museum (N48 51.357 E2 18.940) is full of bronze statues/sculptures of Auguste Rodin.

The picture on the left is of Angie with "The Thinker". The museum has a large garden which showcases Rodin's famous sculptures including the "Madness of Hercules" and "The Gates of Hell".

We took the opportunity to sit down awhile and eat our packed sandwiches which we had bought from Monoprix the day before. After lunch, we walked around the garden a bit more and then left for D'Orsay.

We took a Metro train to D'Orsay and we were lucky that Angie had bought museum passes that allowed us to skip the queue as they were very long.

Musée d'Orsay (N48 51.630 E2 19.509) used to be a train station but was retired after it was deemed no longer suitable for the longer carriages that were coming into more mainstream use. It was then converted into a museum by the Directorate of the Museums of France.

Angie was so happy she saw this painting by Monet as she has a framed copy in her parent's home. Angie loves the paintings from the impressionist era.

As the dutiful boyfriend, I just followed along and took lots of pictures. I'm afraid her attempt at inculcating an appreciation of art failed here... :p

We spent quite a long time at D'Orsay until we were chased out because they were closing for the day.

That evening, we met up with my brother who introduced us to a restaurant in Paris. It was very cozy and Angie enjoyed the food a lot.




Day 3: The Louvre and Arche de Triompe
On the 3rd day, we left our hotel early and took a stroll down the road to the Louvre (N48 51.733 E2 20.199). On the way, we bought some pastries for breakfast at Boulangerie Paul

The Nike of Samothrace (Winged Victory) statue. According to Angie, when the Romans conquered Greece, they smashed the statues of the Greek deities to ensure that Greece would never triumph over Rome again.

Angie was also looking for this statue because it was one of the landmarks in the Louvre to find the Venus de Milo statue which Angie wanted to show me. There is a little doorway on the right of the statue which we kept missing because we were always distracted by the grandeur of the statue when we walked by.

We finally found the doorway next to Nike which led to a staircase to the lower levels where we saw the Venus de Milo statue. This statue is supposed to depict Aphrodite (the goddess of love and beauty) and is one of the most famous of ancient Greek sculptures.

This is the statue of Diana of Versailles or Artemis the Huntress. Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt and the wilderness and she is also worshiped by the Romans under the Latin name of Diana.

This statue is a Roman copy of the lost Greek bronze original.

This is Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss statue.

We also saw the painting of the Mona Lisa but photography was not allowed. There was a big crowd around it... partly due to the hype around the Da'Vinci Code which was being screened at the cinemas at that time.

The first thought I had when I saw Mona Lisa was... "Gee, the painting in real-life is really small." :p

 In the afternoon, we took the train to the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (Arch of Triumph) (N48 51.699 E2 20.016) which is a monument that honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars.

The arch is in the centre of a round-about which has been described as chaotic of which only a person with suicidal inclinations would attempt to cross. There are a total of 12 lanes that branch into/out of this roundabout.

We had to take an underground tunnel to get to the centre. At the bottom, we saw the Eternal Flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

To get to the top of the Arch, we initially tried taking the circular stairs but it was so closed and claustrophobic that we gave up  and came down. That was when we discovered that there was a lift that took you all the way up.

At the top, you will be treated to a breath-taking view of Paris. The view on the left is that of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées which is one of the most famous streets in the world and is considered by the French to be the most beautiful avenue in the world.

Visitors often take long strolls down the road in the evening when the air is cool.

From this side of the Arch, we could get good view of the Eiffel Tower. The view is enhanced by the lovely model in the photo. :-)

The Arch is a great place to visit as you can get a view of all the major landmarks including Invalides, Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Grande Arche de la Défense, and the Eiffel.

There was a souvenir shop in the upper levels (just beneath the roof) that sold replica display pieces of muskets. Unfortunately, these are display pieces and you cannot load it or fire it at all so don't get your hopes up of re-enacting your Three Musketeers fantasies.

Day 4: London
On the 4th day, we took the Eurostar to London for a daytrip. I'll probably cover London in a separate post.


Day 5: Palace of Versailles

We took a day tour to the Château de Versailles which was the official palace of King Louis XIII to King Louis XVI. The visit is highly recommended and you should visit on a Sunday which normally includes the fountain displays in the Gardens.

The gardens are the highlight of the visit and the fountains are turned on twice on Sunday. When they turned on, there is sufficient water to run the fountains for 1 hour.

The gardens are about 800 hectares which is about a tenth of the size during the reign of King Louis. After the French Revolution, most of the land was confiscated and sold off.

The picture on the left is of the Orangerie which is a garden housing a thousand orange trees in boxes. Oranges came into fashion in Europe in the sixteenth century and this garden allowed the palace to grow its own supply.

There are 50 fountains in the whole garden. The picture on the left is of Bassin du Dragon (the Dragon Fountains).

The Bassin d’Apollon or Apollo Fountains which depict the greek sun god riding a chariot pulled by horses. This was located in a basin at the lowest part of the garden near the Grand Canal.

After viewing the gardens we met up with our tour guide for lunch at the nearby restaurant. There we had lots of red wine and Angie faced the french version of the spring roll... all filled with cheese. :-)

After lunch, our guide took us on a walk to the Grand Trianons (N48 48.871 E2 06.363). This was originally built as a summer home for King Louis XIV for him to escape the stiff formality of the court at Versailles.

Here he could have a less formal meal with his select guests without the need to adhere to strict court protocols.

The picture on the left was that of the royal bedchambers at the Trianon. One of things that caught my eye was that the beds back then were very small and short. They really did not look comfortable to me.

This was a portrait of Marie Antoinette and this gave us our first look of her. She was definitely striking but due to politics and bad publicity, she was never really accepted by the French people who frequently referred to her as 'the Austrian woman'.

We next walked to Le Petit Trianons which was a small chateau which was gifted to Marie Antoinette. On the grounds, we saw the Belvedere Pavilion which is located on a small pond and looks very beautiful.

Next, we walked to a small village which was constructed for Marie Antoinette. She was enamoured to simple farm life and would visited this farm in a simple country dress to play-act the part of a farmer's daughter. Most of the village is a facade and no one lives there.

Modern-day Parisians would bring their small children here to see the many types of farm animals that continue to live there to this day.

On our return from Versailles, we passed by the Madeleine Church which you can see here.








Day 6: Loire Valley

We also signed up for a day-tour to the Loire Valley. The first stop was at Château de Chambord (GPS: 47.616342°N 1.516962°E). Chambord is one of the most famous chateaus in France and was originally built as a hunting lodge for King François I but was never fully completed before his death. The chateau is very picturesque and is surrounded by a wide empty gardens and a water-filled moat.

The exterior of the chateau is very beautiful and covered with very intricate sculpted designs. We were so amazed at the architecture. The interior of the chateau was massive and our tour guide explained that it was very cold and not very comfortable to live in especially during the winter.

A famous architectural design here was the central staircase which consists of 2 circular staircases built in a helix design (similar to a DNA chain).

From the balcony, we could see the wide gardens surrounding the chateau. We were also lucky as there were several performers dressed in period costumes on horseback parading around the garden that day.

Overall, this is a very beautiful chateau and you could easily spend the whole morning exploring the grounds and taking photos.

Next, we visited Château de Cheverny (GPS: 47°30′00″N 1°27′40″E). Cheverny is much more modern looking and has a large gravel-stone walkways around it's garden.

The famous cartoonist, Herge, lived here for a time and used it as a model for Marlinspike Hall in his comic book series Tintin.

The interior is fully furnished and looks more lived-in than Chambord. There library is filled with books and a reading table and the halls are decorated with full suits of plate-armour with a large number of muskets adorning the walls to signify the firepower at hand available to the owner.

Outside Cheverny, there is a store selling all kinds of swords and musket replicas for you to buy as a souvenir. They also sell wooden display stands for the muskets and swords. We spent quite a bit of time here perusing the wares and it is definitely recommended to bring your cash/credit card along here as there are really a wonderful assortment of souvenirs here.

We saw this sword in the stone reminiscent of Excalibur for sale but I don't think my baggage allowance would allow me to bring this back on the plane... he-he-he...

After Cheverney, we visited Château de Chenonceau (GPS: 47.3250°N 1.0706°E). Also, Chenonceau was used in the Disney film Sleeping Beauty. The chateau was originally owned by the Crown and King Henry II gave it to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. After his death, his widow, Catherine de' Medici, seized the chateau back. Our guide shared the story that when the architect designed the logo superimposing both the alphabets H and C for King Henry and Catherine, she was incensed that the logo looked like a D (Diane)

There are 2 very beautiful gardens surrounding Chenonceau and we spent quite a fair amount of time walking around. A good time to visit Chenonceau is in spring when all the flowers are blooming.

The gardens are arranged in 2 square designs along either side of the chateau.

Chenonceau has a very unique design as it was built as both a bridge/tollhouse spanning the river as well as a chateau. The ground floor consisted of the bridge which ran through the chateau like a tunnel while the upper floor consisted of bedrooms and a massive hall for dances and parties.

Our last stop of the day was at a vineyard where our host explained the process of wine-making. All the wines were kept in this massive underground cave which kept the wine very cool despite the outside weather being quite warm.

We even learned how carbonated wine had to be named Sparkling Wine as the name Champagne had been trademarked by the vineyards in the Champagne region.


Last Day: Cruise on the River Seine
For our last night in Paris, we took a river cruise and night bus tour of Paris. This was very enjoyable as it allowed us to revisit some of the famous sites we'd already been to but from a different perspective.

The cruise was done in the evening and we got to see many landmarks as they were beign lighted up for the evening.

 

The cruise took us past many beautiful bridges and buildings. We passed by the D'Orsay museum again but this time on the river banks.

The cruise took us all the way past Notre Dame where it turned around for the return.

  

The cruise ship comes with audio head-sets that can give you commentaries in English or various other languages.

As the cruise came to an end, we passed by the Eiffel Tower and it was such a beautiful golden sight as it was lighted up for the night.

After this, we took a night bus tour where we passed by the other major highlights like Invalides, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe before the bus dropped us off near Opera Garnier.

The next morning, we flew back home. Overall, this was a wonderful trip and I felt that this was the best city I had ever visited. Even after all these years, I still dream of finding the time to visit Paris again and I strongly feel that everyone should visit it at least once in their life-time.