“The chief danger about Paris is that it is such a strong stimulant.”
T.S Eliot
What should I write about Paris! Is it a dream or reality or anything surreal experienced in front of eyes! Or is it just a place of art, culture, sculptures, paintings, fashions, cafes, streets, the list continues!
It’s a beautiful city beside the river Seine, so today we shall start to explore the city by following the meander of the Seine river. Looking up will first see the icon of the city of love, the most famous Eiffel Tower.
You may say what new to look to such a tower which is nothing but a rustic concrete construction, but my friends! here lies the romance, the mystery , moreover the beauty of such rustic concrete iconic architecture.
It’s a walking distance from where we stayed. It seemed like waking up by seeing this iconic symbol of Paris. You may come here by means of train, metro, bus or by hiring cars depending upon the place of your staying. What I am repeatedly saying that travelling not only means just to visit certain places but it’s the experience of being with the city having a map in your hand and just walking on the streets.
- The Eiffel Tower – This iconic tower which is locally nicknamed as “la dame de fer” (French for Iron Lady ), is a wrought- iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
So, my friends you may take the tour priory by online booking as because this tower is the most visited paid monument in the world. An average of 25000 people ascend the tower every day which can results long queues . The nearest metro station you may avail is Bir- Hakeim and the nearest RER station is Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel .The tower has two restaurants: Le 58 Tour Eiffel on the first level , and Le Jules Verne , a gourmet restaurant with its own lift on the second level . In short this is the interior of Eiffel Tower , the rest is your own explorations .
Perhaps, you may know that Paris is a city of museums, art & culture. So first of all you should hv a museum pass to collect from the any tourist centre , that help to enter into the several museums here . So , the first we explore the very famous Louvre Museum .
- Louvre Museum- The Louvre or the Louvre Museum ( French: Musée du Louvre ) , is the world’s largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, France , and is best known for being the home of the world famous, Mona Lisa .It is a central landmark of the city which is located on the Right Bank of the Seine .
You may have the provision of different kinds of guided tour as audio guided tour or having complete tourist guided tour as it is a vast place to explore approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square meters .
So , next we explore Musée dOrsay , the less famous yet rank one museum of Paris .
- The Musée dOrsay is a museum in Paris , France, situated on the Left Bank of the Seine. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1914 , including paintings, sculptures, furniture and photography.It houses the largest collections of Impressionist and post Impressionist masterpieces in the world , by paintings including Monet , Manet ,Degas, Renoir , Cézanne , Seurat , Sisley , Gauguin and Van Gogh. It is a must visit place here .
- Musée de l’Orangerie – It is an art gallery of impressionist and post -impressionist paintings located in the west corner of the Tuileries Gardens next to the Palace de la Concord in Paris . The museum is the most famous as the permanent home of eight large Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet , and also contains works by Paul Cézanne , Henri Matisse , Pablo Picasso and others . Along with the other museums it is a must visit place here .
So my friends up to this you probably understand why Paris is known to be the city of art , culture , paintings, sculptures and all .How vast and beautifully exhibited at the above mentioned museums which to be explored while you visit this beautiful city.So, next we explore heritage places and cathedrals with the beautiful medieval architecture.
Of them the very famous is Notre -Dame de Paris , we are lucky enough to the most beautiful glass window of this beautiful cathedral while we had visited this place on May , 2017 .
- Notre -Dame de Paris – meaning “Our lady of Paris , referred to simply as Norte – Dame , which is a medieval Catholic Cathedral, one of the examples of French Gothic architecture. It’s pioneering use of the rib vault and flying buttress , it’s enormous and colourful spectacular rose windows as well as the naturism and abundance of its cultural decorations set it apart from the earlier Romanesque style. Major components that make Notre -Dame stand out include its large historic organ and its immense church bells . Now it is temporarily closed as because of renovation after the 2019 fire . Perhaps you know the most famous novel of Victor Hugo “ Notre Dame de Paris ( better known in English as The Hunchback of Notre -Dame ) make this place more popular than ever .
- The Basilica of the sacred heart of Paris , commonly known as Sacré-Cœur is a Roman Catholic Church and minor basilica in Paris ,France dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus .It is situated at the summit of the butte Montemartre , the highest point of the city and the second most visited monument in Paris.
- Arc de Triomphe de l’Ètoile – It is one of the most famous monuments in Paris , France which honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. It’s been seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower . Beneath it’s vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War 1 .
- The Latin Quarter of Paris – It is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. It is known for its student life , lively atmosphere, and bistros , the Latin Quarter is the home to a number of higher education establishments besides the university itself , such as :
- The University of Paris
- Sorbonne University
- PSL University
- Panthéon -Asses University
- Panthéon -Sorbonne University
- the Collége de France
- and the Schola Cantorum
Palace de Versailles- It was the principal royal residence of France from 1682 , under Louis XIV.It is located in the department of Yvelines , in the region of Île -de – France , about 20 km southwest of the centre of Paris . The Palace is now a historical monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is a must visit place .
As I always say that travelling is not just having some time bound thing or conducted tour like that rather it’s an explorations and be with that city by heart .Still I remember a small food beside this Cathedral which provided me with the such artistically prepared crapes ; I still remember those tastes , preparation and of course beautiful presentation.
As we all the French cuisine along with French wine specially Champagne is famous around the world. It is one of the sophistication to prepare such flavourful artistic food by using the unique techniques like flambeing , braising , poaching and sautéing.These add an incredible burst of texture and flavour to meats , vegetables and other ingredients.
Here I enumerate some of this beautiful flavourful dishes which you must try while at Paris .
- Soupe à l’oigon – This is a traditional French soup made of onions and beef stock , usually served with croutons and melted cheese on top.
- Coq au vin – this dish is a famous signature dish where chicken braised with wine , mushrooms, onions, garlic and sometimes even a drop of brandy . It’s must try dish here .
- Cassoulet- It is a comfort dish of white beans stewed slowly with meat. The name of the dish comes from the pot ( cassole ) that it’s traditionally baked in .
- Chocolate soufflé- The word soufflé comes from the French verb ‘ to blow and the name suggests this is a light , airy dessert . It’s a must try dessert all time .
- Confit de canard – It is a tasty French dish of duck although some chefs use goose or pork and is one of the finest French dishes.
Apart from the above dishes there r many more signature French dishes you may try while you come to visit Paris.
Apart from the above mentioned places you may also enjoy the Disney land in Paris although we didn’t make our time to visit this place. As I always refer to become a traveller and not a tourist so keep travelling in your mind always .
