World Travel Guide Online

onjour Paris!
Paris, France

View from Eiffel Tower

With only three days to enjoy Paris, we wasted no time in dumping our bags at the hotel. Our first stop, le Tour Eiffel.

Hundreds of local and foreign tourists flocked beneath the tower. As we entered the esplanade, a wedding couple, clad in gypsy attire, disappeared into the mob. Minutes later they scampered back towards us. I wondered if they’d realized that the bustle of the crowd wasn’t the most romantic place to be.

For us the Eiffel defined Paris, but I wondered what else the city offered.

After our jog up tower’s south pillar, we wandered the first floor. I think we went round about three times before we were satisfied we’d seen the best of the 360 degree view. Before heading to the second level, we sent postcards to our family from the post office.

On the second floor people searched for the best places to stand and take photos. Some stood by a segment of an original spiral stairway that Gustave Eiffel used to get to his top floor office. This corkscrew set of steps made me dizzy just thinking of his daily ascent.

It was wonderful to see people enjoying their experience. Children swung from telescopes, and one even started to climb the fence surrounding the floor. He didn’t get very far; his dad saw him and lifted him onto his shoulders, so his son could get the view he was after. Many stood and stared out over Paris as if trying to imprint what they saw on their brain!

After our descent, we rested down by the river where we devoured ice creams under the warming sun. A pleasure we rarely experience back in Edinburgh at this time of year.

The rest of the afternoon we spent cruising the Seine, where we more of sampled Paris’ delights. We planned to savour them over the next couple of days.

Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral

That night we dined at Café de l’Homme in belated celebration of our wedding anniversary. The restaurant, situated in the Museum of Mankind, provided a romantic setting with a view of the Eiffel tower. As dusk fell it lit up with twinkling lights. We had great fun interpreting the menu, and the food tasted divine. The salmon coupled with aubergine and carrot tantalized my taste buds. I would have been happy to stop there, but the main course of king prawns was well worth staying for.

During the pervious day’s river tour, I’d seen large green bins lining the banks of the Ile de la Cite island. From the confines of the boat I thought they contained rubbish, but when we walked to Notre Dame the next day we saw they were stalls containing a treasure trove of second hand books! We would have stopped to rummage had the rain stayed at bay.

Instead, we made our way across the Seine using a nearby bridge, which placed us at the base of Notre Dame. Ceremonial bells rang and people seemed as solemn as the day overhead as they watched the Pope’s inauguration ceremony. It played on a large screen erected near the cathedral entrance.

Inside the cathedral, stained glass windows shone to show off their intricate designs, but they shed little light on its inner walls. This enabled worshippers to light candles and pray in peace as tourists circled the room.

Outside we strolled round Notre Dame. Gargoyles, many headless, protruded from its exterior. A lethal fence encased the basilica, but the gardens to the front and back of the church gave way to life. Families picnicked near the Notre Dame fountain and sparrows fed from the hands of passers-by.

After lunch, we meandered through a bird market set up near Notre Dame. Tiny red, orange and yellow birds fluttered in small prisons. I wanted to buy them all, then free them as Leonardo da Vinci had done. Vendors also sold cold-water fish, chinchillas, and fat hamsters. Stands of flowers fragranced the air and pots of colour begged to be taken home and enjoyed.

We left the Island feeling as through Paris had delivered its worth. That was until we arrived in Montmartre, Paris’ last village.

Montmartre cemetery is a beautifully kept sanctuary where cats play among the tombs. I could have spent hours photographing the many lavish tombstones, vaults, and crypts. Painter Edgar Degas and writer Emile Zola are among many artists interred there. I’m told a sculpted clown plays tribute to ballet dancer, Nijinsky.

A sculpture of a lady in mourning caught my eye and I grieved for the one beneath. The sculptor, perhaps the lady herself, had captured the loss of a loved one well. She sits at the top of the tomb holding a wreath in one hand and cradling her head in the other. Her expression of sadness amplified by the hooded cloak that veils her naked body.

At the heart of Montmartre village, artists occupy the Place du Tertre square where the likes of painters: Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso lived. Today, artists flank the outdoor café that sits in the centre of the square. They continue to create while shoppers admire their completed works, which they display on the opposite side of their easel.

Montmartre Cemetery

We started our next morning off at a patisserie. I couldn’t resist a hot chocolate, and I still recall the its thickness as I poured it from the dainty serving jug. I remember thinking I’d only manage a few mouthfuls, but when the smooth liquid touched my lips, I melted. Yum! Reluctant to leave, we stocked up on tantalizing morsels of sugar-dusted donuts and pain au chocolat. Okay, so it’s not the healthiest lunch but it provided a welcomed energy burst after we trudged around the Louvre later that day.

The reception hall at the Louvre impressed with its skylight pyramids. Although the pyramids are said to disrupt the courtyard above, they make the subterranean hall a wonderful place to rest.

We spent our time at the Louvre roaming the Denon wing. Here we photographed people crowding the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. However, another two pieces held our attention. The first was a more than six-foot tall statue of a Roman woman. She held a young child who reached out to her. The second had to be the massive Phoenix mosaic, measuring six meters in length. The phoenix appears to rise above the carpet of roses that adorned the background of the mosaic.

Paris’ history provided us with more than we’d anticipated and left us wanting more, so for now we say ‘a bientot’ (until we met again).