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Location: Blogs Simon and Melody's Blog |
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| Posted by: supersi |
Monday, April 16, 2007 |
I remember an episode of the old television show Bewitched where Samantha and her mother Endora go to Paris for lunch and a day of shopping. I didn’t have a broomstick on hand to do that, but I did get tickets for the Thalys. At 1:20h from Brussels to Paris (300kph), it might be the next best thing. Amazing what French engineers can accomplish on a 30 hour work week!
I arrived at Paris Nord station at around 9:45 and first went to get a bite to eat. I was so proud of understanding the amount I was supposed to pay that I didn’t notice until afterwards that €5.80 is a lot for a baguette and coffee. Not to mention the lady used a separate, open till that didn’t print a receipt. As a tourist there’s something about being pretty sure you just got ripped off and knowing there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.
With renewed enthusiasm I picked up a city map from the tourist office and headed out on foot towards the Seine. It was to be about 27C and sunny so I had come well prepared. Greasy sunscreen, water bottle, camera, and appropriately dressed in shorts and t-shirt. As I walked down side streets towards the river, I became self-conscious that I looked like a complete outsider. I wondered if it would help me blend in if I purchased a really long loaf of French bread and tucked it under my arm. Unfortunately, wearing shorts even in summer weather is about as un-European as one can get – right up there with not smoking or wearing board shorts to the beach instead of Speedos. Not even bread and a beret could help me now.
Eventually I arrived at the river and took in the view. On the right bank was the Louvre, on the left was Le Concierge and Le Pont Neuf. The Seine is shaded by trees on either bank, spanned by 14 bridges and lined with historic buildings. Wow, Paris was so much more beautiful than I remembered! I walked through the courts of the Louvre, and since I didn’t have a year to explore its galleries (and am not into art anyway), I spent my time there admiring the courtyard and the buildings outside. Maybe I’ll see Mona Lisa another day.
From there I walked south along the quays of the Seine. I crossed the oldest bridge, Pont Neuf, dating from 1578, which links the right bank with the main island in the Seine: the Cité. After walking the island and going through the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, I went back to the Louvre and on to Place de la Concorde. The Place is an octagonal traffic hub, built in 1757 and dominated at the centre by an Egyptian obelisk, the oldest object made by humans in Paris, circa 1200 BC. This is the spot of the dreaded guillotine during the French Revolution. Alors!
Assuming you still have your head, from Place de la Concorde the grandest walk in Paris begins. The Champs-Elysées, “the highway of French grandeur”, leads two miles straight to the Arc de Triomphe. Louis XIV had the avenue constructed in 1667, and it was designed for promenading. The Champs is lined with trees, sidewalk cafes and shops (most of them très cher). It was here that I safely bypassed the likes of Louis Vitton (he won’t have your head, just an arm and a leg), enjoyed a yummy burger, and paid the most I’ve ever paid to use the toilet. Usually it costs around 50 euro cents to use the loo in Europe, but here for €1 you can have the loo of a lifetime. This is Paris after all – the City of Light! And on the Champs-Elysées! Vive le France!! I could have shelled out a further €7.50 for a cappuccino and actually not been ripped off (well, in the sense of ignorant-tourist-just-off-the-train kind of ripped off). It was a lovely stroll though. Hard to believe this beautiful avenue once had Hitler’s armies parading down it.
Finally I arrived at L’Arc de Triomphe, the greatest triumphal arch in the world. I’m not sure what triumph it’s supposed to commemorate – perhaps Lord Nelson’s victory over Napoleon at the battle of Trafalgar? Dunno. I climbed the stairs and had an amazing panoramic view of the city. It was time to head back to Paris Nord though. No idea how many miles I’d walked today, but don’t think I’d ever felt so tired of walking in my life. Back on the Thalys, back to Brussels, back to the hotel and back to bed! Phew… |
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