The day started as any day in Paris should...with someone saying, "Bonjour!", while serving you a croissant with Nutella. I'm not sure whether it was the 'Paris' effect or if the croissant was really that good, but it was one of the best things I've tasted in a while.
Breakfast was followed by true determination by Jo and I to figure out yet another metro to find the Paris that we've been hoping to see, since the area we're staying in doesn't quite grasp it.
Since I only have Moscow metro to compare to, it has to be said that there are obvious differences. Firstly, the lady selling us tickets was much so helpful and friendly to us which gave us the encouragement to go forth. Armed with our map, the spirit renewed by the lady and our unwavering hearts, we stepped onto the train. One thing that Moscow does better than Paris is how beautiful there metros are but either way, both get you to where you need to be which is always the end goal with metros, I suppose.
Coming out of the underground and being welcomed by the sights of the Louve, is a feeling that is only felt on few occasions. You immediately feel like this is not real life but at the same time are struck with absolute awe and you just have to stand there going, "Flip."
As Jo and I do, we stopped for a couple of selfies and wandered around the exquisite gardens which used to be the private gardens of the palace. As we walked, we spotted the tip of the Eiffel Tower sticking up over the rest of the city, like the loch-ness head might pop up out of the water someday. At least that was my weird immediate thought.
We then walked down the chan se Lise and looked through all the Christmas market stalls, smelling Nutella filled pancakes being prepared and friendly voices saying "Bonjour" and "Merci".
Again, not sure if it's the "Paris-effect", but everything at these stalls seemed extra Christmassy and super interesting.
A sweet lunch was followed by a long sit in the basking sun by the pond overlooking the Paris eye. The angled chairs placed near the pond basically asks you to sit down and relax and so we had no choice but to sun our pale faces and watch Paris go by.
After more photos with the glass pyramid from da Vinci code (there's definitely a more formal name for this, I just cannot remember it right now coz my brain is off), we headed back to the hotel to meet our tour group.
Apparently South Africans like to tour Europe in the winter because we found ourselves making up quite a large portion of the group. We had dinner at a French restaurant where we had the classics of snails and French onion soup where we could bond with the others.
The day ended perfectly with a night tour of the city lights of Paris as well as finally being able to see the full Lochness monster. It's very difficult to not look at the Eiffel Tower when it's in view because it is just so striking...and it even sparkles! We managed to see many beautiful buildings and well-known spots along the way which we are setting out to check out tomorrow. Watch this space.
With my bestie and I sharing bunk beds, a mind full of wonderful new memories and photos and a fulfilled feeling, I can happily close my eyes knowing I'll be waking up again tomorrow in one of the greatest places in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment