After a lovely time in Switzerland, we made our way to Paris, travelling first class aboard a TGV from Geneva to Paris’ Gare de Lyon. The journey was smooth and comfortable, and I spent much of the time working on my sketchbook, stopping every once in a while to admire the views of the passing countryside and towns.
I was quite excited to explore Paris, having read much about it in my French class, and I was keen to strike off all the places I’d listed in my ‘must see’ list.
The Gare de Lyon is a very busy station, and on arrival, it took us a little while to get our bearings and purchase our tickets. We boarded the Line 1 to Nation from where we changed to Line 9 and headed towards Mairie de Montreuil, where we had reserved our stay at a very lovely apartment, offering a pretty view of Parisian rooftops. The apartment, located on the 5th floor, was not far from the Metro and had many boulangeries, restaurants and convenience stores close by. It was well furnished, very comfortable and bright, letting in light through its large windows. The Wi-Fi password, however, was painfully long, having been made up of 36 letters and numbers. It was the longest password I have ever seen anyone use!
DAY 1. We visit the Cour Napoleon and the Place de la Concord
On the first evening
of our arrival, we made our way towards the Louvre, not planning to enter just
then, but just to take in the view and to figure out how to get tickets, since
we hadn’t pre-booked. Taking the metro to the Palais Royale-Musée du Louvre will get you directly inside the Carrousel du Louvre, an underground
shopping complex containing numerous shops, restaurants and even one of the
entrances to the Musée du Louvre. This subterranean mall
also contains La Pyramide Inversée (the Inverted
Pyramid), a skylight that received a mention in Dan Brown’s book, ‘Da Vinci
Code’.
The main entrance to
the world-famous museum is, however, located upstairs in the Cour Napoleon, at the Glass Pyramids that have become an
identifying feature of the Louvre.
Here in this main
courtyard, there’s much to see. Right in the centre is the 71ft tall glass
pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids. Constructed entirely with glass
segments and metal frames, this clear glass pyramid was commissioned in 1981 as
part of a project to modernize the Louvre. Both, the Pyramid and the
underground lobby were created to cater to the increasing number of visitors on
a daily basis. Even though this project met with a lot of condemnation and
criticism at the time of its construction, it is today, just as much a symbol
of Paris, as is the Eiffel Tower.
The Cour Napoleon itself is very impressive
and has much to admire by way of art and architectural beauty. The profusion of
sculptural art can clearly be seen in the series of 86 statues of prominent
personalities from French History and culture, each one labelled with their
name, of which I recognised a few. Another architectural feature that stands
out are the pediments of the three pavilions – Pavilion Richelieu depicts France distributing crowns to its
worthiest children. Pavilion Sully
has Napoleon I above History and Arts, and Pavilion
Denon shows Napoleon III surrounded by Agriculture, Industry, Commerce and
Fine Arts.
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| (This image from Google) |
All these
personalities seem to be looking down at the visitors with varying degrees of
interest, boredom, curiosity and even, disapproval.
Also located in the Place du Carrousel, is the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, a
triumphal arc built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon’s military
victories. This 63ft high monument had a huge central arch, flanked by two
smaller ones. Around it are eight Corinthian columns topped by soldiers of the
empire. There are also some interesting bas-reliefs depicting significant
military and diplomatic victories.
The quadriga at the top, resembling the Horses of St. Mark (Venice), depicts Peace riding in a triumphal chariot.
By now, it was almost sunset, and the skies donned robes of orange, red and gold. In the distance, beyond the Arc and the Jardin des Tuileries, we caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Making our way across the Jardin, we led ourselves to the Place de la Concorde, one of the major public squares in Paris. In fact, at 19 acres, it is the largest public square in Paris. This square has much historical importance as it was the site of many public executions during the French Revolution. Some notable souls who lost their heads here include King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre.
The centerpiece of the
square is an ancient Egyptian obelisk, standing 75ft tall, decorated with
hieroglyphics exalting Pharaoh Rameses III. The gold-leafed pyramidal cap at
the top was added by the French government. There’s an illustration at the base
of the obelisk that shows how it was raised into place in 1836.
On the same square are
also two pretty fountains, installed to complement the obelisk. The Maritime
Fountain to the south, and the Fluvial/River Fountain to the north. The latter
is placed at the exact spot of the guillotine which executed King Louis the
XVI.
The Place de la Concorde is also where I caught my first glimpse of the sparkling Eiffel Tower. It’s really, really pretty.
Day one in Paris was
rather warm, which made me regret the turtlenecks and pullovers I had packed. Back
at her apartment, I hunted through the contents of my suitcase hoping to find
something more suitable. All around Paris, people were wearing pretty blouses, strappy
dresses and airy clothing. While I didn’t have any of those, I was sure I had a
couple of thin tee-shirts somewhere. Finding one, I hung it out, ready for the
next day’s adventures.
DAY 2. After a lot of walking, we sit by the Eiffel Tower.
Sunday. A day of rest
for most establishments across Paris. The Louvre was open to visitors, but
expecting it to be overly crowded on a Sunday, we decided to spend the day in a
leisurely manner.
I’d read about Le Marais, a historic district in Paris.
Once an aristocratic district, today Le Marais is filled with hip boutiques,
numerous restaurants and gay bars. What caught my interest was the word
‘historic’, and a mention of some flea market/street shopping nearby. Well, we
did find the former, of which the medieval, half-timbered houses at 11-13 Rue François
Mirron to be very interesting. These two buildings, sandwiched between the more
modern buildings down the street, looked very much like two classic, somewhat
aged, first-editions, stacked between rows of new books on a bookshelf. They
even lean a bit.
We never did find any
street market, so, checking online, we decided to take ourselves all the way to Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine that boasts of the Paris Flea Market. There’s a lot
you can get here at this sprawling antiques and vintage street market and
you’re sure to have a good time if you’re into shopping.
We,
however, didn’t stay long, finding it not interesting at all. Instead, we
walked through the flea-market, making our way to the metro at Garibaldi. Just
a few feet from the metro, we stopped for lunch at a little pub where the lady
who waited at our table reminded me of someone I once knew. Although cheerful
and very friendly, there was an underlying no-nonsense air about her. We quite
liked her, and the food wasn’t too bad either. We had salmon, steak, a tiramisu
and a crème brûlée.
Platters
mopped clean with bread, we headed back towards the city centre and made our
way to the Tour Eiffel, a
wrought-iron, latticed tower located on the Champ
de Mars. Although much criticized at the time of its construction, Le Tour
Eiffel is now a global icon and one of the most recognizable structures in the
world.
When I
stepped out of the station at Champ de Mars, we were totally awed by the tower
looming in front of us. It is so much larger than what I’d imagined it to be!
We could see why it holds a place among the Wonders of the World. All around
the Tower were people. There were so many of them, it was almost like all the
tourists visiting Paris had decided to visit the Tower at the same time. There
were long, serpentine queues of excited visitors awaiting their turn to go up
the tower. Many, like us, were walking around the Eiffel Tower, enjoying just
being there. There were also a huge number of street vendors selling berets,
key-chains and miniature, sparkly Eiffel Towers.
Walking around the Eiffel Tower, we looked for a good spot to park ourselves so as to get the best view of the Tower. Once I’d found a spot I liked, we stayed put right there for more than a quarter of an hour waiting for the tower to light up. No sooner had the sun set, than the Tower lit up in lovely golden lights, making it look even more impressive than it already was. And then, after a few moments, it began to sparkle, and how pretty that looked! I was mesmerized, like most other tourists. The Eiffel Tower, I learnt, sparkles for 5 minutes to mark every hour after dusk, with the last sparkles at 11pm, after which it’s all lights out.
DAY 3. We explore the Louvre and try a French delicacy.
Very early the next morning, we made our way towards the Palais Royale-Musée du Louvre. Today, we planned to explore the Louvre.
While pre-booking your tickets online does get you faster access to the entrance, almost all monuments and museums also allow spot tickets. But if you want to make the most of your day, do what we did and get to the Musée really early. Although the gates open at 9am, the queue begins forming an hour earlier. We got to the Pyramids at half past eight. Another few minutes and the line had extended right across the courtyard, and even beyond. The line of pre-booked ticket holders was also long, but their entry began a few minutes before ours did.
While we stood in line (mercifully, we were fairly ahead), we
took the time to admire the architectural beauty of the Louvre exteriors. Once
in, we purchased our tickets and collected our maps. Before beginning our
explorations, we ate a fairly hearty breakfast at Paul’s, a well-stocked café
located in the lobby.
Next, collecting our
audio-guides, we began our tour of the world’s most-visited museum. Set within
a palace built sometime in the 12th-13th centuries, the
Louvre has a vast collection of world-famous art, sculptural objects and
archaeological finds on display.
The Louvre was a fortress long before its walls were torn down to make way for what survives as the Louvre today. The tour began with a viewing of the ancient walls of the castle, now subterranean. There are plenty of audio-visual resources available that show the changes wrought through time, and trust me when I say, the information is very interesting.
While the art collection is really impressive, it is the sculptures that I found most beautiful. They were so well executed, I’m sure if I stood absolutely still, I would have heard them breathe. They were all so life-like. Some of those that I really liked included the Deaths of Euralye and Nisus, Faune Endormi and the Marly Horses. The Venus de Milo, while clearly a favourite with tourists, failed to impress me. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, however I thought to be extremely beautiful. A masterpiece in Greek sculpture dating back to the 2nd century BC, is very attractive. Although made of marble, there is a great deal of fluidity and lightness to the sculpture. One can almost expect Nike to rise into the air at any moment.
It was the same with the famed Mona Lisa, one of the Louvre’s
biggest attractions. There are, however, paintings far bigger and far more
attractive in theme and execution. My favorites included Liberty leading the
people, The Raft of Medusa, The Young Martyr, Pandemonium, and the Wedding
feast at Cana.
The latter, is the Louvre’s largest painting and is displayed on a wall exactly across the room from the Mona Lisa. It is, however, the Mona Lisa that draws most tourists to the Louvre. There’s a long line to catch a glimpse of her face, and you hardly get enough time to click a decent picture. For most of the time, you are being nudged and jostled about by tourists eager to get to the front of the line, directly in front of Ms. Lisa, whose smile did little to entice me.
We spent over five hours exploring the wonders of the Louvre, often making use of the audio guide to learn more about the exhibits that caught our attention. When we were done, as we were making our way back to return the audio guides, I peeped out the window, looking towards the Pyramids. The line of visitors waiting to get in was just as long as when the day began. Not surprising really, given the fact that the Louvre is said to receive over 9 million visitors annually. Wow!
Here are some more glimpses of the wonders at the Louvre:
After completing the visit to the Louvre, we went to L’Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). This building,
has a history that goes as far back as 1535, when its south wing was
constructed by François I. Over time, the structure was expanded and
reconstructed after it was burned down in May 1871.
The Place de l’Hôtel
de Ville (the City Hall Plaza) on which the City Hall is located, is quite a
busy place. Formerly called the Place de Grève, this was a popular site of
beheadings in early Paris. Today, you can see people just hanging around the
plaza, enjoying the sunshine, or sipping a coffee in one of the café’s across
the street. Nearby, is the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville, a huge
department store named after the City Hall.
The Pont d’Arcole, built across the Seine in 1854-1856, takes us across to the Île de la Cité, an island in the river Seine, in the middle of Paris. It is also home to the Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle (the Royal Chapel) and is also the site of the city’s oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf.
Since the last meal we’d had was breakfast at the Louvre, we settled
for an early dinner at Le Parvis. It
was here that we sampled, for the very first time, a traditional Bœuf Bourguignon
and, something I was most looking forward to, des Escargots. The former,
we found to be a tad too sweet and boozy, but we simple loved the latter. I
highly recommend escargots to anyone visiting Paris. They are rather
expensive, but do try them at least once.
Happy with our meal, we waked along the Rue d’Arcole, towards the famous Notre Dame. Sadly, we could only admire it from the outside as the cathedral is still undergoing restoration and repairs after the fire of 2019.
Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this wonderful example of French-Gothic architecture, was completed in 1345, and in one of the most visited monuments in Paris. After clicking a few pictures, we walked back across the Pont d’Arcole, for a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance and the many boats sailing by, and thus ended another day in Paris.
DAY 4. Lots of stained glass, a queen & the top of the
Eiffel Tower.
The next day found us
standing in line again. This time, outside the Sainte-Chapelle, a royal
chapel within the medieval Palais de la Cité. This chapel, whose construction
began sometime after 1238, is a must-visit when in Paris. Together with the Conciergerie next door, the
Sainte-Chapelle is the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetians who ruled
France between 987-1328.
Like at the Louvre, lines outside the Chapel were divided into those with pre-booked tickets & those without tickets. We were in the latter, but the line moved quickly and in a short while, having completed the security check, we headed to the entrance of the chapel to purchase our tickets. Here, you do have an option of visiting just the chapel or both, the chapel and the Conciergerie. Selecting the second option, we entered the Sainte-Chapelle.
The history of this beautiful
chapel began when King Louis IX, later St. Louis of France, ordered its
construction in the 13th century, to guard the relics of the Passion
of Christ, namely Christ’s crown of thorns and a piece of the Holy Cross. While
the building was designed as a reliquary, it also functioned as the royal
chapel, with the upper chapel being used by the royal family, and the lower
chapel for the servants and people who were not members of the King’s family.
This lower chapel,
dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was designed to be a support for the upper chapel
and a base for the entire structure. Its walls are decorated with trilobular
arches and with twelve medallions representing the twelve apostles of Christ.
What I liked best in this lower chapel, was the abundance of lapis-lazuli all around, with a starry sky across the vaulting. Here, in the lower chapel, you can also collect your audio guide and purchase some souvenirs of your visit to the Sainte-Chapelle.
Going up a little
spiral staircase, you come to the more elaborate upper chapel, the one that the
visitors line up to see. Aptly labelled ‘Gateway to Heaven’, this chapel is
much more elaborate and has, in place of walls, some magnificent stained-glass
windows, occupying a total space of 670 sq. meters. I have never seen so much
of stained-glass together in one place. It was like standing in the middle of a
rainbow, with the coloured glass splashing deep reds, greens, gold and blues
all across the room.
The 15 stained-glass
windows illustrate scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament. It also
shows the story of King Louis IX receiving the relics of the Passion. At the
west end of the chapel, the large rose window with its 86 panels describes the
story of the Apocalypse.
Visitors can sit in the chapel and, assisted by the very informative audio guide, study each of the stained glass panels and also learn a lot about the many scares of the Sainte-Chapelle, which include fires, water and, of course, the Revolution.
Exiting the
Sainte-Chapelle, we went next door to the Conciergerie,
a former courthouse and prison in Paris. One of its famous residents was
Marie-Antoinette, the wife of King Louis XVI. It was here that she was
imprisoned for two months, tried for treason and sentenced to be executed by the
guillotine. Today, the Conciergerie functions as a museum and national
monument.
As you enter, do
collect an interactive tablet that provides visuals and information of the
rooms you are viewing. The visuals show you what exactly the room looked like
at the time it was a prison during the revolutionary Reign of Terror. Some of the rooms you pass through as part of your
visit are the Hall of the Men-at-Arms,
the Kitchens, the Prisoner’s Corridor, the Hall of Names, the Marie-Antoinette Chapel and the Women’s
Courtyard.
The original cell of
Marie-Antoinette, after restoration, was replaced by a Memorial Chapel
dedicated to her in 1815. This memorial chapel painted entirely in dark blue
contains three paintings depicting the Queen’s imprisonment and a single
stained-glass window with the initials of Marie Antoinette. The black
faux-marble walls are marked with stone teardrops.
The Conciergerie had provided a lot of insight into the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette, but I still had a few questions as I left the building, and I plan to so some in depth reading on my return to Mumbai.
But all questions of Marie Antoinette were set aside as we headed to the highlight of our day – a visit to the summit of the Eiffel Tower. Constructed between 1887 to 1889, and standing at 330m from ground to tip, the Eiffel Tower is truly a marvel. Although there are elevators to take visitors to the two levels and the summit, visitors do choose to take the stairs to the first level (328 steps), and even up to the second level (an additional 341 steps), and then take the stairs back down, clicking pictures along the way. Ticket prices vary depending of the level that you wish to ascend to and whether you choose to take the stairs or the elevator. This time around, we had pre-booked our tickets and had got a slot available late in the evening. By then, the place was not very crowded and the lines, not too long. We, with pre-booked tickets had no line at all, so we cleared the security check and went first, to stand right below the centre of the Tower. Hoping to click a picture of the tower above us, I tilted my neck and my camera upward, and immediately changed my mind.
Once below the tower,
it somehow loomed so much larger. It was a little overwhelming for me, so I quickly
trotted away to the side towards the elevators. From her, the tower wasn’t
quite as imposing. Still amazing, but not scary big.
Now, a thing to know
about the security at the Tower. Even if there’s no one around, they won’t let
you up the tower until the time mentioned on the ticket. I suppose that’s a
good thing, really, so we sat at the side, trying to keep warm. That evening,
the wind had chosen to blow as best as it could, and it was so very cold. Even
with my headband and warm jacket, I was shivering down to my bones.
Finally, it was time
for us to ascend. We got into the elevators and began slowly rising. While my
camera was on and held close to the glass, my eyes were tightly shut and stayed
that way until we were asked to get off on the second level, that offers some
of the best and unobstructed views of Paris. It also has gift-shops and a
Michelin-star restaurant, Le Jules Verne.
Here, those with summit access passes had to move towards another set of
elevators. The line here was fairly long, with so many people. It bothered me a
little, the number of people moving about the tower. What if it toppled under
the weight? So, while others were shivering and huddling together on account of
the strong, awfully cold wind, I was shivering also because I was quite
frightened that we were, at any moment going to crash to the ground far, far
below.
After a few minutes of
shivering, it was our turn to get into the elevator and, soon we were at the
summit. The first two levels have restaurants, shops and a promenade. The
summit has, among other things, an apartment that was reserved for Gustave
Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower, to entertain his friends. Today this
apartment is open for public viewing, complete with life-size mannequins of Mr.
Eiffel and some of his notable guests. Up here, the wind that was dancing
below, had also decided to howl like a banshee.
The views were great,
the washroom, really small but clean, and the experience a wee bit scary, but a
lot more exhilarating!
What an absolutely marvelous end to a very eventful day!
DAY 5. We visit the land of the dead.
Day five began with a late
but leisurely breakfast at on restaurant nearby, Le Gevaudin. The staff here is friendly, the ambience is warm and
welcoming and the food is good, especially the steak. Although English is
understood quite well, we tried using the little French we knew and placed our
order. It’s here we learned that a coffee and a Café Crème are two very
different items. A café crème is a creamy, frothy coffee served in a regular
sized cup, while a coffee refers to black coffee served in wee little cups.
This seems most popular at most cafés across Paris.
Today, we had planned to visit l’empire de la mort, the Catacombs of Paris, underground ossuaries that hold the remains of around over six million people. Although the ossuary comprises only a small section of the former stone quarries, the entire tunnel network is known as the catacombs.
Having reached a
little earlier than our appointed time, we spent a while sitting at a park,
watching pigeons, many of whom seemed to share a common deformity of the left
foot. A short while later, we had our tickets scanned and began our descent
down the 131 steps of the catacomb, arriving at the entrance of a narrow, dimly
lit tunnel. As we made our way along the long passage, we listened carefully to
the information being shared over the audio guide, telling us about the history
and construction of these mines. After a fairly long walk, we arrived at the
entrance to the catacombs over which are written the words, “Arrete! C’est ici
l’empire de le mort. (Stop! This, here, is the empire of the dead). From here
on, all we see are human remains stacked on either side of the passage,
sometimes creating gruesome patterns.
But while walking
among human remains might be creepy to some, the visit to the catacombs was
anything but that. As you walk along, the audio guide provides really
interesting information about the history and establishment of the catacombs.
At various intervals, it also explains the significance of the arrangement of
bones and various landmarks.
On reaching the end, most visitors groaned at the sight of 121 steps to be climbed to reach the surface. Needless to say, our ascent was far slower than the descent.
We headed next towards
the famous Champs-Elysée, with its
glittering stores and fine restaurants and cafés. What we wanted to see here
was the Arc de Triomphe de L’Étoile,
located at eh west end of the Champs Elysée. It’s called the Arc of Triumph of the Star on
account of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues. This 164ft tall
arc celebrates those who fought and died for France in the revolutionary and
the Napoleonic wars. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of
WWI.
This spot attracts many tourists, many going to the top of the arc for a great view of Paris spread out before them. Most others chose to make their way to the centre of the busy street, standing in line, awaiting their turn to click an insta-worthy pic against the background of the famous Arc. We crossed the street to find ourselves a nice spot at Café Luca, sitting outside, enjoying some lovely coffee and a view of the Arc de Triomphe.
This lovely day ended with a pizza dinner. We ordered in a pepperoni and something with ham. The first one had few bits of pepperoni and some very smelly cheese, while the other turned up with fish. Not ham, but fish! They were both not nice at all.
DAY 6. A palace and near death by chocolate.
Today we visit the Château de Versailles, one of the
greatest achievements of French 17th century art. A former royal
residence built by King Louis XIV, this magnificent palace is located 19kms to
the west of Paris, in Versailles.
Starting out very early in the day, we headed first to Pont d’Alma. Stopping on the bridge for a moment, I took in the sight of dawn breaking over Paris and the Eiffel Tower. From the station, we boarded the RER C to Versailles. The journey is a comfortable one and you get to see some nice views outside the window.
At Versailles, the
palace itself is a walkable distance from the station. While it’s a pleasant
walk, we were greeted with cold wind, cloudy skies and a threat of rain in the
air. As we turned around the corner, we caught sight of the palace complex in
the distance, with a statue of Louis XIV on the square outside its gate.
The security personnel called out a very cheerful good Bonjour as we entered and we eagerly made our way to the inner gate where a long line of people had already gathered, all braving the cold, dressed in warm jackets and scarves. The palace gardens open at 8am, while the palace opens its gates at 9am. Our tickets, pre-booked again, indicated our entry time as a half past nine. But, no sooner had the 9am visitors been guided into the palace, than we were ushered inside. Those without tickets headed to line up at the ticket-counter, while those with tickets needed only to scan their tickets and head to purchase their audio guides, if not already booked.
Slipping our
audio-guides around our neck, we began to explore. This was a herculean task,
as the palace contains 2,300 rooms, though not all are open to the public. We
first visited the exhibition highlighting the life of King Louis XV. This
special exhibition marks 300 years of King Louis XV’s coronation. It gives us
an insight into Louis XV, not just as a King, but also as a man with varied
interests, and focuses on his life and his relationships with his family and
members of his entourage.
We then viewed many
rooms, including the Royal Chapel, the Queen’s apartments, the King’s private apartments, the Coronation Room, the apartments of the children of King Louis
XV, the Dauphin and Dauphine’s
apartments, the Gallery of Battles,
Marie-Antoinette’s Private Chambers, the famed Hall of Mirrors, and many more.
There’s so much of grandeur all around, it almost makes you dizzy! The private apartments and bed chambers of the royals are also very interesting. Decked with large mirrors, plush carpets, patterned walls, painted ceilings and sparkling chandeliers, these rooms are worth visiting. The canopied beds, raised high above the ground looked quite uncomfortable and rather a lonely place to lie in. A fact I found rather unfortunate was that the bedchambers at that time were not the private havens they are today. The King’s getting-up and going-to-bed ceremonies were very courtly one and, for the Queens, childbirth was an affair attended by doctors, ladies-in-waiting, governesses of the realm, and princesses of the royal family and some members of the Church. The Queen gave birth on a special labor bed shielded on a screen, and no sooner had the child been born, than she was transferred to her own bed where the lords and ladies filed in to offer their congratulations.
Every room is filled
with excellent artwork from floor to ceiling, and there are also some
interesting sculptures around the palace. All these make the exploration of the
palace a very enjoyable and lengthy one.
Before exiting the
palace, we took a walk in the beautifully landscaped gardens. The
Grande Perspective, also visible from the Hall of Mirrors, stretches away
towards the horizon from the Water Parterre. The gardens include numerous
sculptures, groves, paths and parterres, the Orangerie and walks.
We would very much
have loved to explore the gardens more, but it had begun to rain steadily, and,
not being adequately prepared for the wet weather, we decided to end our tour
and head back to Paris.
The rain followed us
all the way back to Paris, casting a cloak of grey over the city. Alighting the
RER at Musée d’Orsay, we huddled together under our one little umbrella, and
made our way across the Jarden de
Tuilieries, that, on account of the rains, was near deserted.
Crossing over to Rue de Rivoli, we joined the fairly long line outside Angelina, a very popular tea-room named after the daughter-in-law of its founder, Austrian confectioner Antoine Rumpelmeyer. Since its opening in 1903, this tea-room has established itself as a gourmet and refined place, most popular among the elite. It’s elegant and charming interiors were designed by the famous French Belle Epoque architect Edouard-Jean Niermans.
Having heard much
about Angelina from my friend, we were keen on seeing for ourselves what all
the fuss was about.
After nearly 45 minutes, we were finally ushered in by a hostess, who led us to our table. From where we could see, almost every table in the house was packed. The interiors, all in beautiful yellows and gold, really did add a classy, uppity feel to the place, even while the prevailing mood was rather casual and light. At every table, people laughed and chatted over their coffee and some very delicious looking pastries, none of which I could identify by name. Our order comprised of a burger for my husband and an omelet with cheese and ham pour moi.
This truly
delicious and generously portioned meal was followed by two of Angelina’s most
famous items on the menu – it’s sinfully thick and creamy hot chocolate, and
the Mont Blanc, a chestnut cream cake. We first finished off the Mont Blanc,
declaring it to be the best dessert we’d had in Paris. The hot chocolate arrived
in a little jug, accompanied with whipped cream. We each poured ourselves a
cup, finding that there was still quite a lot left over. We could see (or
rather, taste) why people queued up for this. It really was delicious,
but a few sips, and we could have no more. It was just too much chocolate for
us. Still, taking our time, we emptied our cups….almost.
Not wanting to waste
what we’d paid for, I proceeded to pour what was left into my cup, only to
groan when I found that I now had another cup filled to the brim.
By the time I was done
and was ready to step out of the restaurant, I most likely had chocolate coming
out of my ears. I didn’t want to see anything chocolate for the next couple of
days.
But, to be very honest, dining at Angelina is something we’d highly recommend. It’s a lovely experience and the meals, including the hot chocolate, are extremely good.
Wanting to complete our packing in preparation for our departure to India, the next day, we headed back to Mairie de Montreuil, and thus, ended our last evening in Paris.
DAY 7. We leave for India.
Our last morning in
Paris greeted us with dark, cloudy skies, but no rainfall. Having completed our
packing the previous evening, we tidied the apartment and then, around noon,
checked-out of the apartment and walked towards Le Gevaudin, to enjoy our last, proper, French meal.
It was a windy morning
and rather cold, and almost everyone had donned their winter jacket this
morning.
By the time we set out for the airport, Paris seemed so familiar. In a few couple of days, Paris had made a wonderful impression on us, and we were leaving with loads of happy memories and the hope that we might someday return to Paris.
VERY
IMPORTANT TIPS:
When in Paris, do download the RATP App. It’s very similar to the SBB App we used in Switzerland. The RATP App enables you to purchase your travel tickets and passes online. It is also very useful as it provides you with up-to-date information about the best transport options to take you where you want to go.
If you are in Paris for more than a day and plan to explore as many of its attractions as possible, a great idea would be to buy yourself a Paris Visite travel pass. Valid for 1-5 consecutive days, this pass allows you to enjoy unlimited travel in Paris and the Île-de-France region. The magnetic ticket needs to be validated by writing your name and date of purchase on it. Fares differ depending on whether you wish to limit yourself to Zones 1-3, or wish to explore zones 1-5.
While not mandatory, do brush up on your French before you travel to Paris. Two great words to remember are Bonjour and Merci. It’s really polite to greet people, or at least return their cheerful greeting, in their language. Such courtesy is much appreciated in Paris.
When pre-booking
tickets, buy tickets only from the official
website of the place you plan to visit. All places of tourist interest have
a website that provides information as well at permits purchase of tickets, and
these sites are quite safe. I remember, when purchasing our tickets to the
Sainte-Chapelle, there was a large notice informing all visitors that tickets
purchased from a certain site (mentioned by name) were not valid, and those
holding such tickets would have to purchase fresh tickets at the counter. Thus,
it would be highly advisable to pre-purchase tickets form official website, or
at the ticket counter itself.
DAY 8. Home again, home again!
After a fairly smooth and uneventful
flight, we arrived to a Delhi covered in smog. The very first thing I did when
I landed, was headed to the washroom. I must say, after two weeks of making do
with toilet paper (pink, patterned ones), it was such a relief to use a
washroom that had water. I was so happy that I beamed from ear to ear as I left
the loo.
This time, we had a comfortable time
between flights. This gave us ample time to explore Delhi airport, and grab a
proper Indian meal before boarding our flight to good old Mumbai.
Pics by Misha.
To view my Swiss-Paris
sketchbook, follow me on Instagram @misha.kamath
