Bonjour!
I'm coming back to Cologne after a shot but packed trip to Paris. I think this was the fifth or the sixth time that I visit the city, so the attraction were not new for me, but this time I felt it somewhat differently.
I'm coming back to Cologne after a shot but packed trip to Paris. I think this was the fifth or the sixth time that I visit the city, so the attraction were not new for me, but this time I felt it somewhat differently.
I remember that at my first visit and also the others that followed I felt a bit disappointed. The expectation were so high due to the TV spots, the movies that were filmed there, the stories of my friends. An what did I find? An over-crowded city filled with tourists (in every photo that I've taken I had at least an asian guy as a model), high prices, homeless people sleeping on the streets, litter in parks and generally everywhere and near the Seine the smell was... let's say unpleasant. And let's not forget the huge queues that leave you with no motivation whatsoever.
But this time I had an ace in my sleeve. I stayed at a good friend of mine, that currently studies and lives in Paris, so I could have an inside look. (Merci, a propos ;) ) To prepare the trip I wrote on Google: Top 10 Paris and I decided that's where I'm not going. Obviously I walked by those places, but not in the rush hour and I also dodged every queue. In exchange I wanted to experience Paris in it's non-touristic places.
I felt Cologne on Friday, the Halloween evening and I arrived at Porte Maillot in Paris at 6 a.m. It was still dark outside, so I decided to walk to the center. At 6:20 the Arch of Triumph is very beautiful and nobody is there to ruin the picture. Av. des Champs Elysees was almost empty. Just the random party-guy in a costume with a bottle of wine in the hand animated the cityscape. It was already dawn when I arrived at Roosevelt and on the Pont de L'Alma I enjoyed the sunrise. Under the Eiffel Tower at 7:50 isn't much going on and the sun rays light gently the steel bars produced in Reșița.
At 10 o'clock I met my "guide". But before that I took a walk on the Saint Dominique street, where you can find the Romanian embassy, through the Place de la Concorde, through the Orangerie and finally through the inner-court of Louvre. Happy that we met, we then headed north near the Madeleine church and climbed up the terrace of Printemps Grand Magasines, a sort of Luceafărul (a big store). From there you can enjoy the city panorama. We continued our walk north in the direction of Moulin Rouge. Across the street there is a subway vent that blow air to the surface, a place for Marilyn Monroe fans. Boulevard de Clichy leads you to the hill of Montmartre, on which rests the Sacre Coeur Basilica. The walk on on the central lane, surrounded by trees is very relaxing. We spent the rest of the day wandering through unknown streets, bathing in the sun rays and heading approximately to Montparnasse.
In Paris, during the dry days, water flows on the streets pumped from the sewerage. Also in Paris, the pedestrians don't mind the red light. They just check if it's free and then cross the street. :) In Paris there aren't so many bicycle lanes, but you can rent a bike almost anywhere. In Paris, in non-touristic areas, is quiet and people are walking with baguettes in their hands or smoking in their specific style. In Paris you can find green iron chairs that you can sit on. You can also move them but they're quite heavy. In Paris people play rugby on grass even in places where it's forbidden. The little Paris, which is the central area is not so big. You can walk around it in 2 days. Paris made me think of Bucharest, somehow... On Saturday night I dreamt beautifully.
On Sunday morning I wanted to visit the catacombs. Big mistake. At 9:30 the queue was already huge. So we headed instead to the Romanian embassy to exercise our constitutional right (presidential elections). We were there at 11 o'clock and we stood in line for 2 and a half hours. Initially they spread the international forms, but then they stopped and all the process went slower. Horia Tecau came also to vote after his match in the finals of the Paris Championship. In the last half an hour, the people were upset and there was a bit of distress. Finally after a while I could step on the Romanian soil in Paris and put the stamp on the ballot.
We continued our walk through the Latin Quarter. We entered the Pantheon, where some famous people are buried: Rousseau, Hugo, Dumas, Marie Curie and Voltaire. On the Edgar Quinet boulevard we found a artistic fair and then we walk by the Montparnasse cemetery. It was open so we entered. Taking a look at the map four names sprang in our eyes: Brâncuși, Cioran, Ionesco and Tzara. The nice part is that we also met some other Romanians that came to visit the tombs and light candles. In one corner of the cemetery you can admire a sculpture of Brâncuși: Le Baiser. It is well guarded by 3 cameras.
In the evening I prepared for my take of and the rain had started. I took a last stop at Trocadero and took a photo of the lighted tower. Then I said good-bye and returned to the german world.
I recommend this kind of trip, away from the big crowds. I hope you will be lucky and have the same perfect weather that I had.
Au revoir,
R.C.
But this time I had an ace in my sleeve. I stayed at a good friend of mine, that currently studies and lives in Paris, so I could have an inside look. (Merci, a propos ;) ) To prepare the trip I wrote on Google: Top 10 Paris and I decided that's where I'm not going. Obviously I walked by those places, but not in the rush hour and I also dodged every queue. In exchange I wanted to experience Paris in it's non-touristic places.
I felt Cologne on Friday, the Halloween evening and I arrived at Porte Maillot in Paris at 6 a.m. It was still dark outside, so I decided to walk to the center. At 6:20 the Arch of Triumph is very beautiful and nobody is there to ruin the picture. Av. des Champs Elysees was almost empty. Just the random party-guy in a costume with a bottle of wine in the hand animated the cityscape. It was already dawn when I arrived at Roosevelt and on the Pont de L'Alma I enjoyed the sunrise. Under the Eiffel Tower at 7:50 isn't much going on and the sun rays light gently the steel bars produced in Reșița.
At 10 o'clock I met my "guide". But before that I took a walk on the Saint Dominique street, where you can find the Romanian embassy, through the Place de la Concorde, through the Orangerie and finally through the inner-court of Louvre. Happy that we met, we then headed north near the Madeleine church and climbed up the terrace of Printemps Grand Magasines, a sort of Luceafărul (a big store). From there you can enjoy the city panorama. We continued our walk north in the direction of Moulin Rouge. Across the street there is a subway vent that blow air to the surface, a place for Marilyn Monroe fans. Boulevard de Clichy leads you to the hill of Montmartre, on which rests the Sacre Coeur Basilica. The walk on on the central lane, surrounded by trees is very relaxing. We spent the rest of the day wandering through unknown streets, bathing in the sun rays and heading approximately to Montparnasse.
In Paris, during the dry days, water flows on the streets pumped from the sewerage. Also in Paris, the pedestrians don't mind the red light. They just check if it's free and then cross the street. :) In Paris there aren't so many bicycle lanes, but you can rent a bike almost anywhere. In Paris, in non-touristic areas, is quiet and people are walking with baguettes in their hands or smoking in their specific style. In Paris you can find green iron chairs that you can sit on. You can also move them but they're quite heavy. In Paris people play rugby on grass even in places where it's forbidden. The little Paris, which is the central area is not so big. You can walk around it in 2 days. Paris made me think of Bucharest, somehow... On Saturday night I dreamt beautifully.
On Sunday morning I wanted to visit the catacombs. Big mistake. At 9:30 the queue was already huge. So we headed instead to the Romanian embassy to exercise our constitutional right (presidential elections). We were there at 11 o'clock and we stood in line for 2 and a half hours. Initially they spread the international forms, but then they stopped and all the process went slower. Horia Tecau came also to vote after his match in the finals of the Paris Championship. In the last half an hour, the people were upset and there was a bit of distress. Finally after a while I could step on the Romanian soil in Paris and put the stamp on the ballot.
We continued our walk through the Latin Quarter. We entered the Pantheon, where some famous people are buried: Rousseau, Hugo, Dumas, Marie Curie and Voltaire. On the Edgar Quinet boulevard we found a artistic fair and then we walk by the Montparnasse cemetery. It was open so we entered. Taking a look at the map four names sprang in our eyes: Brâncuși, Cioran, Ionesco and Tzara. The nice part is that we also met some other Romanians that came to visit the tombs and light candles. In one corner of the cemetery you can admire a sculpture of Brâncuși: Le Baiser. It is well guarded by 3 cameras.
In the evening I prepared for my take of and the rain had started. I took a last stop at Trocadero and took a photo of the lighted tower. Then I said good-bye and returned to the german world.
I recommend this kind of trip, away from the big crowds. I hope you will be lucky and have the same perfect weather that I had.
Au revoir,
R.C.
