Bonjour, Paris! Yes, I came to Paris for the second time. A 2-hour flight from Madrid felt so fast. I forgot what was the exact time I arrived, it was around 1 or 2 pm I guess. There were five of us. We had already booked a minivan and we saw the driver waiting for us. We directly headed to Novotel La Defense Hotel. The location is a bit far from city center on the west. Somehow, even though it is a bit quiet, I like the neighbourhood.
Since we didn't have much time in Paris, only 2 days.. 1 and a half day to be precise, we had to do sightseeing immediately, visiting Paris' main attractions. Our first destination is the Notre Dame. I haven't been there before so I was excited to explore the place.
Getting out from the station, my eyes were already fascinated by the view. Buildings, river, bridges, and the Parisians. I enjoyed walking around that afternoon.
I was starving and accidentally found this street that is full of food! I was looking for something savoury, big, and fulfilling but unfortunately didn't find any so I ended up having a small bread, just enough to get rid of my hunger for a while.
Then we found the Notre Dame! Read the post here. There were many eating places around it that looked very interesting. I wanted to explore so much but we had to move immediately.
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| St. John Paul II statue |
The station where we arrived was only for exit. As we were looking for another station, we passed this pretty garden and beautiful bridge at the end. We were so happy we found the love locks! People-watching here is very enjoyable. The downturn was the sun, it was a bit hot. More bikes pass the street than the cars.
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| A refreshing mango ice cream |
We wanted to go to the Louvre after that. We were a bit struggling to find the place. Somehow we arrived at this underground mall and spend time there around while looking for the exit and enjoying the cold air-conditioner inside (we were sweating).
I was happy when we got out and could already see the Louvre. On my first visit, I didn't get the chance to actually take picture in front of it, I only passed it and took the picture from the bus.
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| Louvre |
There was a small box where we can get up onto it. It was fun looking at these people trying to make illusion pictures and we even became one of the first-liners.
Next one is, the famous Eiffel Tower! A trip to Paris is incomplete without taking picture with this tower. Just like my first visit, there were many people and souvenir sellers who know a bit Indonesian. Unfortunately, there was a renovation which took some space for taking picture. However, I really love the pretty cotton candy-colored sky at that time! The view was just amazing.
We were tired and walked downstairs to find a seat. We rest ourselves for a while and took more pictures. Suddenly, I didn't feel well. When the sky turned dark, we looked for something to eat and went back to the hotel.
The next day, I was planning to get up early and go to Disneyland Paris by myself. But as my alarm rang, my eyes were very heavy and I felt weak. Then I decided to sleep again. We were all then woke up late. Guess I just lacked of sleep, I felt better after that.
One of us wanted to visit Palace of Versailles. The journey was quite long and there were many train interchanges. As we arrived, I had a different feeling with the area. Although it was crowded, it wasn't as stuffy as I felt in the city centre. Our time was very limited. Most of us had to buy stuff for our moms at Galleries Lafayette. It was Saturday so the mall close early. We really need to catch up so we didn't have the chance to go inside the palace. I was very curious, though!
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| Love this station design! |
After hectic shopping in Lafayette (yeah, I met many Indonesians), we went separate ways and I walked in two with my friend around Champs-Élysées, the street of entertainment in Paris. Here you can find theatres, cafés, and shops. It's a very nice street for sightseeing and I was excited to be able to walk around here from bright until dark. It gets more alive at night. And that's how I spent my last night in Paris.
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| Spotted many people having this ice cream and decided to try one. So good! |
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| Arc de Triomphe |
The lowdowns
The city might be attractive and romantic on the ground. This is my first experience exploring Paris by metro since I was always getting around by tour bus on the first visit. I was very surprised that Paris underground life is not as pleasant as on the street.
I spotted many people tried to jump across the ticket machines so they didn't have to pay. The crowd is just massive I got overwhelmed. At one of station interchanges, I passed a long alley that has open water drain and it was very smelly along the way I couldn't help it. Most of the ceilings are also moldy and the walls are full of improper graffitis. I though it was kind of bronx and the atmosphere doesn't make me feel safe. Talking about the train, it wasn't too comfortable either. Some chairs are damp and again, there is another disturbing graffitis.
Among these things, I also feel some things don't make me enjoy Paris that much. I don't know what it is, but something doesn't make me comfortable. I'd like to go there again though, only to experience Paris Disneyland and enter the Versailles Palace.
Related story:
Euro Trip - Paris
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