Je t’aime Paris

Paris - the city of love, fashion and exquisite food, and the famous Moulin Rouge. Here I was, standing outside Charles De Gaulle Airport. I wondered if I could find any seductive dancers from the Moulin rouge. It was one of those trips where I was on my own with nothing planned, I was going to experience the city on my own terms. I made a few enquiries at the airport, picked up a couple of brochures and soon was on the bus to Porte Maillot. Thereafter I took a taxi to the Radisson Blu boutique hotel in Boulogne, Billancourt. Around 7ish in the evening, I was craving for some desi serving, so I sprinted to a nearby Indian restaurant.

 I was up early the next morning. I checked off my photography gear - camera, tripod and remote, travel and metro maps before embarking on the short trip to explore Paris. The question was where to start? I didn’t want to miss out on any of the important landmarks. I made some quick jottings on the travel map, walked to the Porte Saint Cloud metro and took the train to Trocadero. As I exited the metro station, I noticed that the sky was slightly overcast. But thankfully it was not raining. I stood there for a while and looked around wondering if I make a mistake? Trocadero was marked as the metro nearest to the Eiffel Tower, but I caught no sight of it. Finally, I asked a passerby, who looking a little baffled, pointed his finger behind the big building in front of me. Voila, there it was majestically scraping the grey skyline! I thanked my impromptu guide profusely, grinned at my own stupidity and joined the rest of the camera-laden tourists. The camera remote was a good buy. Although, due to the curious looks, I admit to feeling a little conscious using it. I was looking into the camera with no one behind the tripod, it did seem a little ghostly.

I walked, narrowing the distance between the ET and me. The intention was to buy a ticket for the ride up the Tower, but it would have taken me atleast 2 hours to get close to any of the four elevators with those long queues. I did a quick reshuffle of my plan and proceeded towards Arc De Triomphe. The weather was just the way I liked with the sky overcast and the drizzle infrequent. I took a turn on Avenue Kleber, walking on a practically empty road, admiring the beautiful buildings. I reached Place de l'Etoile , a large road junction in Paris and the meeting point of twelve avenues. The Arc De Triomphe stands majestically at the center of this place. The monument was photographed in every possible angle. Thereafter I turned into Avenue Champs Elysees. My eyes instantly widened in wonderment, this avenue was a stark contrast to Avenue Kleber and was the liveliest I had ever seen. The avenue stretched as far as the eye could see, the walkways were super wide, tourists walked leisurely along or sat sipping on their colas and coffees, while the numerous top brand stores stylishly flashed their neon signs. I lost myself in the hustle and bustle thoroughly enjoying myself. I so wished for the company of my best friend - my sister.

I had clocked four hours of walking and was totally famished. I treated myself to an extra cheeseburger at McDonalds. Bon appétit, I said to myself. That’s the only other French term I knew apart from merci! The guy at the billing counter had a tough time figuring out how much to bill me for my ‘vegetarian’ burger that was of course not on the menu. Smiling, I picked up my half-finished coke and continued my walk. I felt like a kid, getting all excited at the colors and lights. I window-shopped and lost time, but was in no hurry to get the next attraction. As it got darker and gloomier, I eventually took the metro to the Louvre. I did a real quick tour without skipping any of the floors and said hello to Mona Lisa. She smiled back at me. Out of the Louvre, I lost sense of direction and ended up walking all the way up to the Concorde, so had a take the metro again to the Notre Dame cathedral in the fourth arrondissement. By then, it was completely dark and the city glistened like a jewel with all the lights. I stopped briefly by the Seine to take pictures of the passing cruises. Coming face to face with the Notre Dame cathedral, the beauty of the imposing structure against the dark backdrop struck me. I stayed inside until the evening mass was over and sat for an hour outside admiring the cathedral’s night illumination. Heading towards the ET again, I realized I was running against time and avoided looking at the inviting signs to the popular dinner cruises on the Seine.

Even at 9 pm, the queues were just as long, but I joined the shortest one that led to the east tower. I bought a ticket to the top floor, by then it was beginning to get cold. I spent the Cinderella hour taking in the breathtaking bird’s eye view of the city by night. Coming down little past 12 midnight, I was totally exhausted and chilled to the bone. It was a painful drag to the metro. I was a little nervous initially, but the station was still crowded and I got to the hotel about 1 am. Bliss is what I sensed as my head touched the pillow. The Moulin Rouge dancers performed in my dream.

It was a brief but memorable experience in the city. A second trip is definitely on the cards to see the grandeur beyond Paris.