Bonjour Paris (Part 2)

I'm dreaming of a white Paris
Just like the ones I used to know...

Despite my white Christmas doesnt came true in Newcastle, but this little wish of mine blooms itself in Paris. A white Paris. It certainly got me excited since it was my first encounter with snow... and it taste like cold sprinkle of water. The streets covered with snow and all you could see is a piece of white land across the town. Its lovely.

motorcycles were well blanketed with white snow

a white Paris

Our first destination of the day is Cathedral of Notre Dame. Do you remember Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame? It was the first time i was exposed to this classical Gothic cathedral by Victor Hugo. Since then, this would be the place i want to visit if i ever have a chance to go to Paris.

gargoyle, said to scare off evil spirits, as a form of protection

...and this gargoyle looks to be shivering and freezing in cold

does it look familiar to you?

I guess many do recognize and came across this place. Yes, its the Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) that is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre). Nearly 35,000 objects from the 6th millennium BC to the 19th century AD are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).

at the Pyramid

Sphinx from Egypt

Venus de Milo, an ancient Greek sculpture
believed to depict Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty

Diane de Versailles

Pan

one of my favourite, the Nike of Samothrace (winged victory)

the best of all, the Mona Lisa from Leonardo Da Vinci
okay... i was too far to get a proper nice picture of it

one of the masterpiece from Pablo Picasso

David and Goliath painted by Daniele da Volterra

Its probably one of the biggest museum i've ever visited so far, we spend 5 hours inside and still havent finish the tour. We then head over to one of the most recognizable icon in the world, the Eiffel Tower.

at the bottom of Eiffel Tower

Now to what phenomenon did I give primary concern in designing the Tower? It was wind resistance. Well then! I hold that the curvature of the monument's four outer edges, which is as mathematical calculation dictated it should be (...) will give a great impression of strength and beauty, for it will reveal to the eyes of the observer the boldness of the design as a whole.
- translated from the French newspaper Le Temps of 14 February 1887.

Despite many critics from all around the world, Gustave Eiffel and his co. still continue their shocking and daring exponential shape building the tower. Certainly there's many to read from its history, but this mega structures is part of a new revolution in the world of engineering. Challenge the limit.


Paris is such a lovely place. Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Moulin Rouge, cathedral of Notre Dame, Musée du Louvre, Eiffel Tower and so much more. Words and sentences couldnt express nor portray how beauty it is in Paris, you just have to see it for yourself. It is certainly a city worth coming. No regret. I love Paris. Je t'aime

Bonjour Paris (Part 1)

Its around 2.30PM local time when EuroStar finally reached its destination. Certainly the 2 hours ride doesnt seems too monotonous, well, i dozed off minutes after the departure. Its 2 degrees outside. Putting on the jacket and coat, getting ready to step down from the train, he then say...
BONJOUR PARIS!!!

Finally i managed to set foot in the land that i much idolized back then. Since when? The time when the French starts to revolutionize. Till now, its been a cliché to see them dancing in the pitch though the younger generations are still miles away from the Invincibles. Others may wonder the point out of it, while some could see right through it. What was i saying? LOL...

this is where im staying, Hotel Nord Champagne

With a help of a tourist guide book, we are nowhere near lost in Paris. We use Metro as our main transportation in this lovely city, almost everywhere we want to go is within out reach, well, except for the part where i dont understand and speak French. Pardon.

Shu dear with the Metro

at Jardin des Tuileries

with a small glimpse of Eiffel Tower

As the sun starts to take its rest behind the world, we head over to the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Its the most prestigious avenue in Paris for its filled with luxury specialty shops. With the rental clinching up to USD1.5 million a year with just a thousand square feet of space, no doubt its the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe.

night scene at Champs-Élysées

Louis Vuitton (LV), Gucci, Prada and whatever expensive grand brand that came across your mind are listed along the street. Its like walking in paradise, just to realize that for all you could see, you could not have enough to buy. Just a bag from LV could easily cost you 2-3 months of salary, and that is how expensive everything is.

Louis Vuitton, 4-5 times bigger than the one in Edinburgh

Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Paris

The place that i next visit would be the Moulin Rouge (or Red Windmill in English), is known for the birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. The show girls. Lady Marmalade.

Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir? LOL.

This is something blizzard which i happened to realize when i was in Paris. In the hotel that we are staying, or rather hostel, there's a television with a selection of 10 channels. Its not something worth complimenting from me since every word that came out of it is French. However towards midnight, there's a channel airing porn with a little sign of 16, which i assume it means 16 and above. So kids who cant sleep at night might just switch on the television and watch porn. Swt...

Maybe its a norm for them to have this kind of entertainment. Its Paris anyway... =P

Going to put a break now. Next entry would be on the Cathedral of Notre Dame where we might just find Quasimodo, the bell-ringer. Not to miss... the Musée du Louvre and Eiffel Tower! Thanks for reading. Messi

P.S. Oops, my mistake. Merci