On the last day of 2009, we took Thalys from Rotterdam to Paris. In the train we met 8 young Polish. They started celebrated New Year's eve as soon as they got on the train. They drank, talk, and laugh, making many other passengers annoyed. They got excited due to the alcohol. Then began to talk to other passengers, including us. They were cute, but I still thought they were too noisy.
We arrived Paris Nord with half hour delay. Being in a new country, how to purchase transportation tickets is always a problem. We decided to buy 2-day tickets and a French helped us.(Next day we found out that we were cheated by that man. He purchased one-way tickets for us, and he earned at least 30 euro from us) Every city's metro system has its own features. Paris' metro could hold more people than London's and Rotterdam's. Wheels are also different. Finally, we arrived our hotel. It was too cold so we decided to stay in the hotel and watched TV to celebrate the coming of 2010. We saw celebrations in Sydney, Taipei(fireworks at 101), and HK. When midnight approached, the Eiffel Tower had light show, colorful and glorious. It's the first time I welcomed the new year in a foreign and romantic city. I was happy I was not alone.
Jan-01-2010
Our first stop is Notre Dame, the most important and the most famous cathedral in Paris. Its construction could be traced back to 1160. Inside I could feel the ancient and holy atmosphere. Outside was decorated with many "Gargoyles". It was cold and snowing. Therefore we decided to have lunch in a restaurant next to the cathedral. We tasted the real "French Fries", very delicious. The half chicken and the omelette were also good. But the onion soup was a little disappointing. We quite enjoyed the meal.
Then we went to Centre Georges Pompidou, just to see the building. I liked it. We also passed by Forum des Halles. The whole area was beautiful.
Our next stop was Place de la Concorde. The ancient monument from Egypt, the 18th- century buildings and a modern ferris wheel together formed an interesting view. We walked on the famous "Avenue des Champs-Elysees". I thought the pink flags destroyed the beautiful of the avenue.
We rushed to Montmartre to meet Henry's friend. He lead us climbing up the hill and enjoying the beautiful city view. I could see Notre Dame. There are not many tall buildings. Paris residents think skyscrapers would destroy the beautiful skyline.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, its white exterior and domes is quite different from other cathedrals in Europe. It was built after France lost the Franco-Prussian War. Its construction symbolized the religious and national renewal. Then we walked at streets of Montmartre. Many artists were selling their works there. Many famous artists, such as Van Gogh and Picasso, left their footprints here. We walked through the Cafe where "Amelie" worked, and reached Moulin Rouge. We said goodbye to his friend and had dinner at Quick, the local fast food restaurant. Well, we prefer real French cuisine.
We went to Trocadero station. There you could enjoy the full view of Eiffel Tower. It had light show every hour. Bright blue moon made the scene more beautiful and special. It was really romantic to enjoy the most famous night view in the world. The experience could be better if it was not so cold.
Jan-02-10
Musee de Louvre-- a place must visit in Paris. We entered it from the Pyramid. After purchasing tickets, I made a plan to "conquer" most of "must-sees" in our limited time. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo, and Mona Lisa(always crowded) are three most important collections. There are also famous many paintings. If we consider the value of collections, I believe Louvre is much higher than British Museum. Of course we did not see all collections in one day. I will be back one day.
We went to Place de la Bastille after leaving Louvre. Bastille, where the French evolution began, was famous of its history.
We had a bad experience at La Fayette. The fried rice of its Chinese restaurant was not good. After having several good meals in Paris, the feeling was really bad. I also did not find many attractive gourmet in its supermarket. And it closed early so I did not have time shopping. The only attractive thing in it was the tall Christmas tree.
Arc de Triomphe, the famous landmark, was beautiful during the night. So was Avenue Champs-Elysees. We bought Macrons in a store nearby. In my opinion, they were more delicious than those I tried in Taiwan.
Jan-03-10
We had buffet breakfast in the hotel. We thought it didn't worth 5 euro. They we directly headed to Orly airport. We needed to take RER first and then transferred to OrlyVal, an automatic metro service between the airport and RER station. We had a very good lunch there. I ordered duck leg, really good. Henry tried row beef. He thought it's good. Although I like steak, but raw beef, not my dish. Not only the dishes were good, the view as well. We sat next to window so we could enjoy the view. I used last few minutes buying a Longchamp bag. It is indeed cheaper in France.
Then we said goodbye to Paris, flying to our next destination--Barcelona.
Paris has too much to see, to visit, to experience. I believe I will go there again.
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