My Date with Paris
It is the land where perfume is created. The land where wine is consumed like water. It is the land where graffiti covers every walls visible in the cities and subways for the sheer celebration of art. It could also be the land where the word "I Love You" or "Je t'aime" (in French) is created. Five years ago, I was promised a honeymoon to Paris. Fast forward five years later and I found mysel standing on this land only that not with my fiance but here due to work, which makes it better as it is an all-expense paid trip with a nice comfy hotel to boot.
When you watch movies like "Before Sunset", "Before Sunrise" (both starring Julie Delphy and Ethan Hawke), "French Kiss" (starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline) and "Two Days in Paris" (starring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg) where all the movies were filmed in location of Paris overlooking the Eiffel Tower and River Siene, you will always think, nah, the place looks only that nice as it was filmed that way. Boy, was I wrong! Paris actually looked exactly like how it was filmed! Impeccable and artistic. The ambience creates an aura of romance, where one can easily fall in love with a stranger after only seconds of meeting, as it was potrayed in countless movies filmed here.
As I walked along the clear crisp autumn air, smell of freshly baked croissants and baguettes filled with cheese insinuated into my nostrils. This spells my first encounter with the original French baguette with choices of ham, cheese, chicken, tomato, tuna and lettucve in the original country that created it. The crispy freshly toasted baguette blended well with its fresh fillings. Also enticing is the tasty crepes filled with nutella, carael, banana and many other flavors.
If you only have one monument to see, you will want to choose Eiffel Tower. The most famous icon in Paris built in 1889 illuminates with a glowing blue light come night time. Every 15-30 minutes, there are sparkling lights that twinkles all around the tower. Stepping onto the podium that overlooks the tower, I was in awe when I set my eyes on the magnificent 325 meter of a tower. Right under the tower where a dinner cruise passed by, I witnessed a proposal where one of the male diner pulled out a ring from his jacket, creating tears of joy in her eyes followed by passionate kisses. It was one of the best moments for a proposal.
The churches in Paris was one of the most magnificent structures in the world. Every pillars have a sculpture on top of them, each and every one so intricately made. In the Lourve, the paintings of Mona Lisa was not the one that captivated me. It was the painting opposite mona Lisa that beguilled us. It potrayed a commotion of people enjoying wine and chatting bewildingly and if you notice carefully, you might almost miss the picture of 2 men sitting in the middle in pure serenity with halos on their head, so at peace in the midst of all the hive and buzz of the people surrounding.
On the last day I was in Paris, I took the privilege to jog along the River Siene in the cold 12 degree Celcius weather where the views of Notre Dame Church, Palais Royale and Eiffel Tower can be seen. The structures were incredibly built with its immense size and intricate details boggling the minds of normal human beings. Walking along the Lourve at night, I saw little passageways and staircases at the basement of the house, piqueing my curiosity of what the passageways are used for. Hmmmm, time to read Da Vinci code?
For those seeking a more commercial satisfaction, there are 2 or more places to go: Champs-Elysees for those who wants to get a fix of the latest brands in the world from the all encapsulating Louis Vutton to the posh shops of Gucci, Prada, Dior and Chanel that resides along that road that spells opulence with a capital 'O'. It was a street dripping of gold and people paying gold just to get a hand on the latest designer labels. Another location is MontMarte which is more humble and down-to-earth with little outlets selling souvenir, clothes and fresh fruits along the cobblestoned streets. On the top pf Champs-Elysees lies the Arc de Triomphe, an arc that honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought.I was dumb-founded to know that the whole arc was a hiding place for the soldiers during the wars.
As I jogged along the Siene River on the last day of my trip, I can't help but feel wistful that I will leave a place that boosts romance and class, where modernization did not seem to have affected the country one bit. I left "Before Sunset" but hope to come back to see it "Before Sunrise" again.
When you watch movies like "Before Sunset", "Before Sunrise" (both starring Julie Delphy and Ethan Hawke), "French Kiss" (starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline) and "Two Days in Paris" (starring Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg) where all the movies were filmed in location of Paris overlooking the Eiffel Tower and River Siene, you will always think, nah, the place looks only that nice as it was filmed that way. Boy, was I wrong! Paris actually looked exactly like how it was filmed! Impeccable and artistic. The ambience creates an aura of romance, where one can easily fall in love with a stranger after only seconds of meeting, as it was potrayed in countless movies filmed here.
As I walked along the clear crisp autumn air, smell of freshly baked croissants and baguettes filled with cheese insinuated into my nostrils. This spells my first encounter with the original French baguette with choices of ham, cheese, chicken, tomato, tuna and lettucve in the original country that created it. The crispy freshly toasted baguette blended well with its fresh fillings. Also enticing is the tasty crepes filled with nutella, carael, banana and many other flavors.
If you only have one monument to see, you will want to choose Eiffel Tower. The most famous icon in Paris built in 1889 illuminates with a glowing blue light come night time. Every 15-30 minutes, there are sparkling lights that twinkles all around the tower. Stepping onto the podium that overlooks the tower, I was in awe when I set my eyes on the magnificent 325 meter of a tower. Right under the tower where a dinner cruise passed by, I witnessed a proposal where one of the male diner pulled out a ring from his jacket, creating tears of joy in her eyes followed by passionate kisses. It was one of the best moments for a proposal.
The churches in Paris was one of the most magnificent structures in the world. Every pillars have a sculpture on top of them, each and every one so intricately made. In the Lourve, the paintings of Mona Lisa was not the one that captivated me. It was the painting opposite mona Lisa that beguilled us. It potrayed a commotion of people enjoying wine and chatting bewildingly and if you notice carefully, you might almost miss the picture of 2 men sitting in the middle in pure serenity with halos on their head, so at peace in the midst of all the hive and buzz of the people surrounding.
On the last day I was in Paris, I took the privilege to jog along the River Siene in the cold 12 degree Celcius weather where the views of Notre Dame Church, Palais Royale and Eiffel Tower can be seen. The structures were incredibly built with its immense size and intricate details boggling the minds of normal human beings. Walking along the Lourve at night, I saw little passageways and staircases at the basement of the house, piqueing my curiosity of what the passageways are used for. Hmmmm, time to read Da Vinci code?
For those seeking a more commercial satisfaction, there are 2 or more places to go: Champs-Elysees for those who wants to get a fix of the latest brands in the world from the all encapsulating Louis Vutton to the posh shops of Gucci, Prada, Dior and Chanel that resides along that road that spells opulence with a capital 'O'. It was a street dripping of gold and people paying gold just to get a hand on the latest designer labels. Another location is MontMarte which is more humble and down-to-earth with little outlets selling souvenir, clothes and fresh fruits along the cobblestoned streets. On the top pf Champs-Elysees lies the Arc de Triomphe, an arc that honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought.I was dumb-founded to know that the whole arc was a hiding place for the soldiers during the wars.
As I jogged along the Siene River on the last day of my trip, I can't help but feel wistful that I will leave a place that boosts romance and class, where modernization did not seem to have affected the country one bit. I left "Before Sunset" but hope to come back to see it "Before Sunrise" again.
posted by princessE @ 6:00 PM
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