Even though November is probably not the most ideal time to visit Paris, this is our first time in the City of Lights and it now has it's own place in our memories.
The city has so much to offer, on art and architecture. Just imagine if they had decided to tear down the Eiffel Tower after the World's Fair in 1889 was over. That would be unimaginable.
The structure can be seen for miles and is a great help to get your bearing when walking around. It's absolutely worth going up all the way to the top, so you can enjoy Paris from this very different perspective.
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| Arc de Triomphe |
If you get tired there is at lease two options. First, one could choose from one of hundreds of street cafés, sit and enjoy the Parisians go about their business. Or second, you could convince yourself and take the Metro, which at first, looks a little intimidating, but the trains are so easy to use, once you get the hang of it. Here, everyone takes the Metro, for work and in the evening for going out. We always felt save, even at late hours.
When walking in Paris, one should immediately recognize the unique architecture of the beautiful homes, were people actually live (must be quite expensive).
It's hard to have a favorite museum, be it the Louvre, the Musée de l'Orangerie or the Centre Pompidou, or the Musée d'Orsay.
The Louvre is a little overwhelming at first, because of its size with all the wings, rooms and corridors. It is fantastic what kind of art can be seen and one can easily overlook a painting from Leonardo Da Vinci that hangs on one of those walls in a long hallway. The wing that exhibits marble statues from Roman times was empty and it's quite an experience to look Julius Caesar in the eyes. We were lucky to also spend some time with Mona Lisa as the room was almost empty. I admit, that I expected the famous painting to be a lot bigger, but I was still impressed by the "aura". I recommend, visiting the Louvre multiple times, because it's huge.
Don't forget, that Paris can also be explored at night. After dinner, we took a walk down the Champs Élysées, where the Arc de Triomphe was illuminated.
A former railway station serves as a museum now, called Musée d'Orsay. A vast collection of impressionist is exhibited here in a wonderful building on the left bank of the river Seine.
Because it was a great and sunny day, we decided to go and check out the Notre Dame. The cathedral is impressive and its size is misleading until you get close and then you realize how immense the structure is and now many details are in places where nobody sees them.
We climbed the stairs to the bell tower and came across the gargoyles, which are all hand carved and different. They overlook the city and keep demons and evil spirits way.
One of the days, we took the train to see the Palace of Versailles, the favorite residence of French kings and the summer residence of Napoleon. The hall of mirrors defined the word "Opulence" perfectly. It is incomprehensible, how much gold, time and effort was invested in probably one of the most majestic palaces in the world.
We finished this vacation with a train ride from Paris to Zurich, Switzerland on the TGV (Train Grand Vitesse or high speed train). The speed was around 180 mph and it was especially impressive when two trains crossed.
