Bonjour!

Last day of sight seeing at Paris! By now we got the feeling that we are very much part of this wonderful city. Lets visit Notre Dame Cathedral, located in island Ile de la Cite, near River Seine. Construction of this amazing architectural masterpiece began approximately around 1163. As per history, this gorgeous cathedral has witnessed glorious moments like crowning of Henry VI of England & crowning of great Napoleon as emperor right inside the cathedral.  As expected….. people people everywhere!

Well, this time the lines/queues were only to get entry inside the Cathedral…. No tickets…Entry inside the Cathedral is absolutely free.

Finally we made it inside the Church….. We were awestruck by interiors….amazing architecture, beautiful paintings, tainted glasses and the resulting light effect! Absolute treat for eyes, soul & of course… how can we forget CAMERA! Apart from the beauty of Church one thing I was amazed was the peace and discipline maintained inside. Despite of pouring tourists, there was enough peace and silence for the devotees who were there to offer prayers. You will need more than an hour to see everything… more than 2 hours if you want to get more details. Here are few pictures :

The queue to visit the towers begins at the base of North Tower. We joined in the queue to get tickets for climbing the towers. The queue, as usual long…….. but it moves in blocks… as group of approximately 20 tourists is allowed to climb up at a time. There are a few cafes just across the street.  There is a very famous cup cake shop Bertie’s Cupcakery…. Just few meters away….. while waiting to get in… we treated ourselves with amaizing, fresh, soft cupcakes from this shop. It was absolute delight for toungh & tummy J

Finally we reached the ticket counter…. purchased tickets and started climing. There was a spiral staircase for more than 350 steps which led up on the tower….. stairs getting narrow, close as you approach the top. Once we reached on viewing deck… we felt all effort was really worth. Viewing deck offers some amazing photogenic views of the City. A few more steps from this observation deck will lead on top… for some amazing panaromic views of the city.

We headed towards the very well known museum…. Louvre Museum….. The museum is housed inside the Louvre Palace. There is so much to see…. Typically a person like me…. Who appreciates art needs atleast 2 full days to cover this entire museum…..A person who understands will need even more days…. we strolled around a bit around the place and the famouse Louvre Pyramid, which serves as entrance to the museum. We said goodbye to this place… with a promise …. Hey will be back some day!

We headed towards Musee d’Orsay… few steps away from The Louvre Museum.  It is housed in former Gare d’Orsay – railway station. The museum houses art including paintings, sculptures, furniture & photos. Awe amazing work by some very talented artists like Van Gogh, Gauguin, Edouard Vuillard, Pierre Seurat… and the list is endless. We took exit at the closing time. Hopped in the metro.. nd back to temporary home @ Paris!

In nutshell :

Entry in Notre dame Cathedral is free. However tickets to be purchased to climb top of towers.

Views from top of tower are breathtaking….. think before giving a skip.

Lines @ Louvre were too long and a lot has to be explored inside the museum. Ensure you have enough time.

Musee d’Orsay was truly a gem!

Be careful with your belongings, as all these places were crowded.

Can consider tasting cupcakes @ Bertie’s cupcakery!

For now lets pack up and be ready for travel to another city!

Day 2 @ Paris…. visit to Palace of Versailles!

A brand new day! After a day’s sightseeing the tone and expectations for day 2 were set. We started towards Issy Val de seine rer c station, which was approx 1.5 kms walk from the place we stayed. The plan was to spend a day @ Château de Versailles, just outside Paris. After getting tickets we hopped in the train towards Palace of Versailles.

Palace of Versailles is at walkable distance from the station… so we just got down and started towards the palace… thanks to offline map …. Well following the crowd too will lead you at the Palace for sure :D.

As expected there was a long queue :D….. But when you compare the time required to get ticket with this gorgeous, mighty, beautiful Palace…. It’s worth it! After getting tickets we were directed towards security check. They don’t allow back packs or food, though few exceptions for small babies.

As per the information collected, this Château was a hunting lodge in brick and stone which was expanded to a royal palace by King Louis XIV. Main attractions to cover in a day: The Palace, The Garden, The Grand Trianon, & Marie Antoinette’s Estate.

We started exploring the palace…… Enormous paintings, lavish and artistic furniture, huge carved beds…. Each room with unique theme! Lets have a pictorial journey through the palace.

Royal Chapel designed after the Sainte – Chapelle.

The Treaty of Versailles, which officially brought the first world war to an end, was singed in Hall of Mirrors.

Aha finally… loaded with a lot of information & amazed by the interiors of Palace, we proceeded towards the Gardens of Versailles. Although the day was sunny, it was accompanied with chilled cold wind…… Before proceeding towards the gardens, we decided to grab a quick bite….we quenched our hunger with soft, fresh & yummy muffins :)…. Well yeah… all set to explore The Jardins (that’s the word used to refer to Gardens)!

People, you will need more time to explore Gardens then required to explore the Palace!

We were bedazzled as we stepped in The Gardens of Versailles, landscaped in classic French style. Artistic fountains, Sculptures, parterres of flowers, meticulously manicured lawns & spectacular views are spread all across the gardens.

There were couple of restaurants, coffee shops & small counter of freshly pressed orange juice around the corner. After savoring the taste of Éclairs  @ a restaurant, we proceeded to explore The Trianon’s Palace & The Queen’s Hamlet. This area was a retreat of Queen Marie Antoinette, where she can catch up with the pleasures of simple, rural pursuits, away from burdens of courtly life. Few clicks :

With bunch full of memories of day spent @ Versailles, we took exit from this wonderful fairyland (Indeed!) after 6 PM.

In Nut Shell :

Ensure to reach this place around 9 AM, one full day is required to explore the place.

People please wear walking shoes…..lots nd lots of walking!

You can rent golf carts / bicycle to explore the gardens and grounds.

There were few restaurants, coffee shops, orange juice (fresh pressed) counter for quick bite & sip.

Take a map of the Palace, will be very helpful.

Chilled winds everywhere! Carry one extra layer of clothing , cap, ear guard, scarf, gloves etc to beat cold, incase if visiting during winter.

Do taste Eclairs when in France!

That’s it for now! See you next week!

And the Journey Begins!

Hey there… welcome to my blog! The first chapter of my travel diary will take you through one of the very happening, romantic, historically rich city on this globe. So… fasten your seat beltz….JET…..SET……GO…..

We’ve landed at CDG Airport, Paris!

Paris……. City of Lights & Love…..With Eiffel standing tall, amazing museums & architecture, gorgeous palace of Versallies, stunning architecture of Notra dame cathedral, Arch De Triomphe, La Defence, serene La Seine….truly very beautiful city.

Landed  with questions and doubts in mind…. Will we be able to acquaint ourselves in this city…. Will we be able to get vegetarian food….will we be able to acquaint ourselves with Metro / Bus routes to explore tourist places in the city……Will the tourist places be worth a visit or it’s just a lot of hype…… Will the culture be amicable for travelers…..phew….the list was endless……

We stayed at a hotel in place Rene Clair, Boulogne-Billancourt. The studio apartment allocated to us was  adequately equipped and spacious. It was just around 7 PM…. So we decided to take a stroll around hotel to get idea about the area. There were several good coffee shops, pizzeria, bakery & Carrefour shop within almost 1 KM diameter …..After having delicious pizza & pasta from a restaurant around the corner we decided to call it a day & retired.

Brand new day started as we reached Champs Elysees ….

Stroll on street of Champs Elysees with my spouse and 5 year old cherub was indeed memorable … They say Paris is city of love…  yeah… its true…you get that “Romance In The Air” feeling while walking on streets of Champs Elysees ……There are many high end shops, luxury shops, theatres, cafes and restaurants.

Stroll on Champs Elysees ended @ Arc de Triomphe.

Arc De Triomphe – built to honor victories of Napoleon Bonaparte.  Do not try to casually cross the connecting road / traffic circle around Arch De Triomphe….. There is underground way to reach Arch de Triomphe…… There is observation desk on top of this macho ancient roman architecture monument.  A climb of more than 200 steps will lead you to some beautiful views of the city.

There are 2 amazing museums nearby, The Musée de l’Armée (Army Museum) located approx 3 kms from Arc De Triomphe & Palais de la Découverte Paris (Science Museum) approx 2+ kms from Arc De Triomphe. Each museum has its own permanent collection, exhibition & programs. If you like to collect presented information on the go, you might need at least 4 hours for each museum. We were running short of time and with a small chatter box with us, we landed @ Palais de la Découverte Paris (Science Museum), the choice we won’t regret at all…. Though we missed to visit The Musée de l’Armée (Army Museum)…. Maybe next time if time & pocket permits :D.

Palais de la Découverte Paris (Science Museum) houses exhibits of Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology, featuring interactive experiments, lectures, labs, superb planetarium. We spent couple of very productive and informative hours. The kid with us and the small kid somewhere within us enjoyed a lot. The museum has souvenir & coffee shops.

We walked a bit and took a bus towards Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower – a name & place which needs no introduction ….It was amazing experience to be near this mighty, gorgeous tower. We went to the ticket section for tickets to climb all the way up. Our spirits were shaken when we saw loooonnnnnggggg queue and equally loooonnnngggg queue to start climbing after getting tickets. Instead of admiring beauty of Paris from top of Eiffel Tower we opted to admire the beauty of Eiffel Tower from the grounds.  Lighting typically starts around Sun set, when the entire city and Eiffel are decorated with lights. After a while we decided to head towards yet another destination before calling it a day!

We stopped at Museum of Modern Art City of Paris. Entry is free (if I recollect correct, for permanent collection), but time bound….we reached almost after the usual closing time of the museum. But with offline maps, offline tourist apps and a partner with presence of mind… we found out that museum Palais de Tokyo was just few steps away. This museum houses collection & exhibition of contemporary art. Tribute to Takis and his use of magnetic forces was too good. Even our small kid enjoyed. This was a good place to wrap up our very busy informative and happening day in Paris.

In nutshell:

All the above mentioned places are typically crowded. So please be careful about your purse, wallet, belongings.

Ensure to keep photocopies and soft copies of your photo id proof, passport, visa, hotel stay confirmation etc.

In my opinion next best way to explore Paris is on foot after Metro / Rer/ Buses! Ensure to keep energy bars handy

There are many cafes, restaurants where vegetarians will get quite a few options to grab. Do try croissants with coffee.

Tickets for Army Museum, Palais de la Découverte Paris (Science Museum) & Eiffel Tower can be bought online from respective websites.

Offline Paris city map, offline Paris Metro route map are very handy and helpful.

Well….. Let’s call it a day then! Stay tuned for yet another action pack day in Paris !