18 Jun 2011 - Paris, France (1 day 1 night)

1 day 1 night in Paris,
believe it or not?












P/S: It was a rush trip. Business trip cum super speed sightseeing. No time for reading/get-to-know the places before flying. You know what, I simply stopped by and enjoy, sometimes (or most of the time) without knowing what-the-hell I'm staring at / visiting to! So, this post is a way for me put pieces together.

Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 6PM. Rushed out from Quintiq office, took taxi to train station and boarded train to Amstel to catch 10PM Eurolines bus to Paris!

Gallienie, Paris

Saturday, 18 Jun 2011, 6AM. Reached the bus stop at Gallienie. From there, we took metro to Trocadero, then walk to Eiffel Tower. Thanks for the tips I found on the net. The scenic walk was wonderful.



Tips: Take line 3 to République (6 stops away) and then line 9 in the direction of Pont de Sèvres as far as Trocadéro. The total trip time on the métro is 35 minutes.
At République, look for the sign that says "correspondance" and follow signs pointing you to métro 9 and make sure you take it in the right direction.

We met a Taiwanese guy, James, who traveled alone from Denmark on business trip just like us. He joined us visiting a few places there before we parted for hotel check-in.

P/S: The bus was really mediocre. The seat is small, not as nice and big as the bus I used to take back and forth KL-Spore. Can't really sleep well.

Eiffel Tower (aka Iron Lady)

"A puddle iron lattice tower, built between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle, a World's Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution."

That morning, we were the first group to arrived Eiffel Tower. Can't miss the golden chance. Waited for 2 hours, cold cold cold. The wind seemed to blow stronger under the tower! Gosh... Finally, we made it through as the first batch to the second level by lift for the day! Hurray!!!

Once I stepped my foot on the second level of the tower and looked around the marvelous view, then only I understand why it's called "City of Light". I'm sure the view would be fantastic at night! We planned to come here again to watch sunset :-)



Flea market in Paris

Walking away from the tower, we stopped by at an open air flea market. I guess it's this one: Saxe-Breteuil Market. Bought french-middle-east kebab for lunch. And enjoying nice sweet fresh cherries :-)



Arc de triomphe de L’Etoile

"The Arc de Triomphe (in English: "Triumphal Arch") honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I."



Walked. Stopped at Arc de Triomphe. Raining. Heavy rain. Gloomy day. I looked up on the sky and mesmerized with the clouds moving so fast blown by the wind. It reminded me of what Yosia, my colleague, told me the other day, the clouds in Paris is very light! Hahahhaa....true indeed. Smiled. Then, started walking to Avenue des Champs Elysees once the rain stopped.

Avenue des Champs Elysees



This street definitely for the famous and glams. Not me. Branded handbags, shoes, apparels and you-name-it. Shop till you drop. I bought n o t h i n g.

Place du Pantheon (Paris Law Faculty)

"One of the four faculties of the old University of Paris."

I managed to grab Paris t-shirts from nearby souvenir store for my family members :-)

Cathedrale Notre Dame (aka Lady of Paris)

"Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic, Catholic cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris. It is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe, and the naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture."

Quick stop here.

Musee du Louvre (Louvre Museum)

"One of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is in there!"

One of my favorite stop. Love the water pool surrounding the glass pyramid. Simply awesome. Didn't manage to enter the museum, closed, late afternoon. But, managed to enter the glass pyramid and wandering around at the lounge.



Place de la Concorde



"Place de la Concorde, is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. In fact, in terms of area, its 8.64 hectares (21.35 acres) make it the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées."

Luxor Obelisk

"Luxor Obelisk is a 23 metres (75 ft) high Egyptian obelisk standing at the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. It was originally located at the entrance to the Luxor Temple, in Egypt."

Luxembourg Garden

"Luxembourg Gardens, is the second largest public park in Paris (224,500 m² (22.5 hectares) located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. The park is the garden of the French Senate, which is itself housed in the Luxembourg Palace."

On the way walking back to Eiffel Tower for sunset, we stopped by at a huge, super nice garden, the Luxembourg Garden. I simply enjoyed sitting by the water pool watching ducks paddling around. And of course, a break for my painful foot!