The Magic that is Paris

If you guys follow me on Instagram you obviously know that I just came back from an epic trip to Europe. It was a long-due visit to my brother in Netherlands; along with trips to the neighboring countries. We traveled to our hearts content, experienced unimaginable things, ate without guilt and came back with memories that will last us a lifetime.

I obviously have to blog about my memorable trip so here I am. I will be dividing the series of blogs based on the countries we visited and give out as much information as possible. Also, I will be adding a few extra posts just to give you ample info if you plan to visit in future. All the posts will be under section 'Travel Tales'.

I will begin my first series with the first place we visited, PARIS.
This city left me with mixed feelings. As much as I loved it, I have to say I hated it too. I hated the fact that it was too crowded and touristy, too expensive, people were too rude, etc. However, the architecture, the history, the way the city lights up at night and the Quatrro Formaggi Pizza we had, made up for it.

We were in Paris for 3 nights 4 days and it was more than enough to cover the iconic places. We traveled via Thalys from Rotterdam, which was quite an experience in itself and highly recommend it.

Day 1: The day we reached we had booked a walking tour in the afternoon with Sandeman's Tours. You can book a tour free of charge and pay only if you are satisfied. The tour lasted for 2.5 hours and we really liked it as it was a great way to get introduced to a new city. It was super-duper tiring, but an excellent way to start the trip. The guide showed us Notre Dame, Louvre, Tuileries Garden, Love-Lock Bridge, etc and gave us all the vital info.
The best piece of info he gave was you that you can pick any French wine and its going to be great irrespective of price range and brand. So, that is exactly what we did. We ended our tiring Day 1 with a bottle of Rosé.

Saint Michel Fountain P.S: I am looking so touristy here..

River Seine

Louvre

Jardin des Tuileries

Day 2: We stepped out on day 2 to explore on our own. We decided to cover Notre Dame, Louvre and Eiffel. While its just three places but they are in 3 different directions and the amount of walking you need to do is insane. We easily walked good 10kms by the end of it.
I simply can't put in words how beautiful Notre Dame was. We spent an hour completely lost at the intricacies of the outer facade and at the end of it it surely made sense as to why it took 200 years to build that structure. It was something!
Louvre was on the other hand overwhelming. We couldn't fathom the fact that some of the worlds greatest pieces were displayed here. Obviously, we saw the disappointing Mona Lisa which was quickly compensated by the stunning Red Room, which had some of the classics of French era on display. The feeling was beyond words. Lastly, we ended the day with Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, it was really disappointing after the wonders we visited earlier. So not worth the hype. The place was shut so we couldn't even go to the viewing deck above.

Inside Notre Dame

On our way to Monalisa

spot MONALISA

Just to give you an idea how huge it is. Img courtesy: Sex Drugs and Jigsaw Puzzles

Day 3: We had reserved this day for Versailles but, had to skip it. We were so so so so so tired from Day 2 that had to skip it as it was really far and we just couldn't get ourselves to travel so much. Also, I had to visit Champs Elysees and Arc de Triomphe and I am so glad I did. Arc de Triomple is my 2nd fav structure after Notre Dame. Frankly, it doesn't look much from the pics, but once you stand next to it, the grandeur of it all leaves you speechless. Post admiring this beauty we walked towards Champs Elysees, the iconic fashion street, which is pretty Americanized I must say.










This quickly sums up our itinerary. Now, for some extra information:

Where we stayed: Hotel Brittany which was right next to Notre Du Lorette metro station. It has the smallest lift ever; I am serious, super claustrophobic.
How we traveled in Paris: We used the super awesome and mindbogglingly comprehensive metro network. Once we got the hang of the metro map, we were experts. We never took the day pass as wanted to use only the metro and buying tickets was more sensible. If you have anymore questions, email me, I shall help you out.
Not to miss: French wine, Baguette, pizza and Cheese and definitely step out at night (even though the sunset happens post 10 or 11 p.m.), its mesmerizing. The whole of Paris lights up in golden hue and it is definitely a sight to behold.

The Best Pizza Ever and I am not even a Pizza person

This pretty much sums up our trip to Paris and we were more than happy that everything happened smoothly. Our first day was quite disappointing but, second day onwards it was really great as we got used to the city and its people. We surely learnt one thing from this trip is to let a place work its magic on you before you create an impression and I have to say Paris definitely left its mark.

Watch out for Travel Tales for more posts related to our trip to Europe.