Venice to Paris

Tuesday August 29

After waiting hours in the Venice airport we flew to Paris, arriving around 10.30 and leaving the airport with bags at about eleven. We rushed to the shuttle bus ticket queue and got on the bus as quickly as possible, around 11.15. The airport was around 80km from the city centre, so a little over an hour later we were in Paris and racing the clock to catch the last metro train to the hostel. We rushed to the nearest metro and descended the stairs only to find a long queue for tickets. An American girl approached and asked if we were headed for Pigalle. We we staying in the area so I said "yeah, around there". We tried to work out how we were going to get there by the metro map before giving up entirely and deciding a taxi was a better option. I asked the Californian girl if she and her friend were keen to catch a cab with us and there we were a few minutes later, four freshly-arrived foreigners in the middle of the night in Paris trying our best French with a taxi driver whose jaw remained ajar at the shock of the idea of four people and six bags being stacked into his car. All turned out well and we arrived at the hostel before the 2am curfew without having broken the budget. Phew.

Welcome to Paris!

Wednesday August 30

After a late night, some restless sleep and being woken early by the hair-drying and tooth-scrubbing habits of a pair (or was it a dozen) of very VERY image conscious Cantonese guys we decided to take it easy on day one and then did the opposite. We started out with a morning walk in the sunshine on Montmatre, the vicinity of the hostel, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Then we walked back down the hill and into the city centre, via the Opera house, ultimately ending up at Place de Concorde and the Seine. After a walk through the gardens to the Louvre, we made for the hostel, stopping for lunch along the way, where we
caught up on internet necessities. In the evening we made an even longer walk after a dinner of Chinese back to the Louvre and from there to the Arc de Triumph, taking in picturesque Paris by night along the way. We then made for le Tour Eiffel with the metro where we took plenty of
photos before heading back for some much needed sleep.

First impressions of Paris for me were positive. Montmatre and the Sacred Heart Cathedral were a great start to Paris, with tight winding lanes, good views and quaint shops. However, after the days walking I was confused about the origins of the rumour that Paris is romantic. I
found the broad boulevards and cafés give the city quite a relaxed feel, but not romantic... Paris by night is something else again - let's just say that (like Venice) when you're separated from your "significant other" (thanks facebook) by the Atlantic Ocean, Paris by night is not the ideal place to be.

And for the people... despite a seemingly grumpy taxi driver on arrival, Parisians have contrary to their reputation, been nothing but friendly and helpful since I've been here, a nice change from Italy, and even the taxi driver warmed up to us by the end, attempting jokes and small talk in what little English he could speak.

Thursday August 31

Well, two of the worlds most famous sights are not to be taken lightly and this day was spent visiting them... can you guess??

In the morning we'd planned to beat the crowds to the Eiffel Tower. In terms of beating, nothing happened on that score as we weren't there until late morning, however the crowds were negligible and we walked right up to the gate to climb the stairs. The views from the first and
second platforms were exceptional, and while the view from the top was also excellent it is so far from the ground that it was more surreal.

Tired after climbing many stairs, we lay on the grass in the sun looking up at the tower and tucking away a well deserved, but not cheap, lunch.

After a rest we gather up our energy and headed for the Louvre where we spent a few hours. Apparently there's a couple of famous artworks there, one's a painting of this lady who looks at you walk past by some Italian guy. Another is a sculpture with no arms... something about a planet or something.

Friday September 1

Well, summer is over, but Autumn is definitely here. The days are sunny but cool and the leaves are browning.

Today saw us walking the path of the Revolutionaries in 1789 from le Hotel de Invalides to the Place de la Bastille, only we had significantly fewer weapons, caused significantly less bloodshed and made a few touristy stopovers along the way. They were Notre Dame and the Pantheon. Notre Dame is amazing, and together with Montmatre would have to be one of the highlights of Paris. I went into the cathedral for a look around and a prayer, then after lunch climbed the tower taking in gargoyles, city views and bells made famous by Victor Hugo and a man
with a hump on his back.