|
Days Day 00: Changi Day 01: Paris Day 02: Paris Day 03: Paris Day 04: Berlin Day 05: Berlin Day 06: Munich, Füssen Day 07: Salzburg Day 08: Vienna Day 09: Vienna Day 10: Florence Day 11: Cinque Terre Day 12: Pisa, Rome Day 13: Rome Day 14: Pompeii Day 15: Vatican City Day 16: Barcelona Day 17: Barcelona Day 18: Granada Day 19: Seville Day 20: Seville Day 21: London Day 22: London Day 23: London Day 23: Liverpool Day 23: Manchester Day 23: Outside London Day 24: London |
Day 01: Paris Thursday, 20th March 2008
Arrival in Paris was delayed as a result of the late departure, but that only meant we had to wait a shorter time for Chun Yang’s flight from London. Collecting baggage was a breeze, aside from that ever lingering fear of the misfortune of lost baggage. No one fell victim this time. Whilst awaiting our friend, we proceeded to the Tourist Information counter to purchase our museum pass. Mustering all the French he knew (mainly only “bonjour”), Daryl tried to buy the passes. Maybe it was the fact he was speaking English, or maybe it was the way he looked, all Daryl got in return were blank stares and quizzed looks. Frustrated, he got Hak Liang to try his luck. Amazingly, they spoke perfectly good English to him, and he bought the passes without any hiccups. Ah the French. Such strange folk! With the arrival of Chun Yang, we found our way to downtown Paris via the RER. Taking a train to the hostel  At the train station: the first of our many flights of steps we were going to climb during this trip.  Locating our hostel, we proceeded to check in, again, only to be greeted by the infamous French hospitality. Our friendly receptionist barely broke a smile, and demanded that we paid in smaller denominations (difficult considering we were in Europe a few hours only!). Nonetheless, we got our rooms despite the fact that it wasn’t check in time yet. The cosy room comprised 3 bunk beds, and… nothing else. Barely any space left in the tiny room. The shower was less than one square metre. But as budget travelers, who’s complaining! Inside the hostel room  On our way to the Louvre  First stop, the famous Lourve museum. Renowned in its own right as the world’s most extensive and massive museum (it is said that if you spend 3 seconds in front of each artifact, it would take you 3 years to complete the collection), and made famous recently by Dan Brown’s best selling novel, this was a must see sight in Paris. Highlights in this colossus of a museum includes the following: La Venus de Milo  Leonardo da Vinci's Madonna of the Rocks  Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa  Inside the Louvre  Of course, today a famous sight in itself, we had to take a look at I.M. Pei’s controversial grand pyramid entrance to the Lourve. Good stuff! And a good break from the stuffiness inside the museum as well.  Our very own Charlie's Angels  It was not long though, the jet lag and the repetitiveness of the museum’s collection began to consume us, and it was time to leave. Without completing the museum of course. After all, how many can?  Any city is a joy to see after dark. So how better to spend the night than to take the river cruise? After a fast food dinner, we proceeded to Pont Neuf (translates to new bridge, oh the irony, I know!), the oldest standing bridge in Paris for our river cruise. And it was a no-brainer, we HAD to sit on the open air top deck! Oh the lights and sights of La Ville lumière were beautiful.  But, none of us anticipated that sitting in the open air on a boat cruising down the river at top speed in near zero temperatures was going to be a problem. We were freezing up there, and some of us started to regret not packing any gloves, scarves or beanies!   The night ended with a long walk back to the Lourve to take some night shots of the Pyramid, and in the frigid cold rain as well! Were the pictures it worth it? Maybe not, considering we had to walk half a kilometre back to the nearest open metro station. See for yourself… 
|
All Intellectual Material © 2008