I Love Paris

We had a VERY WINDY week here in Southern California; power outages, bad wireless  connectivity, fallen trees, and destroyed roofs, sunny California looked more like a Hurricane state which is why I delayed my blog a couple of days, 1000 apologies.

In any case, I will continue where I last left of, Europe, and the entries for the next couple of weeks will be about Paris!

“I love Paris in the spring time, I love Paris in the fall, I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles, I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles,” those are the lyrics of one of my favorite songs by the one and only, Frank Sinatra, and how right those words are; everyday of the year, Paris has a charm that no other city in the world has. In the December 2011 issue of National Geographic, I found a small, yet interesting article about the most influential cities in the world; Paris ranked number four with its many cultural attractions and global organizations, high business activity, low level of censorship, and foreign-diversity. Paris is the city of fashion, romance, good food, art, and live entertainment and it is perhaps for these reasons that this beautiful city can be quite pricey. However, if you stay away from the expensive stores at Champs Elysees and opt for walking instead of riding the metro, then Paris can be easy on the pocket.

The city of Paris has one of the best public transportation systems in the world, but also one of the most expensive; last time I was there a week metro- pass was over € 50.00 which is why I recommend walking. To be able to walk around you need to book a hotel of hostel in the heart of Paris; although hostels are more expensive in the center of the city, you will definitely save more money than by staying in a cheap lodge in the middle of nowhere. Now, if walking it’s definitely not in your plans, then check out the Paris Metro and the Paris Pass site, where you can find attraction + metro packages that will save you some bucks.

Now, since there are so many tourists destinations in Paris, make sure to do some research about the places you want to see; The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Jardin du Luxemburg, Musée du Louvre, Place de la Concorde, Place de la Bastille, Panthéon, Les Invalides, Centre Pompidou, Notre-Dame, The Latin Quarter, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, the list is infinite so try to have a set-up mind before arriving in Paris, because believe me, a couple of weeks won’t be enough to see it all.

Now, here is how I kind of managed my time while in Paris. Since me and my friend were staying at a friend’s house we would make a sandwich every morning in her kitchen before heading out to our respective destinations. My day #1 journey started at St. Michel Notre-Dame. After exploring the cathedral, I would head to the Jardin de Tuileries via the River Seine, check out the Place de la Concorde, walk the Avenue des Champs Elysees until  arriving to the Arc de Triomphe where I would sit to eat half of my delicious sandwich before starting for the Eiffel Tower through the beautiful, and very Parisian, Avenue Kleber. By the time I arrived at the Eiffel Tower 5 hours had passed since the start of my journey so I took a little nap in the Parc du Champ de Mars. After waking up I would head out to Les Invalides, and from there my final destination was Jardin du Luxemburg where a free concert, and the other half of my sandwich, would usually be waiting for me. Thank God I love walking and exercising otherwise there is no way I would have been able to walk over 9 hours in a day! By doing all this walk I discovered many things I wasn’t even planning on visiting like Jardin du Luxemburg and Les Invalides; also, the neighborhoods around the Eiffel Tower are beautiful and completely empty of tourists which was a nice break from the crowds and the excessive noise.

Walks like this one make you discover a city in a whole new way, all you need is a map, lots of water, snacks, and a good physical condition, believe me, you will end up knowing more about the city than the majority of tourists. During this first walk I did not go inside any buildings or attractions (with the exception of Notre-Dame). The walk was just to have an idea of the places where I wanted to spend a little more time at, which will be the topic of my next blog.

P.D. Next time I will be writing from Mexico, not known for its good wireless connectivity, so posting might take a little longer than usual, but do not fret, rain or shine the blog will come so please be patient, I will try my best.