You remember that
song "I love Paris" from Ella Fitzgerald? The line where she sings:
"I love Paris in the springtime, when it drizzles....."? Well,
springtime in Paris can be like that, but it hasn't to be that way. When we - my
friend Peter and myself that is (he was the only one who had the time and the
money to make the trip) - got to Paris via train from Cologne - with that new
"Thalys"-highspeed-train, which makes
about 300 kph (180 mph) - the sun was shining with temperatures of 15°C. We
were to spent 3 days in the french capital, so made sure to get one of those
3-day public transportation tickets for FF 120, which really is the cheapest way
to get you around town, apart from walking, of course. When coming from Cologne
via Bruxelles you arrive at the Gare du Nord, so we had to take the Metro - the
local subway - towards Place de Clichy and walk the short way to our hotel, the
Holiday Inn Montmartre. It is located a mere 10 minutes walking distance from
Sacre Coeur and the real Montmartre. We arrived before noon, so we soon took off
for Sacre Coeur and our first sight upon the city of Paris. Our hike took us
south past the Madeleine, a church looking more like an antique temple than like
what it really is, towards Place de la Concorde. Aside the ferris-wheel turning
at the western exit of the Tuileries we had a little recreational break before
making our way towards the Musee du Louvre with the popular glass pyramid. Due
to the lack of time we couldn't visit the museum, but that's already on the
"ToDo"-list for my next visit. When we went back to the Place de la
Concorde to walk up the Avenue de Champs Elysees towards L'Arc de Triomphe dusk
began to settle on the "City of Love". The sun had set completely when
we reached the big arch, and for FF 25 we took upon us the 284 steps to the top
of the arch, built under Emperor Napoleon from 1806-36. And Paris looks even
better after nightfall. From up there you have a splendid view down the Champs
Elysees, and of course towards the Tour Eiffel. We called it a day after that to
be in shape for the next day.
®
about 300 kph (180 mph) - the sun was shining with temperatures of 15°C. We
were to spent 3 days in the french capital, so made sure to get one of those
3-day public transportation tickets for FF 120, which really is the cheapest way
to get you around town, apart from walking, of course. When coming from Cologne
via Bruxelles you arrive at the Gare du Nord, so we had to take the Metro - the
local subway - towards Place de Clichy and walk the short way to our hotel, the
Holiday Inn Montmartre. It is located a mere 10 minutes walking distance from
Sacre Coeur and the real Montmartre. We arrived before noon, so we soon took off
for Sacre Coeur and our first sight upon the city of Paris. Our hike took us
south past the Madeleine, a church looking more like an antique temple than like
what it really is, towards Place de la Concorde. Aside the ferris-wheel turning
at the western exit of the Tuileries we had a little recreational break before
making our way towards the Musee du Louvre with the popular glass pyramid. Due
to the lack of time we couldn't visit the museum, but that's already on the
"ToDo"-list for my next visit. When we went back to the Place de la
Concorde to walk up the Avenue de Champs Elysees towards L'Arc de Triomphe dusk
began to settle on the "City of Love". The sun had set completely when
we reached the big arch, and for FF 25 we took upon us the 284 steps to the top
of the arch, built under Emperor Napoleon from 1806-36. And Paris looks even
better after nightfall. From up there you have a splendid view down the Champs
Elysees, and of course towards the Tour Eiffel. We called it a day after that to
be in shape for the 
