Paris, Second Time Around
The time had finally come to revisit Paris, many years after my first encounter. My memories of Paris are somewhat tainted, having been dragged by foot to all the attractions over an extremely long day. In my opinion, walking is the best way to explore a city but the size of Paris makes this difficult to do so comfortably in one day. So this time around was a chance to explore Paris at a more relaxed pace as we had the luxury of two nights in the city.
Arriving into the Gare du Nord, we made a quick change onto the Paris metro system and headed towards the St Germain district. This area is bustling with cafés, patisseries, restaurants and designer shops making it the perfect stop for lunch. After lunch, we decided to take in the sights of Paris enjoying the weather along the river Seine. From the Notre Dame cathedral, we ambled towards the Louvre. The most distinguishable pyramid in Europe was initially the source of much controversy for the French, arguably clashing with the Renaissance building of the Palais du Louvre. Both now combine as iconic pieces of architecture and are really worth visiting in the evening to see both illuminated.
From the Louvre, we walked to the Tuileries gardens which are in my opinion one of the most beautiful places to spend a sunny afternoon. The gardens have an unbelievable symmetry with statues and trees in lines close to military perfection. We crossed the river onto the Left Bank to the Musée d’Orsay. Paris is full of culture and history, with so many galleries and museums at your disposal. The Musée d’Orsay is home to the largest collection of Impressionist art in the world. Also, the building it is housed in was formally a train station at the turn of the 19th century and has a truly breathtaking interior. If you have enough energy left, then from here you can walk down towards Eiffel Tower, standing proud over Paris. We decided to save our legs and hop on the metro. Close up, the Eiffel Tower towers over you and makes it hard to squeeze the whole thing into a picture. The buzz of excited tourists filled the air at the foot of the Tower with vendors selling trinkets and T-shirts. After a hard day of sightseeing, we decided to enjoy some fantastic Parisian cuisine. With a huge wealth of restaurants, choosing one to eat in is probably one of the hardest decisions you will have to make in Paris. To find a real gem, don’t be frightened to get lost in backstreets away from the touristy areas. On the second day, we enjoyed Paris at a much slower pace. We browsed the shops and enjoyed the architecture of the Montmartre district, famous for its artistic residents. From here, there is a hilltop view of Paris which makes for a truly outstanding place for lunch. At the end of the second day we headed for the Eurostar, and I was content with the fact that I had seen Paris in its true colours this time.
