CITY OF ALL SORTS. Review on Paris

The capital city of Paris is one of the world's most famous attractions. And that is not just the only reason why the city draws so many people for repeated visits. There is more to it.

We planned a 3-day visit to Paris (as part of our small Europe trip). I personally didn't prefer flight travel, as I wanted to enjoy the journey as well....so the options left were travelling :

- through Eurostar rail network (submarine train) or

*- in a ferry-from Dover port in UK to Calais port in France.

*I did get feeback from some of my friends that both ways are awesome, so decided to choose the latter option. On reaching France, heading towards Paris, we decided to see the Eiffel Tower.

*CITY OF ROMANCE :

I've read in some novels, that Paris is the romantic capital of the world. I was able to visualise the truth behind this statement in the parks / gardens surrounding the Eiffel Tower. More than the Eiffel Tower the view from the tower is breath taking. We can get a spectacular view of the various football grounds, gardens, the busy localities, the museums, the river Seine and ofcourse the tens of thousands queuing for entrance. If you need to take a full length photograph of the tower, don't even think of it after you reach the place, that has to be done from a distance to cover the 1000 feet (approx) tall steel structure. Eiffel Tower at night is something which one should not miss....The glittering and twinkling lights at the Eiffel at night and the surrounding place glowing with lights would sure stay in our minds forever. The reflection of the Eiffel at night on the river I another treat to watch......With the pride of having visited one of the wonders of the world, we headed towards RIver Siene for a boat cruise.

There is a pre-recorded description of the buildings and the bridges that we see as we enjoy our boating in the cool breeze.  (Thankfully in English version too). Due to my innate aversion towards Geography and History, half of the speech skipped my ears. But, that doesn't really matter, as looking around the place and capturing the adept skill with which the buildings have been built will leave anyone awe-struck.

*CITY OF LARCENY?

I was warned by a caring friend that pick-pockets are very common in Paris. I was taken aback to find boards all over cautioning people to take care of their belongings. Well...any tourist attraction is prone to such instances. But I  shuddered when I came to know that Paris is no exception to this....or rather Paris is notorious for thefts/pick-pockets. I have heard of many people losing their cameras, passports, credit/debit cards, wallets. So, trying to exercise great caution, did bring great fear as well into my mind.

People travelling with big families (with children and elderly people), anyone person from the family should never get into the holiday mood and should have a carfeul eye on the baggage. (To ensure nothing untoward happens to spoil the holiday mood of the others in the family)

CITY OF JOY-MAKES U REALISE THE CHILD WITHIN YOU

Disneyland, is one place, which, I would undoubtedly say would make you discard all inhibitions. You will laugh, play and live like a child in this wonderful place. This place is not just for kids. There is something catering to all ages. There is aDISNEY STUDIO and DISNEY PARK,the latter being the major crowd pulling place. This park is divided into five theme-based places like adventureland, frontier land, mainstreet USA, discoveryland and fantasyland. At he entrance, you get brochures and maps clearly helping you to choose from the varied rides, castles, mansions, etc., which would tap all kinds of feelings within you like fear, laughter, fun, amazement etc.The parade in the evening of all the disney characters is a major highlight.

What makes the day/days at Disneyland more enjoyable is that there are rest rooms, drinking water facilities, benches for us to sit and relax and above all, the map given at the entrance, details the food counters with a brief overview of what they serve and how expensive they are for our pockets. (infact the restaurants are classified into Table / Buffet service, Fast Food, and snack bars.) If only our Indian Theme Parks follow such well laid guidelines they would become a big hit.

*CITY OF FRAGRANCE !

How can one miss the French perfumes? These days we get world famous branded perfumes at all places. One need not travel to France for this. But I did visit the French Perfumery Factory, where they store and sell perfumes mostly in aluminium bottles as against the branded ones which are sold mostly in showy glass bottles. The reason behind aluminium bottles for perfume sprays are that light doesn't travel through this surface, thereby expanding the life span of the fragrance. And also, these perfumes were made with less or no alcohol, so that the scent doesn't evaporate soon. Inspite of all these justifications, I was not convinced to buy a non-branded perfume !! But I did spray some perfume in a strip of paper to check how long the frangrance lasts.

*CITY OF AND FOR ART-LOVERS :

The Louvre Museum is a must see for all artists, as it features the famous Mona Lisa painting  (there are some critics arguing about the genuineness of this painting though). There are various other museums, but for want of time, we decided to give them a miss.....The Champs Elysees (the broadest avenue in Paris) was magnificent to see. Various other monuments like Place de la Concorde and Arc de Triomphe are a pleasure to watch and also (if you have the patience) to know the History behind those structures.

As far as food is concerned, there are a good number of Indian restaurants to relish. If you dare to taste French cuisine, you may have to know a bit of french language or display your talent in dumbcharads.

This is indeed a memorable place leaving a lasting impression on anyone who visits...