Dreams do come true if you make them your goal.
I have been thinking about what would be the introduction for my entry on Paris and I would always come back to the fact that this is exactly the reason why I would love to visit Europe - to visit this city. If you had the chance to read my first entry about my recently concluded Europe trip, you would exactly know why I would love to visit the place - to see the very famous tower, the Eiffel. Being an Asian, it is a must to see that tower, though a lot of beautiful and spectacular monuments are everywhere.
How can I summarize my Parisian experience? Well, let's start with the unexpected wind. When I did my research, the temperature was about 22 degrees - so I packed my dresses and tights as I told myself, I could take a few layers off since the temperature was bearable. But to my surprise - it felt like it dropped 8 degrees low due to the wind. Lesson Learnt: Check the wind.
Good thing I had my red trench coat with me. Let me tell you something about that red trench coat. When I went to Hongkong last January 2011, I bought it for the Macau-leg of the trip. You know, being in a European inspired city, you need to be in a European outfit as well. Back then, I told myself that I would be wearing it in Paris. Good thing I lost my singapore-gained weight and the trench coat still fitted my body. So in some way, thanks to the strong wind because it forced me to wear the trench coat to enjoy the beautiful city without freezing to death.
Our three days in Paris began in the search for the red city-tour bus and we chose the Notre Dame to be the first location. Well, from our pad, Chatelet Train Station (where Notre Dame is a short distance away) was the closest. I gotta say, it was a good decision to take that tour bus as it would take you to all the tourist spots and you could hop on / hop off any time plus you get to know the history behind the places. I never knew that Gustave Eiffel designed the interior structural elements of the Statue of Liberty in New York. So our journey began, and my eyes were busy admiring the tourist area of Paris. Then the bus took the route towards the Eiffel tower. I was becoming more giddy when we were approaching it. I didn't know that my chinky eyes could become bigger and bigger every time we got nearer the tower the first time. I was in awe again and was excited to tick off that item in my bucket list. It was a great feeling to finally reach for that dream, literally - Awesomeness!
Especially at night. If Paris would be defined in a moment, it would be defined by the sparkling Eiffel Tower that would render you silent for a long time to admire it. Any camera of great calibre could not capture the beauty of it when you experience seeing it with your both eyes. It just won't be captured thru lenses.
And the rest of our time there was dedicated to see the whole of Paris. In all honesty, outside the tourist area, Paris is much more like Brussels when it comes to normality - cleanliness, noise and street art (aka Vandalisms). Though a lot of us think that Paris is perfect, thanks to all the romantic movies and series shot here, it isn't that perfect - especially going outside of the attraction. However, the beauty of the attractions, especially the Eiffel outweighed all the unpleasant things we have personally experienced during our stay. Talk about the notorious pick pocketers, the gypsies who would like you to sign some papers and force you pay something; and first hand experience of the true nature of Parisians. When I recall my experiences, I choose not to relive these instances because Paris is still a spectacular place to visit for dreamers like me.
Related Post: http://anapink18.blogspot.sg/2014/06/keukenhof-tulip-paradise.html
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