Best used afternoon

Another day in my apartment. Another day when I have time to write a new blog. I would expect to be full of energy when I write new article. However, this is not the case. I think the current situation is affecting me. It affects all of us. Don’t get me wrong. I am happy to write, otherwise I would not do it. But we all have ups and downs. And today is the day of my little fall. The extreme fall happened to me only once. I picked myself up after it and I live my life as I want. Today, I live the life I have always wanted. Maybe a little bit different at this moment, but I’m still happy to share all my experiences with you. And here is the following.

I don’t want for every blog to be the same, so I will immediately give you my next destination. One of the capitals of one of the European countries. Which one? Paris. Paris has it all – romance, diverse fashion, street artists and history. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Some interesting facts about this place that you may not have heard yet. The famous Eiffel Tower was built as a temporary structure. As it grew into a tourist attraction in the 20th century, its construction was retained. Even more interesting is that we can only see one STOP sign in the whole city. How does it work? If I ask my roommate, who is French, she would say there is traffic chaos in Paris. In the city, therefore, you better take a walk to the famous Parisian “beach”. Where? Along the river Seine. Swimming in the river is not allowed, but sand has been sprinkled along it. They also built swimming pools, a volleyball court and summer bars. Nothing attractive, maybe just for quick stop. Definitely, however, food fans are attracted by the fact that Paris is the city with the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. Food, food, food.

3rd May. Six in the morning. Departure from Dubai to Paris. Landing (take into account the time difference) at eleven in the morning. That means I woke up at one in the morning Dubai time and landed in Paris at one in the afternoon. 12 hours of work. 12 hours without necessary sleep. Christian, Fitrisia and I agreed to go to town. After a well-deserved rest of course. We agreed to gather in the hotel lobby at three in the afternoon. We had a good five hours in front of us to spend in romantic Paris. We walked only to those most important sights. Why? I was in Paris already at the end of primary school. When I was still young. At that time, my schoolmates and I toured every corner of this fashionable city. There was no time for detailed research that day. Unfortunately. But the good side of this is that I still want to go back and discover something else.

We took the train from the hotel (which stands at the airport) to the city center. Before that, we bought a return ticket at the box office, which was of course cheaper than a one-way ticket. I think the price was around 20 euros. Yes, is not so cheap. However, we must be aware that we are in Paris. The drive from the hotel to our first point took quite some time. I think we spent about an hour on the train and subway. Most of the crew would express the opinion Paris is not worth an hour of their time. My opinion is quite the opposite. Every minute is worth our time. Every hour is worth it if we end up smiling and happy. And where did we drive first?

1. To the famous Eiffel Tower. We got off the metro at Pont De l’Alma station. Just a good 10 minutes walk from the famous tower. From metro station we took Quai Branly street. Of course, on the way there we could not resist the cute benches and warm rays. The first stop for some pictures. I think the French bench on the picture was more important than the Eiffel in the background. With a cap on my head and French shoes, I looked like a local. Until I started to took some pictures. Then everyone knew I was nothing but a tourist. We all posed for camera for a few “minutes” and only then headed on. To the first landmark. The Eiffel Tower is an iron structure built on the Champ de Mars along the Seine. The tower was built in 1889 and that time it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. It was built for a world exhibition and not for the purpose of tourist attraction. Today, the tower measures 234 meters, which is more than at the beginning. Why? They built Athenian tower on top of it. It is considered a masterpiece of technique and not architecture. This is also the reason why architectural history does not pay much attention to it. I climbed it already on my first visit to Paris. If you want to go to the top by yourself, you will pay for adult ticket 16.6 euros (middle) or 25.9 euros (to the top) with an elevator or 10.4 euros with the stairs. It is also possible to buy a mixed ticket (stairs and lift) for 20 euros. Let me mention one fun fact – the tower is repainted every 7 years, for which they need 60 tons of paint. We stayed near the tower for only a few minutes. Unfortunately, the pictures are much better from far.

2. From here we crossed the bridge Pont d’lena to reach the Jardins du Trocadero. It is an open space in Paris with stunning views of the Eiffel Tower. It was created in 1937 after the Eiffel was built. The main attraction in this park is the Warsaw Fountain, with twelve larger and twenty-four smaller fountains. Maybe the correct Slovenian term is water jets. These create water cannons that are four to twelve feet high. These fountains are the only exhibition fountains that still exist today and still function as they once did. From here we continued our way towards the central square of the park. Stairs lead to it (on the left and right), which are perfect for new pictures. Here, all the famous Instagramers take their photos. I took them as well, as you can see below. Well, I’m not famous at all. We stayed at this place for the next half an hour. Time passed really quickly and we wanted to go to another part of the city as well. If you have more time, you can visit the National Maritime Museum, the Architecture and Heritage City, the Women’s Museum, the Aquarium and much more here. We headed straight towards the next landmark.

3. The nearest metro station to us was called Trocadero. We drove to the Palais Royal – Musee du Louvre. Christian and I wanted to enter the famous Louvre Museum. Although I have been inside few years ago, I wanted to see the famous Mona Lisa again. Officially, the Grand Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. It is also one of the historical monuments. The palace, which now houses a museum, was built by Philip II in the 12th century. During the French Revolution, he was admitted to a museum for the public view. Today, we can admire over 380,000 exhibition units, dating back to 4000 BC. Christian and I spent only an hour in the museum. Why we paid the entrance fee, if we only spent one hour in it? Admission is free for European citizens up to the age of 25. So it was actually a good deal for us. An adult entry ticket costs 15 euros on the spot or 17 euros online. This way you avoid the queue in front of the museum. We took a look at the three most famous works of art in one hour. Famous – by our opinion. First we jumped to the 1st floor and looked into the eyes of the famous Mona Lisa. Then we went down one floor and saw Aphrodite de Milo, better known as Venus de Milo. The last piece in the collection was the Winged Victory of Samothrace. The headless statue is located on the 1st floor of the museum. So we went up again. Not the smartest move, but we were really in a hurry. Why? Because Fitrisia was waiting for us in front of the museum. Satisfied with seeing only three works of art, we walked out from the museum. I’m sorry I couldn’t take more time to look at even more of the exhibits. Since I am now more than 25 years old, I will unfortunately pay the entrance fee on my next visit.

4. It was already late and our drive to the hotel took us a lot of time. We decided to stop at just one more point. That was mostly my wish. We headed to the famous Angelina Café, located just outside the Louvre. It was opened as early as 1903 and has been in operation ever since. How do you know it’s something special? In front of it is a column of tourists and visitors who want to try Angelina’s delicacies. We also waited for 20 minutes in front of the café. Once you enter this tea house, you can only stare at the glamor and precision of the interior for a few minutes. True Parisian style. You feel like you have traveled back in time, to the beginning of the 20th century. We ordered two of their most traditional desserts. Mont-Blanc, which we can describe with next words: meringue, light whipped cream, chestnut cream. I know it doesn’t say much. But I can admit that the picture is so much more appealing. The other dessert on the list was Succes noisette. Hazelnut biscuit with pure salt, whipped hazelnut cream, crispy core and nuts. The latter convinced me more, although they say that the former one is traditional one. If you have enough time and you’re a sweet person, you should stop here. Yes, the prices are appropriate for Paris and the popularity of the cafe. However, my opinion is that you should treat yourself a little bit more on holiday. You are not in Paris every day. There are many different choices, so everyone can find something to eat. You can also choose from selection of hot drinks, which attract you with their scent.

We ended this day in a great way. With food. Lately, it seems to me that I end every blog post with food. Maybe current quarantine situation is working good on me. The drive back to the hotel took about an hour. On the way we missed the station and drove one forward. Because of this, we were at the hotel half an hour later. Still, the day ended great. Before going to bed, I watched another French movie and woke up for breakfast. A meal I can’t live without. I enjoyed my morning routine until eleven, and then it was time to leave. Another great layover.

On the way from the hotel to the airport, I thought about what I wanted to see in Paris on my next trip. I definitely want to take a walk to Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Montmartre, Sacre-Coeur Basilica. I’ve seen all of these sights before, back in time. What I have never visited before is the Palace of Versailles. And this is certainly the next stop in Paris. What about Disneyland? A one-off visit in my teen period was more than enough. So I can only say – until next time Paris.