Brussels

It seemed that I had just gone gone to sleep when I felt my mother shaking me. "Wake up! It's 8'o'clock!". We had returned at around three in the morning back from our trip to Luxembourg and we had a trip planned to Belgium that day. Our trusty Peugeot 308 was ready and waiting, we were packed and ready in less than an hour and out of Eindhoven by 9'o'clock. We were to stop at Antwerpen, Belgium renowned for its diamonds and glamorous jewellery, the Diamond capital of the world. It had a 'Diamant' museum which was highly popular and recommended to all tourists. 

We parked in a colossal underground parking lot under the Antwerpen-Centraal station, the museum was just opposite. It had a high tech lobby with maximum security(Had to be!) and we were given multimedia guides to help us out through the museum. The museum was very informative and of course, had a lot of real and replica diamonds. The replicas were so real that we came to know of that out only when the docent told us about it! Surprisingly, even me and my dad had a pretty good time, learning about the structures of diamonds and their composition, through microscope mounted samples and interactive displays. There were also black and white videos of the diamond mining which used to be done in Africa. 

Antwerpen-Centraal station

Just opposite us was the palace like Antwerpen-Centraal station. It was expansive, a busy station with 3 underground levels and various train tracks and it is judged that it is one of the world's greatest train stations. The facade of the buiding was almost too much to take in, it looked so complex but was perfectly symmetrical and beautiful. Even to my untrained senses, this building couldn't be put down as of any particular architectural style, I would soon find out how right I was! This building is an amazing blend of many styles and is a must see for any tourist in Belgium. We then spent some time at the countless diamond stores lining the streets, containing an impressive and wide ranging collection of diamonds, cut, uncut, coloured and uncoloured. 

Colourful Chocolates!

We parked near the Grand place and took a walk along the beautiful streets of Brussels, sweet smells wafted through the air, making my mouth water. Chocolate! Brussels was famous for its amazing range of chocolates, be it famous brands like Guylian, La cure Gourmande, Cachet and the ever famous Belgian or you could opt for small shops selling assorted chocolates and colourful candies which are just as tasty, especially if you go to the right shop. We visited a nearby chocolate museum and tested out a few chocolates and some hot chocolate. It was a bit of a disappointment though because it was lacking in exhibits and was not very indulging. But that was all right, we had lots to see!

Manneken pis

The smell of hot maple syrup and waffles greeted us as we came across a street with many cafés selling different kinds of waffles, in fact they sold only waffles! There were so many kinds that we were sad not to try all of them. The ones we tried were simply delicious and tasted like nothing I'd eaten before. They say that the Belgian waffle is one of the best varieties in the world, fluffier and higher than other types. The cream it was topped with was a delicacy by itself, that amazing taste which stays on your tongue forever! With that done, Just down the street was Manneken pis, which translates to Little man pee (:-D), it is a famous landmark in Brussels. It depicts a small boy urinating into the fountain basin. Creativity! I had to think, nice concept for a fountain! His dress is changed 2-3 times a week, a judo attire, an ancient Indian dress and many more, all his clothes are said to be thoughtful and attention grabbing. Be sure to visit this spot if you are in Brussels!

Atomium

The streets of Brussels are equally old and modern, looking at the skyscrapers lining the road, it was hard to say that we were in the same city as earlier that day. Due to the presence of many UN agencies in Brussels, it houses a variety of UN buildings, and is also home to the World trade center. Coming to one of the landmarks of the city, the Atomium was built for the 1958 world fair held here. But when you look at it, it's hard to think that this ultramodern structure was built more than 4 decades ago. It has nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times (Wikipedia). The structure seemed so out of the world and truly a marvel of architecture. Thus ended a great day in the country of Belgium, a truly amazing country to behold!

Grand Place-Brussels

Reaching skyward!

Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a small country cradled between Germany, France and Belgium. It is known for its scenic roads, lush green meadows and its pure air. It also happens to be the country with the highest per capita income! A trip to Luxembourg is synchronous to a car drive, as people worldwide marvel at the scenic views the country can offer, and want to experience at least once, driving a car without the traffic factor, pollution or the time trap.

We rented a Peugeot 308 from the international car rental agency Hertz, known for its excellent services across the cities of Europe and for doling out brand new cars. Our car was just off the production line, 2 days old and loaded with features, with plenty of space for everything we needed. 2 of our friends' families joined us in their Audi A4 and VW Golf, we had planned a picnic lunch later that day.

Our guide for the day was a XL edition TomTom satnav system. As Indians used to having friendly 'டீ கட நாயரு's guiding us on our way in India, in the deserted(people wise) motorways of Europe, our TomTom was a necessity and to say the least, stopped us from ending up in Germany or France! We did a nice '150' all the way until Luxembourg, at which point we switched to the local roads. This road flowed with the land, going past villages nestled in low rising mountains, meadows dotted with grazing cattle, forests below on one side and rocky outcrops high above on the other. There are parts where one moment you would be gazing far out to the horizon and then the next, doing '150' down a hillside, whooping with joy! Due to the natural challenges offered by the roads, bikers are a common sight here, racing past you in large groups, commanding the road on Ducatis, Harley Davidsons and BMWs. 

Set in the beautiful 'Our' valley, Vianden is known for its hilly streets and the impressive Vianden castle. After a short walk to the chairlift station, we were swinging high above the trees and houses in Luxembourg's only chairlift. The view from the top was breath taking, the city lay before us like an open book and the mountain riddled surface of Luxembourg stretched to the horizon. The magnificent castle lay to our right, with its tall turrets and grey walls, it stood as a pale contrast to the green wilderness around. 



Our next stop was a butterfly park 40 miles south. We had a nice time there, having butterflies all over us, watching them emerge from their cocoons, fly all around the green house gathering nectar from many different kinds of flowers. There were more than 50 species of butterflies there along with different kinds of fish, tortoises and chameleons . Coming out, we decided to have our picnic right there!  The food was really good and I ate my fill, I felt rewarded for my hard walking that day. With my stomach full, I felt even more vigorous to take on Luxembourg.

We then set off to Mullerthal, aptly named 'Little Switzerland'. It had many small rivers and waterfalls, the most famous perhaps being the Schiessentümpel waterfalls, almost in the middle of nowhere. The roads leading there were completely surrounded by trees, any village we stumbled upon, completely deserted, not a single soul on the streets, it was completely unlike any place I'd ever seen. Especially because every house had Audis, Mercedes, BMWs and Lexus easily crossing the 70000€ level.

There was a small river which flowed out from beneath us, off course from some unseen river. The rocky face of the hill and the river bordered the small path we took. The river was strewn with rocky debris and I guessed that this was not the place to be during a heavy rain. The river was frothing with sap(Yes! Tree sap!) because of the trees which lay uprooted by the riverside giving the whole area a sappy odour. This place amazingly silent, so accessible by the modern world but yet untouched, a million years old. The river split into three smaller streams and flowed down beneath a cute bridge. The rocky face was what caught my eyes the most, so bare, yet so amazingly beautiful. 

I was practically dragged into the car, not at all wanting to leave, but Luxembourg city waited for us in all its glory and we were running out of daylight. We hit the road, our destination: 22 miles south east, we got there in 20 minutes. The city was scenic, seemingly trapped in time. We parked at an underground parking lot and headed to the surface. A fair was on just outside and we strolled through looking at the colourful toys, miniature figurines and candy. It turned a bit messy when the kids waged a war with a huge wad of candy, and in the end, as always, the candy won, ending up in their hair, faces and dresses. I had skilfully avoided it!

The Adolphe bridge, one of Luxembourg's main tourist attractions, was a picturesque location and with a fog below it was seemingly floating, as if right out of a fairy tale. Everything here seemed that way! We had a long walk through the streets of Luxembourg, but as it was late in the day, all the attractions were closed. After an hour or so we formed our game plan and started our return trip back to Eindhoven. We were  to meet at Liege in Belgium later that night at an Indian hotel we located on our TomTom.

We entered Liege at around 11'o'clock and we didn't see a single person out on the streets, the city was sleeping. The Indian hotel we came to was there all right but  it was closed. We found a small Turkish restaurant nearby which was still open, the owner nodding off at the counter. He saw us hesitating and he welcomed us right in, he said we would get anything we wanted. I was sleepy, clumsy and tired and my favourite Shoarma was what I needed to cheer me up. He chatted away to us as he worked on the bulk order of Shoarmas. Everybody likes Shoarmas! He was a jolly guy,50 year old, an immigrant from Turkey who had come to Liege 30 years ago, and an avid marathon runner! We had planned to stop only for utmost 20 minutes. But as we chatted away, everyone was drawn into conversation and we were there for more than an hour. In the end we were sad to leave and he was sad to let  us go. We thanked him for staying up that night, it was a very rare moment, making a real friend in a country 1000s of miles away from home. 


We now come to SPEED. We had been careful not to go too fast but as the acceleration of the car was almost imperceptible, we easily tricked my mom who told my dad not to drive faster than 120kmph, but we punched it up to a 180! The drag usually accompanying high speeds was not present due to the 'too smooth' road. Once I told  my dad to pull the car over to the service lane as I wanted to check on the tyres, when I got out, other cars flashed past at breakneck speeds, whipping up winds which pushed me back. Only then did I understand how fast we'd actually been driving! Faster! 


Late that night, we had just crossed the Netherlands border when I saw Eindhoven being blacked out on a highway sign, I thought "That can't be good". Half an hour later I would find how right I was. The high way to Eindhoven was blocked and we had to reroute, the highway personnel were of no use as they spoke only Dutch. I tried saying Eindhoven weg....weg...wijze....nord? (Road,Road,Way,North) but it was of no use. Of the three cars in our troop one car had somehow found a way to Eindhoven and was long gone but 2 of us were still in Bunde, rounding back and again to a particular railway junction! I then had a brain wave, I plotted us a route to a city east of us instead of north to Eindhoven and then from there we got back to Eindhoven through a different motorway. 

It was an amazing experience, and even though I know this is long, its not over yet! On our way back we were in the fast lane overtaking a convoy of horse carrying trucks when the inside of our car flashed blue, a Politie car was just behind and we had no place to pull over to! We had no other option but to floor the accelerator and speed up to 195(!) to over take the convoy fully. We then watched the politie car overtake us and it was soon was out of sight, probably going at speeds of 250. It sure was a day for speed and it had been a very exciting day. This was one of my best trips in Europe ever.


 You might wonder about the extra weight being given to cars and speed, as an Indian, these speeds were completely new to me, my maximum speed perhaps being a 60 in the busy Indian streets. Besides I have  always been a car lover, so I have an eye for these things.


We reached Eindhoven at three in the morning. Before we tucked in, exhausted, I was told that we were going to Brussels the next day, starting at eight in the morning, I was too tired even to protest!

Keukenhof

Keukenhof is the best place to see spring blossoms and is one of the most famous tourist spots in the Netherlands, one of the most photographed places in the world and the largest bulb flower park in the world.   It covers an area of 30 hectares, a huge sprawling complex with miles and miles of footpaths and billions and billions of flowers. Getting off at Leiden centraal station, you are offered a combi ticket, for transportation to and from the park and entrance to the park. Beautifully laid Tulip gardens stretched as far as the eye can see, small gardens with exotic, rare bulbs and huge greenhouses, each with a theme of its own.


For those of you who have seen colourful photographs of Tulips forming carpets so thick that they could have been painted on the ground, the picture was probably taken in the Netherlands. It is so famous for its Tulips, white, violet, red and black that Tulips naturally bring Holland to mind. In fact, the blockbuster Tamil movie, Anniyan, so familiar to us, had an entire song filmed in the Tulip gardens of the Netherlands.

Flowers being the base for everything here in Keukenhof, it sure hadn't limited the artists' creativity, with themes ranging from music, flowers hanging in graceful curves symbolic of the notes in music to the painstakingly carved bushes carefully decorated with Tulips, it was a place where art and nature intertwined. The sheer variety of flowers overwhelmed me, some like dangling bells, others like snakes bearing their fangs or a huge flower which on closer inspection turned out to be hundreds of smaller ones. Some flowers sprouted from creepers on the wall while others floated in small ponds and hung from trees. What really amazed me were the bouquets and baskets of Tulips on display, meticulously arranged.

We met our friends from Delhi as we'd promised them we would back at Alkmaar. We strolled around, chatting, admiring the flowers and through the never ending gardens. We then had a quiet picnic in the greens, among the Tulips and the bushes and had a perfect lazy time. Packing your lunch might be a  good idea if you want one that really compensates for your walking around the park. As we ended our tour around the park, we realised how tired we were, we'd walked about 15 kilometres that day!

It is really easy to reach Keukehof as it is immensely popular among tourists and locals alike. Numerous trains and buses make Keukenhof a well connected place. On the way to Keukenhof from Leiden, you get an insight into the country life in The Netherlands. I loved Keukenhof very much and is a haven for photography!

Alkmaar- Say Cheese!

Alkmaar is a town in the province of Noord Holland and is home to one of the few remaining traditional Dutch cheese markets. Open only on Fridays, it is one of the top tourist spots in the Netherlands and an important historical town.

As it was a Friday, our dad was unable to accompany us. Alkmaar is 170 kilometres from Eindhoven, but with direct trains every 1hour, it poses no problem with regards to getting there. In fact, travelling anywhere in Europe is easy as all the countries offer amazing connectivity with national as well as international destinations., be it bus, metro or train. So, we were off on our own to this faraway town with its cheeses. 

We met an couple from Delhi in the Alkmaar train station and we joined them as they too were headed for the cheese market. They were also on a tour of Europe, touring the Netherlands and other European countries from their hotel in Amsterdam. We were together for the better part of the next few hours.

The cheese market dates back to the 16th century A.D, once an important part of the city's income, it is today only for show, the upkeep of Dutch cheese tradition. The market is held in a square in front of the Alkmaar Kaas museum. Fat round blocks of sumptuous Gouda cheese are laid in neat rows in the square, a barrage of yellow to the eyes. The ringing of the bell signals the start of the market at 10 am. The samplers and traders then test the cheeses by using a special cheese scoop. They taste the cheese and they let us taste the cheese too, so good that everybody just want's to get some more. The buyer and the seller clap  their hands and shout out prices, the last clap clinches the deal. 

The cheese carriers set to work, carrying their  cheeses in a barrow hanging from their shoulders, totally weighing, we were told, 130 kilos to the weighing station and to load the truck. The stalls nearby sell all kinds of cheeses, mustard, an Indian masal variety, classic gouda and many more. We sampled few of the fresh cheeses and bought a few pillows of it. I was in seventh heaven, a cheese lover in a cheese paradise. We waved goodbye to our friends and promised to meet them at Keukenhof the next Sunday. 

The Netherlands is a country which has 25% off its land area below sea level and 50% land area only a metre above it. So the country regularly faced problems with flooding and large tracts of land submerged under lakes. The water from the lakes were drained by means of sluices and later windmills. Due to a lot of innovations such as the Archimedean screw and the perseverance of the Dutch water engineers, large areas known as polders were reclaimed from the sea. In fact, the Netherlands is made up of thousands of polders. The Netherlands has computerised pumping stations to drain lakes and maintain water levels, and the windmills are a thing of wonder and awe. 

Schermerhorn is a small village a few kilometres east of Alkmaar and is well connected by frequent buses. It is famous for its windmills, the three which had survived the long years of disuse, of the original seventeen in the area. It is one of the most photographed locations in the world and is surrounded by beautiful Tulip gardens. One windmill is now a museum, with the living quarters of the mill worker and the inner mechanisms of the windmill fully preserved and functional. The strong wind still drives the sails which in turn drives the water screw which still drives the water from the small canal under the mill, like a ghost of past days. The area was quiet, except for the creaking of the sails, and the whoosh of the wind, a calm and serene spot for a nice relaxing time. 

As for our trip to this village, we got a bus right in front of the Alkmaar train station and got off at a deserted stretch of the highway with only the windmills in sight and monster freight liners hurtling down the road. The return bus stand was just opposite, and we were assured of a 30 minute frequency bus service. We returned to Alkmaar after an hour with the windmills and got on a train to Eindhoven, bursting to tell my father about our first trip alone in Europe, a hundred kilometres away!

Tour de Paris- Part 2

L'open tour Paris

After breakfast at the hotel, we were headed to the Île de la Cité , the river island on the Seine where the Cathédrale Notre Dame and La Conciergerie are located. The Paris L'Open tour is a hop-on hop-off bus service with plenty of buses and the best of it's kind in Paris. With four routes running through Paris and with 50 stops at tourist spots, this is one of the most efficient and easy ways to discover Paris. We bought our tickets on board the open top bus, and headed to the upper deck with our earphones. The staff on the buses are extremely friendly and helpful. The bus has many earphone docks for all passengers, with commentary at every tourist spot and instructions and tips at every stop.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées

 The Paris grand tour

This tour is the best best to start with as it takes you along some of Paris' top tourist spots. The Place de la Concorde, the biggest public square in Paris, marks the beginning of the prestigious Avenue des Champs-Élysées. This avenue is home to Cinemas, cafés and luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and Lancel. The Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Paris, marks the end of this avenue. A walk through this avenue gives you a taste of few of the world's most famous shops and the Arc de Triomphe. We came upon the Eiffel once more, but it looked antique now, under the afternoon sun. The bus gives you enough opportunities to photograph the Eiffel tower, taking  you all around the tower, slowly. The Opera Garnier was a beautiful piece of architecture, one of the world's most famous opera houses. This route also takes you through Cathédrale Notre-Dame, The Louvre and the Esplanade des Invalides. 

The Bastille-Bercy route

This circuit takes you through some important landmarks in the city. The Place de la Bastille is a square which is located where the famous Bastille once stood. It now presents no evidence that there once was a royal fortress here  The Opera Bastille was built on this square to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. La Bibliothèque nationale de France, the national library of France is also along this route. The four wings of the building give it the shape of four open books, this is one of the largest and most modern libraries in the world. The Parc de Bercy is a huge hall for sporting and entertainment events, if you are lucky, you could catch a spot of skateboarding outside.

The Panthéon

The Montparnesse-Saint Germain circuit

Getting in on this route takes you along a stretch of Saint Germain where you can get off for a light snack in one of the famous patisseries. The Panthéon, Paris is an amazing structure in the Latin quarter of Paris. It closely resembles the Pantheon in Rome. The Palais du Luxembourg, the seat of the French Senate, is a 25 hectare parterre and quiet spot to relax. The Tour Montparnasse is a skyscraper which stands 59 floors tall and dominates the skyline. The top floor and the restaurant below are open to the public.

The Montmartre-Grands Boulevards route

The Grands Boulevards are essentially the best boulevards in Paris, with world renowned luxury retail stores. The Montmartre is a hill or butte, which is famous for its white domed Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit. The stop nearby provides you with the perfect opportunity for a leisurely stroll to the top of butte Montmartre. The Gare du Nord station is Europe's busiest railway station and handles trains to London and other European countries. Its Thalys and TGV platforms attracted me the most, being superfast trains. The Gare du Nord is not to be missed. We walked behind the station to join the Boulevard de la Chapelle.

Boulevard de La Chapelle

We entered the area popularly known as the Indian quarter, loosely marked by the Boulevard de la Chapelle, the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est. This area was mostly populated by Tamilians, with shops selling Indian vegetables, spices, products and with name boards in both English and Tamil. "அண்ணாச்சி , வெங்காய மூட்ட வந்துருச்சா?!" someone shouted behind me, I chuckled, we Tamilians never change! Just like a scene at a Tamil Nadu maligai kadai. 


We had a late lunch at Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Paris, a satisfying south Indian course cooked so authentically that the server told us that the ingredients were imported from Chennai. We spent some more time exercising our Tamil and chatting away to our counterparts in this faraway city who were happy to hear news of their beloved Tamil Nadu and talk to Chennaivasis. We picked up tips for our Paris trip and for our upcoming Switzerland trip from a friendly baker cooking Samosas and ladoos. 

After a short stop at our hotel, we returned to the Champ de Mars, the park next to the Eiffel tower to enjoy the lighting of the tower and our samosas. The Eiffel tower once again exploded in a flurry of bright white lights, but tonight we were on the ground and the view didn't fail to disappoint and was well worth returning for. For any tourist with an evening to spare in Paris, the Champ de Mars is the best place to be in.

Shoarma

Later that night we were in a area right next to the Boulevard Saint Germain and the Boulevard Saint Michel. We were greeted by an impressive array of pubs and restaurants, of every cuisine of every country you can imagine, Indian, French, Turkish, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese, in neat little shops. This was the best way to explore the culinary provisions of Paris, as this won't waste much of your time and could also satisfy your longing for your country's food. We entered a Turkish shop and ordered Shoarmas, an Arabic fast food staple that is spreading across the world as a fast food favourite. It was a really good dish, made of minced chicken, mayo and various other ingredients, and I had a new favourite.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, we were headed to Disneyland Paris, just outside the city. With frequent trains from the city, the park had it's own train station, the Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy RER station. In the tourist season, April- November, the number of tourists can be a bit formidable. So, it is best advised to start early and book your park tickets online. There are 2 parks in Disneyland, Paris, the Disneyland park and the Walt Disney studios park.

The Sleeping beauty castle in the Disneyland park was a beautiful Disney castle with its usual pointed turrets and a huge moat in front. It seemed like a fairy tale! Oh wait, it was!! The Big thunder mountain was the other eye catcher, it was a huge mountain, like the ones in Utah. Pointed, high and dry, except that this one had a really horrifying roller coaster! The rails tipped at awkward angles and rocks threatened to fall on us as we weaved in and out the mines in a runaway mine train. The scene was so real and scary but I enjoyed myself thoroughly! The Phantom manor had a top of the class set up, with realistic wax statues, moaning, eerie whoops and dim lighting. Not so scary perhaps, but interesting! We spent our time enjoying other rides, eating sticky apple candy and French fries from the Hakuna Matata, a Lion King themed restaurant.

The twilight zone, tower of terror

The Walt Disney studio park's dominating feature was the Twilight zone tower of terror, a looming, evil building dedicated to a ride. The building and the ride were based on the television series, The Twilight Zone, where the guests of the hotel see spooky incidents and find their elevator cut loose.  The elevator rose slowly to the top where a window opens and the letters:WALT DISNEY stared at us. We were at the very top! "What a beautiful vieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!, the elevator drops faster than gravity to the bottom! That left us completely disoriented and screaming till our throats hurt. It slowly rose up again........  This was by far the best attraction ever, leaving you dizzy but ready for more. Believe me scary as it was falling down is an amazing experience! 


The studio tram tour, a tour through movie settings is one of the top attractions here. The tram shows us movie props on display, masks, gargoyles, an F16 fighter plane(!) and other amazing props. I was a bit let down, I'd expected more. I was too foolish to think that, Disney never settles for anything lesser than the best!  An innocent scene with hills on both sides and an oil tanker turned into a raging inferno and our tram rocked from side to side! We felt the heat, but with each gust of the fire water was sprinkled on us, so we were safe. Rain!! It suddenly began to rain, and water began trickling down the slopes of the hills and in a few seconds, it suddenly gushed out uncontrollably and we were in a flood! It reached our tram but not a single drop of water fell on us! The next scene was a bombed and dead city. Wrecked cars littered the area and a fire raged in a building. It was so real and convincing! It was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget!


That day, I saw my first street dance performance. It was splendid and brilliant! I loved the  floor master the most! We took the metro back to the city and that was the end of an amazing day! We said Goodbye to Paris as we left for Eindhoven that night. I had a lot of nice memories to take home!

Tour de Paris

A view of Paris with the La defense in the background

Paris is often called the most romantic city in the world. Also known as the City of Lights, Paris is home to some of the world’s most beautiful architecture, art and monuments. From the iconic Eiffel Tower sparkling in the night, to the magnificent Versailles chateau, to the tree lined Champs Elysees, the crooked streets of St. Germain loaded with delicious patisseries and boutiques full of beautiful shoes, to markets overflowing with fresh produce, brightly colored scarves and fresh cheeses, Paris is one of the most beautiful, bustling and alive cities in the world.  

Hurtling through the motorways of Belgium and France, there we were, headed to Paris! Early morning, we entered the sleeping city and Paris looked beautiful under the low light. The buildings showcasing their timeless magnificence and the city, beautifully planned. Our bus finally stopped at the Eurolines bus bay at Gallieni, a huge garage of the Eurolines bus service. From the metro station which was right below, we boarded a train headed to the St. Michel station at the heart of the city, closest to our hotel. As we emerged from the station, the cool early morning air greeted us and we found ourselves next to the Seine river. From one of the numerous bridges across the Seine, we could see the Eiffel tower looming up in the distance, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame rising silently behind, an imposing structure and below us flowed the glassy calm waters of the Seine. Walking down to the famous Boulevard St. Germain and it's bakeries and boutiques, we found our hotel on a parallel road, a minute's walk away. It was a 17th century mansion, turned into a hotel, where everything was antique, the cloak cupboard, the reception desk, and all the crockery, as old as the hotel itself! It was a nice place and I added it my unique hotels list!

One hour later, refreshed and ready to take on Paris, we were headed to the Musée du Louvre. The most famous art museum in the world with about 35,000 pieces of art. Longer than three Eiffel towers laid side by side and with a million sq.ft of open space between it's wings, it is the longest building in Europe. As we entered the plaza, the warm honey coloured marble of the Louvre surrounding us, the main entrance of the Louvre was visible. La Pyramide. The controversial glass pyramid which had become as famous as the Louvre itself. We descended into the new subterranean lobby of the museum, 60 feet below the ground and covering a 70,000 sq.ft. Passages ran in all four directions, the Denon wing, the Richelieu wing and the Sully wing with the fourth going to the famous La Pyramide Inversée. We opted to visit the Mona Lisa first and took the Denon wing.

Me, the Louvre and the la pyramide!

Once a Renaissance palace, The Louvre is now the most famous art museum in the world with about 35,000 pieces of art. Longer than three Eiffel towers laid side by side and with a million sq.ft of open space between it's wings, it is the longest building in Europe. As we entered the plaza, the warm honey coloured marble of the Louvre surrounding us, the main entrance of the Louvre was visible. La Pyramide. The controversial glass pyramid which had become as famous as the Louvre itself. We descended into the new subterranean lobby of the museum, 60 feet below the ground and covering a 70,000 sq.ft. Passages ran in all four directions, the Denon wing, the Richelieu wing and the Sully wing with the fourth going to the famous La Pyramide Inversée. We opted to visit the Mona Lisa first and took the Denon wing. 

The Grand gallery. 1500 feet long and wide enough to contain 4 cars laid side by side, the Grand Gallery is known to contain some of the finest Italian art. Taking in the masterpieces of the Italian masters and trying to make out the complex geometric design made by the diagonal oak panels on the floor, we made our way to the Salle des Etats. In her own private cell, behind a thick layer of plexiglass hung the most celebrated painting in the world.





The Mona Lisa. Her mist filled, supernal atmosphere is a tribute to Leonardo Da Vinci's mastery over the sfumato style, in which forms evaporate into one another. Her smile intrigued me, a knowing, secretive smile leading me to believe, as well as many others, that Da Vinci had imbibed a secret in her. But her size was even smaller than expected, smaller than her posters in the Louvre gift shop. The Venus de Milo, The Winged victory, Madonna of the rocks and The coronation of Napoleon were my favourites. The modern, progressive sculptures of the modern world as well as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans were displayed. 

Napoleon's quarters. Located in the Richelieu wing, this area was once the quarters of King Napoleon. Untouched Persian drapes, rugs and crockery, magnificent chandeliers and extravagant furniture cast a majestic aura over whole area that was once quarters of the diminutive king. Our last stop in the Louvre was the La Pyramide Inversée, the inverted pyramid that served as a skylight and the small pyramid below it which featured in the climax of Dan Brown's blockbuster The Da Vinci Code. However the smaller pyramid below is not fixed to the ground, which disproves Brown's speculations.

We continued down to the The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel from where the Musée d'Orsay, the Pompidou center, the Musée du Jeu de Paume and finally, the Musée du Louvre, four of the finest art museums in the world, were visible, on at each point on the compass. We took a walk in the famed Tuileries Garden further down, still unable to take our eyes off The Louvre. The Tuileries Garden is a public space and is an icon of Paris. It is quite a nice place to relax and bask under the sun!

Dazzling! -The Eiffel tower

Later in the evening we commuted by the Réseau Express Régional (RER) to the Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel station. La Tour Eiffel. The Eiffel tower. 1,063 ft tall, 81 storeys high and waiting to take your breath away, the tower was massive and I could feel the 7000 tons of iron on top of me as I gazed up from the bottom. After 2 hours of waiting in line, we made our way to the elevator. The first two levels were accessible by both foot and elevator but the third one was only by an elevator. The ripping wind caught me square as I stepped out on the deck of the third floor. The view was perfect, the skyscrapers of La Défense caught my eye first, far away, the distance did no justice to their size at all! As I looked down below, I appreciated how high up I was. Really high! 





The lights began to come on, The Louvre, majestic as ever, the bright Avenue des Champs-Élysées just opposite it, The towers of La Défense came next, pin points of light in the distance and finally came the Eiffel tower!

It exploded in brilliant flashes, like camera shots all over the tower. The tourists below in the Champ de Mars, the long green space flanking the tower, responding with their own camera flashes. The whole area around was filled with bright flashes. I was dazzled by the lights. Paris was lit up completely! The Seine glowing a beautiful orange colour, the streets a vibrant mix of headlights, tail lights and street lights. The powerful beams from the Eiffel tower flashed above us lighting up the foggy night air. The streets of Paris retain their crooked beauty, whether viewed from the ground, the Eiffel tower or a sattelite!

Four hours sped by and I was sad to leave the tower behind, we pledged to return the next evening to observe the lighting of the Eiffel tower from the Champ de Mars, an event not to be missed at all!

Does it end at all?! -Outside the Louvre

The good old Eiffel tower!

Doll houses?

Splendid! -The river Seine

Champ de Mars with the Montparnesse tower in view