Steering Paris

Our flight was delayed for more than one and a half hours. The pilot muttered something about the heavy fog in Paris that hampered the flight.

:: Impatient and tired travellers ::

:: I witnessed a peaceful demonstration at Paris' airport. Led by those wearing the neon orange signs. Apparently, it's a workers' demonstration. How cool, you can never see something like that in Sunny Singapore. Not since the Hock Lee bus riots ::
Bonjour ! Paris is one the most amazing cities I've been to on this trip. It is mind-blowing and one of a kind.Paris left me the strongest impression, amongst the many cities I've visited. If there are two words to describe it, they would be 'amazing' and 'beautiful'. Simple words, but Paris is true to these meanings.

I talked to an Italian lady on my trip and it was her fourth trip to Paris. I asked her why did she returned so frequently and she said "for holiday, and it's beautiful". We went to a bar near where we stayed and Elvis who lived in Southern France has lived in Paris for SIX long years and he said this, " I have not seen everything in Paris".

What I offer to show you on this blog is of course, mere snippets from a five day stay here. What is so attractive about Paris is hard to pinpoint. Maybe it's the air of joie de vivre. Or the way I felt like was steering Paris in my own private car. Or maybe it's the unexplainable excitement that hung in the Parisian air. They say, when you visit a place and it leaves you hungry and yearning for more of it, that place has made successful travelling for you.

Myths and common misconceptions I would like to debunk about Paris:
1. People are snobbish
2. The French refuse to speak English to tourists
3. People are unfriendly (I've talked to so many strangers there and other like-minded tourists)

Truths:
1. Paris is expensive, especially around the main city center.
2. The French are fun and funny
3. The Metros are really dirty

We stayed in the outskirts of the city center, and I have been to the suburbs of Paris to visit their flea markets,etc. To begin with, I am never one who is graatified drawing up conclusions just by visiting the city center. They only show the best, the most modern attractions to you.
In the outskirts, I felt more like I was somewhere in Africa, maybe Madagascar or something. Even the names of the shops, like "Afrique Land" made you believed so. There are many Africans residing in Paris. Unsurprisingly, they reside more in the outskirts than in the main city center. The few I spotted in the main city center could be counted on one hand, and they were all immaculately dressed.

:: Situated near Montmarte in the red light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy ::


:: All dressed up for the glitzy affair @ Moulin Rouge. The dress code was 'elegant'. I loved the black silken gloves I bought in Germany :) ::

We were not allowed to snap photos during the Cabaret muscial (well, it's Cabaret afterall ) so I only snapped photos after. A little history perhaps, it was a rest between two wars, a period of transition between two centuries, during which the social barriers collapsed, when the industrial revolution gave hope of a better life for all, in a rich cultural profusion and that promised much fun. And from that, bloomed Moulin Rouge, traditional cabaret performance. Tickets are priced at €89 (without dinner) but I reckon, terrific live performance that exceeded my expectations.

:: Eiffel tower in the day. So sturdy, you could lean on it ! :::: Eiffel tower by dusk. And yes, I could hold it in my hands, muahaha ::

:: Eiffel tower by night. At sporadic intervals, the tower turns sparkly like a thousand shiny stars competing for something ::

:: Eiffel tower up-close and personal. It's a giant I tell you. The Queue and waiting time is 45 min to an hour. We gave it a miss and walked for half an hour to take the giant ferris wheel instead. Afterall, they serve the same purpose :: You know when the Europeans say "it's just a 15 min walk " or "it's just round the corner", it;s NEVER just round the corner by Singaporean standards. By the time I walked from the Eiffel Tower to the ferris wheel, I was breathless. It was a half an hour hike and I had to cross 2 big bridges. Ok, so maybe I'm just weak.

::The 100-metre tall giant ferris wheel that cost 9 Euros per pax.
The ferris wheel is big but it is is only a quarter of the Eiffel Tower's height ::

:: I love heights and dangling in the air! The higher the better. This beats the para-sailing I did in Pattaya, Thailand::

:: At Montmarte, this shop called Pylon sells the most interesting and eye-catching kitchen/household wares.

What a great business idea ;)
At the same time, check out my non-shiny leather Morgan boots, purchased it at a discounted rate in Paris ! Boots in Amsterdam are more costly than those in Paris, argh.

:: Cute alligator-shaped pizza cutters ::
:: Pylon's cute umbrellas! I was so tempted to buy but they were 20 Euros each (SGD 40, ouch!) :::: Traditional French food- Crepes! Expensive, even at the roadside stalls! This costs me 5 Euros at a restaurant (SGD 10 and I think this is so easy to make) ::

:: At the suburb with my new-found Afrique friends, haha ::