AmyHuang
For the love of Paris
Moulin Rouge lights up the night
Paris has been heavily romanticised. I don’t know very many people who didn’t say “Oh I can’t wait to go to Paris!”, rolling their eyes backwards and fantasised about strolling on the street armed with a Prada bag, a curly white poodle in one arm and a baguette under the other. Many women especially dream of falling in love with Paris and kissing someone on top of the Eiffel Tower. Movies have long used Paris as the city of love, of women wearing overly expensive trench coats with overly large sunglasses and handbags, escorted by overly well manner and well groomed gentlemen.
Well, WAKE UP! The reality is, Paris is really just an ordinary city. It may have the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but we also have the Sydney Tower and the Opera House. The passionate and fiery dancers as dramatised in Moulin Rouge cost €100 a show and double that to have dinner included. Not exactly in everyone’s budget.
So what has Paris to offer again? Looking down from Montmartre Hill, Paris is a field of grey with nothing notably interesting to be excited about. The Eiffel Tower cost €7 and half an hour’s wait to get to the top for a ten minute view. It takes half a day trying to get into The Louvre, and you probably will only have time to see 10% of what is being exhibited. Arc de Triumph and its unmarked lanes of traffic can only fascinate you for a while, then you stroll to the Notre Dame, circle around it, take a couple of photos, and at the end of the day, you just end up shopping. Not that shopping is a bad thing to do in Paris – it is the fashion capital after all, enjoyable only if you over look the amount of dog dropping on the streets.
So how else can you enjoy Paris?! I mean, let’s not ruin our fantasies. Looking closely, Paris is still a beautiful city, and the best way to explore it, is on the bike.
Rent a bike and ride around Paris. Best time is an hour before sunset, where you still have light to take good photographs, and experience the city gradually lighting up. Paris has been named the city of light, and it has very dramatic effects. One by one, as you ride along the many side cobbled streets, the lights ignite to lead the way. Buildings turn from dull grey to a warm yellow glow, and the sparkle of the Eiffel Tower creates a romantic backdrop. Having a bike also means you are able to avoid getting dog droppings on your shoes.
As most of attractions are along the river, another alternative, and perhaps a less physical one, is to take a river cruise along the Seine. Leisurely watch the change in landscape and architecture, as well as having your hands free ready for the perfect shot. To spice up your ride, bring a bottle of wine, a stick of baguette and a block of cheese to enjoy on board.
Eiffel Tower shines at night
Passer un bon moment!
