Falling In Love With The City Of Love

By Nurul Afida Kamaludin PARIS, March 28 (Bernama) -- Bonjour! The city of romance that is Paris can indeed make visitors fall in love. With it, that is. From its mesmerizing architecture to the malls selling exclusive designer items, this beautiful city spanning an area of over 86.9 square kilometres can really enchant visitors. One of its unique attractions is its historical buildings such as museums and palaces. Those who prefer to bask in the natural beauty of the city will find they enjoy it more during sunset. One can explore the city on foot or by taxi, bus, boat or the popular Metro line (a subway). A visit to Paris in mid-February, while it is still winter, may be more beneficial for tourists. They can enjoy lower hotel and apartment rates while shopping malls, boutiques and stores tend to offer up to 50 per cent discounts on their goods. Tourist hotspots also tend to be less crowded during this time. Paris reportedly receives some 30 million tourists a year. VACATIONING IN PARIS Ku Farid Ku Yassin, a Malaysian businessman living in Paris, said that generally, vacationing in the city tends to cost more during school holidays and Christmas and Easter holidays. The cost of living here is lower if one visits during winter or summer holidays. He recommends that tourists with a mid-range budget plan their holidays to Paris adequately to ensure they do not miss out on any tourist attractions in the city. "The best time to holiday in Paris is between February and May, when you can experience the wonderful weather at the end of winter and the beginning of spring," he said. The writer’s visit to Paris was a brief one, so she had chosen a taxi to take her around the city. The taxi driver, Stephen Lieu, was from Vietnam but was of Chinese descent. He migrated to Paris in 1980 and was more than familiar with the city, providing an elaborate explanation of every monument and stop along the way. A HISTORICAL CITY The writer began her tour by visiting Ile de la Cite, a tiny medieval island by the River Seine. This is where the Notre Dame de Paris, better known as the Notre Dame Cathedral, is located. The cathedral, considered France’s most perfect example of gothic architecture, was built in 1163 and completed in 1330. The writer was then drawn to the row of boats along the riverbank and those on the River Seine, which is said to be the pulse of the city. Many tourists find the boat rides to be the most enjoyable way to tour Paris. According to the brochure, the boat ride lasts about an hour. It starts from the Bateaux-Mouches base and ends in front of the Eiffel Tower. Every destination is separated by one of 37 bridges across the length of the river. The River Seine runs from east to west, dividing Paris into the Right Bank (upstream) and the Left Bank. The Right Bank is a small industrial area with warehouses and offices, whereas the Left Bank is where the artists and scholars like to congregate. The bridges are a favourite among lovers who choose to 'lock their love' by placing padlocks on the bridge railing before throwing the keys into the River Seine. TOWER OF LOVE The next destination is the Eiffel Tower, located at Champ de Mars. The grand steel structure is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a World Heritage Site. A favourite spot for photographs among tourists is the Pont Alexandre III, a bridge near the four main pillars and a golden horse statue. The bridge connects Des Invalides and Grand Palais–Champs Elysees. Champs-Elysees Avenue is a favourite tourist shopping destination with its abundance of cafes, designer goods stores and cinemas. The next stop is the Place de la Concorde, famed for the execution of the French queen Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution in 1793. She was wife to Louis XVI. The Musee de Orsay (Orsay Museum) is located in the vicinity. It is one of the most renowned museums in Paris. A trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit to the Pont du Carrousel near the Louvre. It ranks among the largest of museums in Europe with an impressive collection of artwork including the Mona Lisa. The Louvre Museum, with its arresting architecture, is made further captivating with the Pyramide du Louvre, a glass and metal pyramid built in 1989 in the main courtyard of the Palais du Louvre. The pyramid is another of Paris’ landmarks and acts as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Another beguiling monument in Paris is the Arc De Triomphe, located in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Etoile) at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. However, it is rather difficult to get there by taxi due to the amount of traffic in the area. For a satisfying experience, one definitely needs to have enough time to fully explore the city of love. LANGUAGE Ku Farid advises visitors to Paris to learn a few common French phrases such as 'bonjour' (hello) and 'merci' (thank you) to make it easier to communicate with the locals. The beauty of Paris is eternalised in many Hollywood and Bollywood films. It is also a favourite shooting location for several Malaysian drama series. The latest Hollywood film to have the city as its backdrop is Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris', which has also been nominated in the Best Film Category in the 2011 Oscars. -- BERNAMA