Viewing Paris from Along the River Seine

If sightseeing on foot or by bus is too boring for you, there is another way to view the beauty of the city of Paris. You may consider viewing Paris from along the river Seine. There are a lot of boats operators in Paris offering boat excursion to view Paris from along the river Seine. Depending on your choice, most boat operators offer lunch and dinner on the cruise as well. When we were in Paris, we rode the boat provided by well-known boat company, Bateaux Mouches. 

The name "Bateaux Mouches" translates literally into "fly boats" ("fly" here is referring to the insect). However, Wikipedia said that the name arose because they were originally manufactured in boatyard situated in the Mouche area of Lyon. Since the river Seine is centrally situated in Paris, the boat tour covers a great deal of the city. Both the left bank (rive gauche) and the right bank (rive droite) are visible from the boat. The boat is also offering the best view of Pont Alexandre III, which is the most extravagant bridge in the city of Paris.

Pont Alexandre III connects the Champs-Elysees quarter with Invalides and Eiffel Tower area. When you are passing the bridge, you can see clearly there is a relief at the centre of the bridge. It is named the "Nymphs of the Seine". 

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A lot of Parisians are spotted enjoying their evening stroll and having a chit chat session along the river bank. We do not have this luxury in Jakarta especially since the river is so dirty, it's brown in color and there are a lot of illegal settlements alongside the river banks. 

Another famous landmark in Paris which can be seen from the boat is the Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and it is among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. 

Last but not least, tourists will be able to see Eiffel Tower clearly from the boat as well. Despite seeing it for numerous times, one can't help but to feel amazed by the tower. 

The cruise trips last around one hour and it costs Eur 13.50 for an adult, without meal. If you are interested in finding out the complete details of the price, you can check it out at their website. 

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Les Invalides, the best photo spot to shoot the Eiffel Tower

Bonjour! Hope you guys having a great sleep (if you happen to just wake up from your dream, it is). If you are not, well, hello anyway. Let's continue our adventure in Paris, shall we? After having nice breakfast over at Hotel Mercure, we hopped on our bus and ready to go to see the one and only Eiffel Tower. Since our hotel is only 5km away, our journey did not take very long. For now, let's wave hello to the river Seine once again. We will see a lot of Seine later on. 

Right, every tourists in Paris will definitely go to the Eiffel Tower with one objective in mind, to take picture of the whole tower. But we did not have to be a math genius to figure out that it is impossible to take picture of the whole tower if we stand too close to the tower. With that theory in mind, where is the best photo spot to shoot the Eiffel Tower then?

While we were thinking about that question, our bus driver has stopped to let us alight at Les Invalides. Les Invalides is a complex of buildings in Paris which consist of museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, which is the building's original purpose. Okay, I took the whole thing from Wikipedia so I guess the fact should be pretty accurate. Our tour guide also mentions that the building is also served as a national institution for disabled war veterans. The famous Napoleon Bonaparte, a French military leader, is also buried here.

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 The complex itself is huge so we did not have time to enter the building. Sigh. One thing about joining a tour group is the inflexibility. But I suppose we have to live with it. When we visited Les Invalides, the yard was used for some photoshoot or filming project. Quite a happening event. 

Oh right, of course I have not forgotten about the Eiffel Tower. Les Invalides which is located just across the Eiffel Tower, is happened to be the best photo spot to shoot the Eiffel Tower. Don't believe me? Ta-dah! Whole levels of the Eiffel Tower captured in one shot with the blue sky and white clouds as an added bonus. =P

Access to the second floor of Eiffel Tower is available for sales (full rates are available here) to tourists. However, a lot of travellers comment that the queue for the tickets (or the lifts, I am not very sure) can take at least 2 to 3 hours. So, do plan your time wisely if you want to include climbing up the Eiffel Tower as part of your itinerary. 

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A Snapshot of Paris from My Window Bus

Even before stepping on the soil of Paris, I have fallen in love with the city. Paris is such a beautiful city and no wonder a lot of poets associates Paris with love and romance. So, since the summer day is still young, the sun is still in the air, our bus driver continued to bring us circling the city of Paris. This is fun because this means I can continue taking a snapshot of Paris from my window bus. Or snapshots I suppose. One click will not be enough when you are travelling to Paris. 

One thing that I noticed, Paris has a lot of bridges crossing over the river Seine. In fact, there is a total of 37 bridges in Paris. From the total of 37, there are three pedestrian bridges and two rail bridges. At the moment, we are passing by one of the bridge named Pont d'Austerlitz. Pont means bridge I suppose. It owes its name to the battle of Austerlitz in the year 1805. 

The bridge itself was constructed four years before the battle of Austerlitz. When it was first constructed, the width is not wide enough up to the point it was considered dangerous. Hence, another construction was done to widen the bridge until it is ready for its second inauguration in 1885. 

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A few metres ahead lies another bridge. This time, let's say hello to Pont d'lena which links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank of river Seine to the district of Trocadero on the right bank. The bridge was opened in the year 1814. 

After a series of bridge, we passed by a random cemetery in Paris. The cemetery is not as flowerful as what we have seen in Brussels before. 

Before we know it, it was already near 8pm at night even though the sky still looks pretty bright thanks to the summer time. But our bus driver needs to finish off his day soon and hence, we were going to the hotel pretty soon to check in. Okay, see you another day then! 

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The beginning of my adventure in Paris

Four hours away by coach from Brussels is the beginning of my adventure in Paris. My first impression of Paris, well, the traffic was quite horrendous. Especially on the highway entering Paris. We were stuck for nearly one hour just to reach the city centre of Paris. In addition, we were not really impressed by the suburbia of Paris because it is just look kinda unkempt and not safe. Our tour guide also advise us not to stay in any hotel located in the suburb of Paris even though they may cost cheaper than the hotel in downtown Paris. A lot of burglary occurs at these hotels, apparently. 

After a number of stories unfold, we have finally arrived at the downtown Paris. Ah, the beautiful city of Paris turns out to be amazing. The city is full of beautiful architectures. 

Alongside the River Seine, there are a lot of booksellers setting up a street-store. These booksellers are referred to as "Bouquinistes". They sells used and antiquarian books and they set up their trade along both banks of the Seine. The tradition of selling second-hand books has began since the 16th century. Wow, never thought the Parisian loves reading so much in these modern days.

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I was so excited when our bus passing by the Louvre Museum. This is the most iconic and historical museum in Paris. After the movie called Da Vinci Code coming up, the museum become more and more famous. My friend's father, a fan of the Louvre, can spend six days to admire the museum. While our tour group, did not even have any minute to spend inside. *cry*

We were also passing by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Wikipedia says that the arch was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorate Napoleon's military victories of the previous year. It was built in the same year with Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile, which is across the Champs Elysees. 

This is just the beginning of my adventure in Paris. Can't wait to find out more about the city tomorrow morning! 

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