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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