We emerged from our long, though blessedly uneventful, flight at Charles de Gaulle airport. I found a strong Wi-Fi connection as soon as I turned my phone back on. My data roaming was turned off, so I became a bit of a Wi-Fi hunter while in Europe – easy in some places, harder in others, but more on this in a later post. The terminal was smaller than I’d imagined and it seemed that in the time it took to check in on Facebook we were already at our luggage carousel, waiting for our bags. Then Keira shouted, “There they are!” and I said no way, too early. Still, I looked over, and, lo! She was right, there they were, rattling their way down the chute. Bam. What an excellent start.
We made our way to the trains, just a short walk away. It was quiet and the ticket barriers were mysteriously open. What did that mean? We looked at the screens and ticket dispensers, over which the same messages were written and stuck on. “Free public transport today.” Double bam.
As the train wound its way closer towards the city, I caught sight of the Sacré-Cœur to my right. Built on top of a hill that seems to sprout from nowhere, it is as white and beautiful as all the pictures show. Even on the cold and dreary day we’d arrived. There it is! I said, although the rest of the family were less excited, only wanting to get to our apartment and dump the gear, check things out and possibly get some sleep. Not necessarily in that order.
The train stop closest to our apartment was Châtelet, one of the largest in Paris, with a series of underground tunnels to distribute the foot traffic that – to the newly arrived – was quite bewildering. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for pre-tracking the route we needed to take on street view in Google Maps, so when we popped up to the surface, I knew exactly where to go.
These sunny, cloudless shots were taken on the Monday. With the public transport still free due to the bad pollution levels, we all decided to ‘make hay’ and take advantage of the weather. It’s as well we did, because this was the only good day we had. The train trip out to Montmartre was a real experience, with people hopping on to the train, giving political rants between stations and, as you walked up the steep incline, there was the unmistakable smell of human shit. Along with cats – Keira was delighted to find abundant numbers of cats in Europe, and the sightings began here.
The above photo was taken at the top of the Sacré-Cœur. I had quite an anxious moment up there. The safety rails to stop people falling over were, fine, I guess… if a thin bar at mid-level height is okay for you. And it wasn’t for me when kids are around. I kept a tight hold on to the back of Riley’s jacket, just in case (and I was not popular for that bit of protectiveness). My anxieties improved once we moved around to an area that was protected a little bit better and I was able to enjoy the view a lot more. And just look at it. The Eiffel Tower dominates the landscape, but is offered a bit of competition from the economic district to the right.
From there, we travelled down to the Arc de Triomphe. So from there, about an hour later, we stood and looked back at the place we’d just been, high above. By this point, due to the temperature and all the walking we had to go, we were stripping off our coats. The sunshine was glorious, almost as glorious as the view.
This is the Champs-Élysées, as grand an avenue as I anticipated. What I didn’t anticipate were the amount of armed soldiers underneath the Arc and positioned close by on terrorist alert. Standing up there, you get to fully marvel at that how-it-is-even-possible multi-exit roundabout below, one of the busiest junctions in Europe, you have to gather your courage to attempt crossing. I saw baby smart cars take on buses; motorbikes carrying lumber and goods dart on out; and some cars come to a stop in the middle, like their drivers were afflicted by confusion or timidity (or both). Truly fascinating.
Nothing really makes a statement like a gold gilded gate and this almost the first thing you see as you approach the royal palace of Versailles. It was a cold, rainy day and you can see – without any image editing – how much it almost glows. I knew from looking at this, and the reputation of the place, that we were in for some eye-popping lavishness. But the royal apartments weren’t my favourite. They were too crowded. Even though the temperature had dipped even more by the time we got outside, I preferred being out there, walking the stunning gardens, down the back towards the more intimate Marie Antoinette’s estate.
You can see the dappled patterns on the water from the rain. Out here, away from the crowds, it was easier to form a proper impression of the place and space. You could locate yourself there, from the sound of the rain, to your feet crunching the pebbles, to listening to the kids as they talked nearby. Once that was done, I was able to look back at the building and think to myself, “Goodness, once upon a time, Marie Antoinette gazed out of those same windows. And here am I, now.” It’s a bit trippy.
One the highlights was the Eiffel Tower.
We walked there in the afternoon after visiting the Louvre and the anticipation kept building, as we weaved through the streets, getting closer and closer, catching glimpses of the top. The question was: when would we finally see the whole thing? And then, boom, there it is. And when you go to stand underneath it, it’s almost too large for your eyes to take in, so much is happening: the crowds, the elevators in a constant up-and-down, taking visitors up the different levels. It’s a structure that’s art because of the beauty born from the utility of iron and the delicacy of latticework; it has triumphed over the controversial beginnings of its construction and continued to symbolise the ideals it embodies. Every angle is different and compelling. You keep glancing back, hoping to find another secret.
Wonderful.
We didn’t make it to the top, and I don’t even mind. Would climbing higher enhance the experience? Possibly. Maybe one day, but for now I’m more than happy to hold on to my ground level appreciation for it.
Here’s a short video with highlights!
What’s a Living List? Look here.
