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| View from the open-top-bus tour of Paris; the Place de la Concorde |
With the help of cousin Bernice, we planned a special summer
holiday with our mothers in London before heading to Paris by train on the
Eurostar and after a brief break back in London, we took a flight to Rome for a
visit that included the Vatican City.
With accommodation arranged in advance, it was a
free-and-easy trip for us to find our way around the city and visit the
must-see sites in Paris.
I remember we shared a clean, cosy and comfortable
room for four, tucked in an attic-like space where the roof sloped down, and we
dubbed it the triangle room!
Pearly and I studied the maps and chartered the course
for our walking tours to see as many of the tourist sites as possible and decided
on joining an open-top-bus tour.
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| Mum, Aunty Polly and I on the Champs-Elysees with the Arc de Triomphe and the busy round-about in the background |
This drive-about gave us a perspective of the city
layout and a glimpse at the various destinations that we wanted to visit (later)
for a better experience.
Our hotel was walking distance to the Champs-Elysees
and the Arc de Triomphe, one of the most popular landmarks in Paris.
Built in 1806 to commemorate the triumphal battles of
Napoleon Bonaparte, the arch features intricate relief carvings that depicted
victorious battles and engraved names of many who died fighting for the
emperor.
I remember how the infamous round-about that encircled
the arch, was choked with noise and smog as a non-stop stream of motor vehicles
inched their way around.
From photos of this site during the lockdown in France,
this arch and round-about looked a world of difference, much like a picture
postcard, free from any vehicles!
On our open-top-bus tour, we saw the Place de la
Concorde, the largest square in Paris that featured an intricate fountain and
an ancient Egyptian obelisk.
The historical significance of this square was that
the French King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and many other evil ones were
guillotined here during the French Revolution.
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| The Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum |
The intricate carvings on the fountains, bridges,
building architecture and artistically designed monuments throughout the city brought
to my mind, snippets of history lessons on the Renaissance era. (I was glad I
paid attention in class!)
A visit to Paris cannot be complete without a visit to
the world-renowned Notre Dame Cathedral, a 13th century landmark
that features soaring towers in a classic example of French Gothic
architecture.
It was a bright sunny day outside but the inside the
cathedral, where devotees lit candles to pray, it was dark and gloomy. In the
semi-darkness, I was still able to admire the Gothic carvings, beautiful
sculptures and stained-glass windows.
I am grateful that we could admire the magnificence of
this landmark and its contents because a massive fire in April 2019 destroyed
parts of the cathedral.
Since the fire, the damage has yet to be repaired due
to the delay caused by the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown in the city.
Then we joined the throng of visitors in the Louvre
Museum to appreciate priceless works of art by Michelangelo, Rembrandt and
Rubens, among other Renaissance greats.
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| Sculpture that depicted the legendary founding of Rome seen in the Louvre Museum in Paris |
I was deeply moved by many paintings that were
inspired by Bible scripture that depicted captivating and awe-inspiring scenes
of the betrayal, the crucifixion and even a portrait of the beheaded head of
John the Baptist, presented on a plate!
Then we patiently took our turn in the long queue to
have a closer look at the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
Unlike some of the larger works of art on display, the
framed portrait of this famous lady with that mystic smile, was comparatively
small.
There were also countless sculptures of the human body
– some gigantic in size – and I recall being fascinated at the perfect symmetry
and proportion achieved by the sculptors.
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| Mum and Aunty Polly climbing Eiffel Tower |
With Rome as our next European destination, I was
thrilled to see a famous sculpture that depicted the legendary founding of Rome
in the 8th Century BC.
The most popular of Roman myths must be the story of
twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, infants who were suckled by a she-wolf.
When recent pictures of the Louvre Museum with the
signature glass pyramid at its entrance were flashed across the television
screen, I felt a pang of sadness because the museum was closed due to the
Lockdown.
Sadly, the only way to admire and appreciate this
collection of famous artworks now was via a virtual museum tour.
An icon which is synonymous with Paris, the Eiffel
Tower, was a definite must-see destination for us.
Some visitors had the misfortune to visit the Eiffel
Tower when it was closed for renovation or for other reasons, but this most
photographed tourist attraction in Paris was ready and waiting for us.
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| Spot three figures of mum, Aunty and Pearly on the first level of the Eiffel Tower |
I remember feeling dwarfed when I sat under the
towering iron structure and watched as my mother, sister and aunty climbed the
staircase up to the first level while I stayed to capture a photo of them up
there.
Throughout our stay, the weather was clear, cool and
bright so we enjoyed walking about – guided by street maps – and dined at
sidewalk cafes, in true Parisian style.
Among other dishes to savour in typical French
cuisine, we enjoyed baked escargots or edible snails, for Starters.
Sheltered by leafy trees, we walked on shady streets
and the banks of the Seine, basking in the sun and cooled by chilly winds while
we browsed around for interesting crafts and souvenirs.
It was interesting that on one of our walks, we
arrived at a bridge which I believed, was close to the Pont de l’Alama tunnel
where Diana, Princess of Wales, and others were involved in that fatal car
crash on 31 August 1997.
From popular tourist spots to a poignant place in the
French capital, our Paris experience was certainly unforgettable for a host of
reasons.
Top of the list was how our mothers, in their advanced
age, could keep the pace to enjoy consecutive days of walks and climbs, in a
truly memorable trip in Paris.
Merci beaucoup, Paree!
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