Europe on a shoestring - Day 14 (Paris) [October 7, 2005]

The next day we got up early and after a simple (but free) breakfast of croissants, juice and coffee we headed off to our first stop - the Arc de Triomphe. Again it was a labyrinth of walkways and two changes - but finally we emerged at our destination, which was bathed in fog. It stood in the middle of a roundabout with a tunnel connecting the periphery to the monument. And rightfully so given that there were no traffic lanes and God help the person who tries to cross the cobbled street on foot.

On the other side the monument rises high above the ground with the striking Amazonian female warrior Marseillaise leading the way in a rallying war cry on one side, and the names of different generals and officers who died in battle etched all over the structure. The tomb of the unknown soldier also rests at this place. We then trudged up the many steps to look at the view from the top - but before spent some time in the small museum on the top dedicated to the memory of Napolean and his victories. It detailed the hardships his men had to endure and his tactical methodologies which granted him victories at Austerlitz and other places against great odds. Napolean, although eventually defeated does still serve as France's greatest hero.
Interestingly though the panoramic view was nothing like I had thought - with a heavy fog reducing visibility to a few hundred meters - and sights like the Eiffel tower barely visible through the fog. Returning back down we took a walk along the Champs Elysees - which is full of designer wear and.. McDonalds. But what interested us the most were the car showrooms with Renaults Concept car and Mercedes - yes the Mclaren SLR on display.

McLaren SLR - definitely worth a visit

By then it was nearing 13:00 and we looked for a place to eat - and Champs Elysees didnt quite seem like the place to find food to fit our budget. So it was again back to the guide book - and we chose a historical gastronomic landmark - Chartier which opened is 1896 to provide affordable meals to ordinary people. Another train ride and a short walk brought us to the joint which resembled Bombay's Irani restraunts in certain ways. For lunch we had an appetizer of snail (escargots - which were served in what looked and tasted like green chutney), baked fish as main course (always fresh and lovely) and washed down with a glass of table wine. Awesome meal - costing only around $13 - and considering it was a sit down place - terrific value for money in Paris. About the snails - the only thing that i can say that they felt a bit like mussels - although the chutney masked any odd taste that one may experience.

a must see and eat while in Paris

From there it was all the way to the Louvre - with the passes helping skip all the long lines, have no clue why the others also do not do something similar... Now the Louvre is HUUUGE...and covers a hug number of ancient civilizations right till the modern age. Its nearly impossible (no i take that back - its IMPOSSIBLE) to see the museum in a day. I saw two large type of people in the Louvre - who i would take pity on (these types were at other museums we went to too). 1. The tour group - I guess the operators try to cram as much in one day as possible, so you tend to run through museums at the rapid pace. Its interesting to watch peoples interest levels especially if its their 4th or 5th museum of the day - with special mention reserved to the hangers-on (teh people who walk along the periphery of the group). Disinterest is the word for it... 2.The others are the 'I've been there, done that types' who come equipped with a camcorder and camera - at each painting there is an obligatory photograph or quick scan with the camcorder and then move on... what one gains from this - is anyones guess.

We chose to be selective and took upon the task of looking at just 40 odd sculptures and paintings - this took an entire 6 hours, but at the end of it we had got time to read, understand and appreciate the art. Samir was at his creative best and joined fellow artists at the base of the Samothrace and produced his second masterpiece....

The Samothrace of Samir

while i experimented with some trick photography of my own... some education, some fun - makes for a great time.

There was Tutenkhamen... and then was Samiramen :-)

In between we took a break and took a walk toward the Tuilerese gardens to take a breather before resuming our stroll through the museum. Before we left it was time for some more 'night in Paris' photography and then we walked right back to the Latin quarter to another restaurant for some fare - this time Italian.

Hotel de Ville - office of the mayor

The owner a gregarious Italiano - was delighted at our rudimentary Italian-speak and made for a nice culinary experience. At night we were greeted by our friendly Indian guard who indicated areas where we should visit to eat Indian food - little did he know that it was Indian and American food that we wanted to escape.