The title of this entry was inspired in part by the ABBA song, Our Last Summer, which ties in to my recent trip to Paris. But unlike the song, for me, my trip to Paris was not for romantic reasons. However, I definitely felt the romance while I was there, and Paris has it in spades.
A mate from Boston and myself decided to go to Paris while he was here. I organised the Eurostar tickets and the accommodation, and we both contributed ideas and researched the places we wanted to check out. In the end, we managed to cover quite a lot of area and attractions during our 3 days there. Paris is a very big city and 3 days wasn't enough to see everything. But we managed to see a lot of things, albeit at a rushed pace.
We saw the Arc de Triomphe, climbed the Eiffel Tower, went inside Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Les Invalides, Roland Garros and the Louvre, cruised down the Seine on a boat, checked out Moulin Rouge and walked down the Champs-Élysées.
Before I went to Paris, I tried to learn some French to speak to the locals. I covered greetings, etiquette, introducing yourself, where I come from and where I lived. It went rather well, as the locals seemed to want to know where I come from, so I just dished out the rehearsed line "Je viens de Nouvelle-Zélande, mais maintenant j'habite à Reading", which means "I come from New Zealand but now I live in Reading". I think I must have said that three times during my time there, and the locals seemed to be impressed (either with my French or my Kiwi heritage), with replies such as très bien and bon voyage! However the locals I spoke to also had good command of English, possibly because Paris is very cosmopolitan, so when they spoke English to me, I replied to them in beginners level French.
I can't really think of a single attraction that did it for me. The entire city of Paris captivated me, with its friendly people, tree lined streets, historic buildings, food (pain au chocolat, or chocolate croissants, are to die for), and, of course, the beautiful French ladies which I couldn't help look at! Paris is a lot like London in a way. Both are big cities, have similar public transport systems, and has a river that basically divides the city. However Paris has a certain romanticism to it, which London doesn't seem to have. Hence I found Paris to be really endearing, in particular the tree lined streets, and the French style outdoor cafes.
I wouldn't hesitate visiting her again, and when I do, I hope to arm myself with more French to really get along with the locals.
Paris restaurants
Our last summer
Morning croissants
Living for the day, worries far away
Our last summer
We could laugh and play.
A mate from Boston and myself decided to go to Paris while he was here. I organised the Eurostar tickets and the accommodation, and we both contributed ideas and researched the places we wanted to check out. In the end, we managed to cover quite a lot of area and attractions during our 3 days there. Paris is a very big city and 3 days wasn't enough to see everything. But we managed to see a lot of things, albeit at a rushed pace.
We saw the Arc de Triomphe, climbed the Eiffel Tower, went inside Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Les Invalides, Roland Garros and the Louvre, cruised down the Seine on a boat, checked out Moulin Rouge and walked down the Champs-Élysées.
Before I went to Paris, I tried to learn some French to speak to the locals. I covered greetings, etiquette, introducing yourself, where I come from and where I lived. It went rather well, as the locals seemed to want to know where I come from, so I just dished out the rehearsed line "Je viens de Nouvelle-Zélande, mais maintenant j'habite à Reading", which means "I come from New Zealand but now I live in Reading". I think I must have said that three times during my time there, and the locals seemed to be impressed (either with my French or my Kiwi heritage), with replies such as très bien and bon voyage! However the locals I spoke to also had good command of English, possibly because Paris is very cosmopolitan, so when they spoke English to me, I replied to them in beginners level French.
I can't really think of a single attraction that did it for me. The entire city of Paris captivated me, with its friendly people, tree lined streets, historic buildings, food (pain au chocolat, or chocolate croissants, are to die for), and, of course, the beautiful French ladies which I couldn't help look at! Paris is a lot like London in a way. Both are big cities, have similar public transport systems, and has a river that basically divides the city. However Paris has a certain romanticism to it, which London doesn't seem to have. Hence I found Paris to be really endearing, in particular the tree lined streets, and the French style outdoor cafes.
I wouldn't hesitate visiting her again, and when I do, I hope to arm myself with more French to really get along with the locals.
Paris restaurants
Our last summer
Morning croissants
Living for the day, worries far away
Our last summer
We could laugh and play.
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