Hoofing it in the Latin Quarter

Spent the day in Paris. Extremely footsore, but quite happy. Luq and I must have traipsed through the entire Latin Quarter - we spent nine long hours simply walking around, taking photos and wandering wherever our fancy takes us. Luq was pretty embarassed by my 'touristy' attitude. *Sigh* What's the point of going to a new place if you don't give in to your inner shutterbug?

Wanted to go to the Musee de Lourve, but it was really crowded. We DID traverse the length of the Lourve three times in our quest for new sights, though! It was huge - but my feet really did not appreciate it.

Walking along the River Seine and cruising along it in a boat are very different experiences. On the boat, everything passes by really quickly - good for a snapshot of the places lining the river, but it's only if you actually tread the streets on your own two feet that you see the finer details in the carvings, and the painstaking effort their creators had put in. Wow.

Went to Notre Dame and took some photos outside. Grand, gothic... The gargoyles were pretty cool, and the carvings decorating the exterior spectacular. Hard to believe all that was done through sheer artistry and what must have taken a whole ton of chisels. Couldn't get in, though - the queue snaking outside ensured that. Guess we'll have to visit Paris' sights some other day, when admittance is not free like today.

Still, the very age of the city takes one's breath away. There's more history and culture here in one street than in most other countries, and what's truly amazing is that they have weathered it all relatively intact! Especially given the fervour of the French Revolution, and the fire-happy instincts of the mob mentality.

Interestingly, there are a lot of sorbet shops in Paris. There must have been one or two at every street corner. Hm... isn't it cold enough without cooling your insides? But I bet they'd be really welcome in summer. Yum Yum.

Japanese restaurants have also become ubiquitous in Paris. Must have walked past at least six or seven different outlets. It's really strange, though, to see Caucasians sitting happily in an Oriental setting, chatting over a cup of green tea and wielding chopsticks with relative ease. You don't even see that very often in Singapore, but here, it seems to be the norm and not an oddity.

Spotted two really lovely bags, but the first, at 70+ euro, was way too expensive. Cute, though, and pretty unique. It had a Japanese silk painting on one side, and I really like the shape, which is kind of like an upturned chef's hat.

We may joke about people living under the bridge, but it's really sad when you actually encounter someone doing it. Took a photo of what looked like a bunch of rags, but turned out to be a man sleeping in a 'nest' of cast-offs. Can't imagine how he survives the cold, but he seemed pretty blase about it. Still, I would think it's not exactly a great way to spend one's night.

The weather was so cold that even the policemen guarding some of the public buildings in France were snugly enclosed in man-sized little glass cases. And there I was thinking that was a very beautifully coloured, life-like statue!

Boating through Paris

Did the grand tour of Paris on a boat today: the "bateau mouche" (literally "boat wipes" in French), courtesy of my school's student committee. It was marvellous! Definitely an experience to be recommended to those who come to Paris.

Initially, though, I was a little disappointed. Had thought that we were going to Paris by chartered bus, and so started being Ms Grouch when we were led to the train station. Did my accounts last night, and discovered that I had overspent by a hundred euros, mostly because of my new boots and having to settle in. Had decided to tighten my belt for the next few weeks to make up for this, and so didn't appreciate having to fork out a 9.90 euro return ticket to Paris from my already-slim funds.

The journey was quite long, over an hour, so I guess it was a pretty fair price to pay. Unfortunately, the train was really crowded, so we couldn't get a seat. Had to stand all the way to the Franklin D Roosevelt Station even after we changed trains at Chatre Havernay.

Next, we were brought on a walking tour of Paris (or what felt like it, only without the tour guide blaring out names and synopses of the buildings we passed by). Took tons of photos along the way, all the while feeling smug about my good sense in wearing flats (aka slippers) for the tour.

It was a really hot day, and turned even warmer as we stood in the sun waiting in line to enter the boat. Could feel myself wilting, and the jacket in my arms only added to the overall temperature... Hadn't been this hot since before the monsoon season in Singapore!

Got myself a seat in the second row, and waited for the rest of the passengers to embark. Was almost five o'clock by the time the boat finally unmoored from the pier. Which meant the entire afternoon had been spent getting to Paris and the boat, since we had congregated in school at 1.45 pm!

Once we set off, though, the experience more than made up for the minor hiccups along the way. The view was stunning, and we got to see Paris from its underbelly. Simply stood at the rail and gave in to my trigger-happy instincts. Didn't stop until it was almost time to get off.

Passed by many famous Parisian landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower (that oh-so-phallic icon of Paris), the Louvre, the Bastille, Notre Dame, and even a miniature Statue of Liberty! The last, and the Eiffel Tower, were the ones that got the other passengers' cameras on the go too.

The people lining the river were the other (albeit unintended) highlight of the trip. Some were out for a leisurely picnic, but most were sunbathing. There was even an elderly lady who had simply taken her top off, pushed her bra straps down and was soaking in the sun on a deserted stretch of 'beach' (in my album, Boating on River Seine II). Guess cold/warmth is really all about perspectives. The sunbathers probably loved the balmy weather, while I was uncomfortably reminded of the not-so-beloved tropics I had just escaped from.

We also met lots of other watercraft, ranging from riverboat tours like ours (only with more frills) to themed cruises, restaurant boats (Maxim's was very prominent, luxurious, and even had a grand piano inside!) and what looked like private barges. Damn, wish I own one, and could sail down the River Seine... maybe all the way to the Nile... There was even one where a lady was kicking back on a deck chair, shielded by an enormous umbrella, sipping tea and tapping away on her keyboard. All alone! And on another part of the river, was a small boat named Popeye (above. It is also in my album: Boating on River Seine II)). Serious!

Maybe not very surprisingly, there are numerous bridges along the river. We hear many stories about French cuisine, French architecture, but very little about the criss-crossing arches connecting one part of Paris to the other. Well, I think there should be more. Each bridge had its own personality, and many of the older bridges had intricately carved details embossed on their surface - a detail that has been left out of the grand, inspiring but starkly impersonal architecture of today.