Paris Day 1 - One of those really bad days!

Paris! I am in Paris! Yeppy!!!

 

The chaotic airport train terminal.

The flight from Lyon to Paris was only a short one hour flight. After the expensive experience we had in Lyon, we decided to venture ourselves with Paris Metro to get to our hotel. It was cheap! Just a mere 8 Usd per pax but it was hell! From CGD airport, we went to information counters to ask how and where to board or un-board stations in order to get to our hotel but we were given different information at different counters! In the end, we had to take a map and call up the hotel to get the most accurate information and then we were set to go. It took us more than 1 hour to get to the hotel. It took us 2 different stops and different metro lines altogether. The worst part was we have to climb the flights of stairs whenever we changed lines with a heavy suitcase. Of course i cant complaint because i wasnt the one handling the suitcase but nonetheless, it was still a very tiring experience. Unlike Lyon where pubic transports are new and city is clean, Paris is the opposite entirely! The metro was dirty with gratifies, the tunnels were slightly dark and the city is filthy with litters too. It must have been one of those "bad days' that we both had because after which we reached our station, we called up the hotel again to ask the right direction to walk to. Somehow we went back and forth the same street for 30 minutes but could not find the right one to turn into. The maps and directions on the local shelters were as confusing as well! And by then both of us were stressed out. Fortunately, we managed to find the hotel at last. Can you believe it that if we have gotten the right way in the first place it would have only took us 3 mins walking time??? Even the hotel staff who answered the phone earlier asked us what happened. We were too tired to answer him.

By the time we put our bags down, it was already 2pm. We landed in the airport at 11am. There went our precious 3 hours for nothing. Since i have booked a local sight seeing tour at 3pm, we have to rush to the gathering point. Hungry and stressed, we rushed to the metro again but this time luckily, we got the right lines and we were at our meeting point by 240pm. The worst was we were so hungry! So we quickly went into the nearest cafe and ordered for food. I wonder if it was our luck or was it because we were in Paris. The service was really bad! We have to hail the waiter for at least 4 times before he came to give us the menu and another couple of times before he came to order. When the food arrived, we had less than 10 mins to swallow our food! Stress! At the end, we didnt finished our food but have to rush and pay the bill and rush to the bus to start our tour.

We were told that we were the last to get onboard. And because of that we have to sit separately since everyone else have already seated. Both of us got the aisle seat and hence it was really difficult for me to snap any good pictures. And since we were so tired from all the rushing, i fell asleep 10 mins after the tour started and so did KC. When i woke up again, it was almost to the end of the tour. Money wasted on sleeping! Argggh!

Please tuned into channel 5 for English translation.

A gift from the ancient Egypt to Louise XXI (i think)..

The Arch where all the victims of the world war will always be remembered.

Our final stop for the coach tour stopped at Eiffel Tower. It was an awesome view because the Eiffel Tower is really a gigantic metal and it was so tall! It is so difficult to snap the whole of Eiffel Tower with camera. And the queue to get in was really long as well! I was freezing because Eiffel Tower is situated next to the River and the wind was blowing heavily. Luckily for the tour, we managed to cut the queue and was in the base of the tower waiting to catch the next lift up to the 2nd level of the tower, which is about 80 sum stories high (i think, i cant remember). And this reminded me of the movie "Sleepless in Seattle" when Tom Hanks met Meg Ryan there at night in the last scene. If i were them, i would have been freeze to death! What doesnt make sense is because the queue to get into Eiffel Tower is always long, so what makes both of them being able to be there at the exact time? If so they must have gotten into the tower like 5 hours before? hahaha. There goes a romantic movie for me. Anyway were were so awed by the views. And we had ice creams too! Hahahh to add to the coldness in us but it was fun. At the end i was feeling a little shaky and had to go down. Once we were down, we just sat at the grass and did some people watching.

It says "Beware of pickpockets!"

Those selling illegal souvenirs. They ran away when the cops came in bikes.

Cofi will love France! Her kinds everywhere... Eiffel Tower, Train, Bus, Cruise, Toilet.....

After that we proceeded to the cruise tour (ya another cruise tour). Since Paris is a famous tourist attraction and i bet every month there must be thousands of visitors doing the same thing like us, the cruise company had came out with a very comprehensive translations guide. All we have to do is to pick up the handset at the side of our seat, which look like a huge sqare telephone handset, tune to whatever channel we want to listen in ( English is in channel 2) and just listen to the translated guide. It was awesome! Along the way we saw a lot of cruises, big and small, turned into restaurants. We even saw a few having wedding ceremony as well. Isnt that romantic? A great way to get married! The whole cruise will take us passing by the Louvre, Notre Dame and others significant places which i have long forgotten by now. And the best thing from the cruise was being able to snap the whole Eiffel Tower finally. The Eiffel Tower was glittering when i took the shot from the sunshine of the sun set....

What a great view to end the day.. glittering view of Eiffel Tower.