Day 16-17: Autumn in Paris

It an early morning arrival to the beautiful city of Paris. The weather was slightly chilly but the morning sunshine rays provided just enough warmth to see Paris slowly awake and transform into the brilliance its world renown for. This was my third visit to Paris - spanning 8 years each visit, and quite remarkably each visit has been at a different time of the year - Summer, Spring and now Autumn. As one can imagine, I was filled with excitement! To be in Paris during the Fall...to be walking the great long boulevards of Paris...to be 24 years old and in Paris. Even the heavy morning traffic didn't bother me, it only added to the excitement of once again being in this city!

I arrived at the posh and luxurious Westin hotel rather early (my room wasn't even ready yet!). So off I went for a quick stroll around the surrounding area. I walked to the beautifully manicured Parisian gardens just across the road from the Hotel - Jardin des Tuileries, realising once again why the Parisians are known everywhere for their impeccable style and taste. Everything is a living example of perfection! I found myself an empty bench to sit and ponder. To take in the scenery, to observe the Parisians walking pass me, to breath the fresh crisp morning air, to simply enjoy and soak in the fact that I'm actually on holidays! I could glance across and see the Eiffel tower at a distance. The feeling of being in Paris was gradually coming back to me. One can never tire of Paris.

One thing you can be certain about in Paris is that you will get good food! Once my Dad had arrived at the Hotel, we decided to treat ourselves to some good food at the hotel restaurant. I had a delicious scallops dish - the food looked like a piece of art that it took me minutes before finally succumbing to my hunger to eat it! Yes it may sound like I'm going over the top with how beautiful I found everything in Paris...but that truly was the most immaculate scallops main I've ever had and it looked just as good as it tasted. (If only I was Asian enough to snap a photo of my meal!) I loved the bread we ate too! The only disappointing thing about my almost perfect lunch was the loud Americans on the table next to us. More astonishing was the fact they ordered hamburgers!! But that really wasn't a big issue...having been in New York I've come to accept Americans for being who and what they are without discriminating too much :P

After lunch my dad had a business meeting...so I decided to join him for a walk before going off to do my own thing. I'm not quite sure about the route we decided to take...but I'm pretty sure we took the fashion boutiques route without realising! We walked past Hermes, Chanel, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Givenchy, Prada...and countless other boutiques. Never in my life had I seen so many Hermes Birkin & Kelly bags carried by women! I was impressed with the amount of effort these women put into their grooming too. (Being a young tourist...my daily wear included jeans, comfy top and sneakers! So it was quite a sight to see people dressed so stylishly!) Oh yes, did I mention it was fashion week in Paris too? I was trying to work out if this was the reason why I was seeing so many stylishly dressed people on the streets...or that this was just the norm for Paris?

I eventually made my way back to the Champs-Elysees. It may be clichéd...but how can a trip to Paris be complete without walking down the famous Champs-Elysees? I found my compass point - Arc de Triomphe! Again I walked along this great boulevard, walking pass numerous shops and cafes, heading towards the Jardin des Tuileries to marvel at the wonderful Fall colours of Paris. I really loved the colours of Paris at this time of the year - greens, reds, browns and shades in between. Just a beautiful sight!

Paris Day 1 was not a hectic day...it was almost a day off for me. There was no need to be rushed and to be at certain places at a designated time. A day off from all the museum and monuments visits. A day off from planning my daily itenary. It was a day to enjoy walking the long boulevards of Paris, hear the language actually spoken on the streets and well...a bit of that Paris shopping too! (More window shopping than actual purchasing...*sigh* I need a higher paying job!)

Day 2 in Paris was more hectic...but just enough to still leave more to visit the next 10 times I plan to go to Paris :P

I visited Musee d'Orsay (see above)- a renovated former train station devoted to 19th-20th Century Art. I absolutely adored that museum. Having had a sneak preview of French Art in Montreal & New York, it was even more amazing to see these works by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, Cezanne, Matisse all gathered in 1 dramatic gallery. I spent almost 3 hours in the museum. Oh my love for art galleries! I used the audio guide to navigate my way through the museum...it was definitely worth it! Having the subject matter discussed in detail, the controversy some of these paintings created at the time (particularly the nude ones!), the significance of the composition, use of light, colour, technique...I may not be a good artist by any means but I love learning about art and appreciating art.

Next Stop: Notre Dame de Paris. The last time I was here, I was 8 years old...so needless to say my memory of Notre Dame was rather fuzzy. Whilst the stained glass windows in the church were amazing...what I found more incredible was imagining all the historic events that have taken place at Notre Dame throughout history. I was literally trying to picture the Coronation of Napoleon 1 (mainly because of that famous painting that now hangs in the Louvre!) and how that event might have taken place back in 1804. I was thinking about how Notre Dame had survived the good and bad times throughout French history and that it's currently still standing strong. That we as people are to remember these important monuments throughout history - to preserve what we have left from people in times before us. Ok, so I guess Paris also brought out the philosopher in me too...just that little bit!

All my philosophizing had to stop as I realised it was time to rush back to the hotel and pack my bags! Having spent a night in a luxurious posh comfortable hotel...it was time to go back to reality and move out! Why the move? Well, I was spending the night in Paris by myself and I wasn't quite going to spend 500 Euros a night in a hotel! I moved to a boutique hotel just minutes away from St-Lazare metro station. I think it was typical of 3-star Parisian hotels. The lift was big enough to fit me and my suitcase - that's it! The room was small but had adequate supplies of everything I required. There was even a flat screen TV! The bathroom was again tiny. As I was sitting down on my bed trying to relax after my rushed move...for some reason I was imagining the days of Victor Hugo and how all these writers and poets must have all lived like this back in the days! Not sure how and why I was picturing this as I've never read any French literature in my life...and my knowledge of French history isn't too fantastic either! Nevertheless, I fancied that romantic thought...of being a poet/writer churching out famous works in my tiny Paris apartment. No wonder the streets are so grand...as you really need some space outside of your own apartment!

Galeries Lafayette was my next tourist stop. Somehow I felt the need to visit this famous department store - the Paris effect I guess?!? I'm sure I spent hours in there admiring all the beautiful clothing and bags and shoes...as my legs were so so exhausted by the time I got out of the store. After spending so much time in the store, all I managed to purchase were scarves for my mum! I think I was so exhausted from the window shopping that I almost lost my way back to the hotel! Those Parisian streets are really not that easy to navigate around...especially at night! Silly me also forgot to bring the map out! Luckily I didn't get too lost...just a little bit!

After a quick bite for dinner (nothing fancy...I did the American thing and had a burger...all the patisseries were closing down by the time I was looking for food!) - I decided to catch the metro and see the Eiffel Tower at night. It was a truly amazing sight! I was just in awe at how beautiful the tower was lighted up. So yes, I may have seen this tower twice already, I may have seen it in countless photographs, but the Eiffel Tower at night is something one must see. Yes, it is that magical.
I don't usually mention my breakfasts on this blog, but I must say I had one of the best breakfasts in this little boutique hotel. It was typically French - croissants with jam and butter were awaiting your arrival at the table. I simply love the smell of pastry. I love eating croissants. You could then choose other typical breakfast foods such as cereal, yogurt, fruit, ham, bread, eggs. I was highly impressed with this as the previous nights posh hotel didn't even have breakfast included in the 500 Euros price tag! The breakfast room was just so petite and cute...I really wanted to spend more time eating my breakfast but I had to rush to catch a flight to Stockholm.

Day 14-15: Quick stop Madrid

It was an early flight out of London Monday morning and a very expensive cab fare (I was too lazy to take the Heathrow Express to save myself some sterlings!) to Heathrow airport. I boarded Iberian Airlines to what looked like a retirement village (a whole group of British retirees I presume planning a holiday to the more weather friendly Spain?!) - and I was the only Asian on the plane...oh well! From what I remember, the flight was decent but delayed for a while, so by the time I actually arrived in Madrid it was about 2:30pm! Another half day wasted!

Upon arriving at Madrid airport I was very impressed with their airport! It was modern, spacious and very clean! Just wished i bothered to take some photos of the place as I was quite impressed with the architecutre. I must say I was a bit nervous getting to this country by myself as I never did quite get to learn Spanish. My Dad had arranged the hotel to pick me up from the airport - to my delight of course, and to save me from trying to work out the best means of transport into town. I had a very helpful and friendly Columbian driver pick me up from the airport. He spoke great English so was able to talk to me and point out sights as we drove into town. My memory is slightly fuzzy now, but I do remember the land being drier than other cities I had visited thus far. The air was slightly drier too - almost felt dessert like (not that I would know!). And it was definitely warmer than the colder London! The city is definitely still growing as evidenced by the numerous development projects on the outskirts of the city.

When I finally got into the city centre, I was welcomed by grand buildings and lots of traffic everywhere...as you would expect from any grand old European city! It was hard to imagine I had actually arrived in a city with a decorated past and vibrant history! Although there are many old buildings everywhere, it still felt very modern...not quite sure why? I guess it was just the vibe I sensed, especially when I went out for a walk during the early evening after I had settled in the hotel and taken a nap.

I'm not sure how other travellers find Spain/Madrid, but the minute I got to Madrid, I decided I was going to take the 1.5 days I had in this city in a more relaxed way...just to blend in with the Spanish culture a bit! All I managed to accomplish in Day 1: Madrid, besides physically arriving was walking along Paseo del Prado and that is pretty much all I did! I walked right up to Estacion de Atocha - which is a huge train station! At the time, I didn't have a map with me (always fun to be random once in a while...) and I forgot to bring my camera. But the Estacion de Atocha was quite a sight. The reason why I walked into it was because I saw heaps of people walking into this huge glass building - at first I thought it was a shopping centre of some sort...then I saw people with suitcases everywhere and figured it wasn't so! It's quite unusual as it houses a huge indoor palm garden, so you can understand why I was confused upon initially entering the building! The building itself was quite a magnificent sight...and definitely stood out from the surrounding buildings. I almost couldn't find my way out of that building...actually, more like I couldn't find my way back across the other side of the road! Anyway, after I had worked that out, I decided to grab some very un-spanish dinner - MacDonald's. (My first on this trip...and my last!) Yes I know that is such a dumb thing to do, especially when there was food galore everywhere...but it was meant to be my snack! My Dad was supposed to be arriving later at night, so I thought we'd grab a late dinner when he arrived...since no one serves dinner until 8pm in Madrid! Well, turns out my Dad's flight was delayed by 3 hours (it was only an 1 hour flight from Lisborn!) so I didn't quite get the Spanish dinner I was hoping for. (Way past midnight by the time he arrived...and I was worried sick about his whereabouts!)

After feeling guilty for not accomplishing much on Day 1: Madrid...I decided to start Day 2 early and to make sure I covered the famous sights - I went on the Hop-on/Hop-off tours to try and jam pack everything into my 1 day!

First Stop: A visit to the Prado Museum (Museo del Prado)...just across the road from my hotel.
Surprisingly, I had to queue for quite some time before entering the museum. I got myself an audio guide since I can't read Spanish...and thought I may as well have the artworks explained to me. (Best decision ever! It really does make a difference to your appreciation for art, especially if you are not an Art History expert!) The collection was amazing! And it houses the world's greatest collection of Spanish paintings. Before entering this Museum I was not too familiar with Spanish Art...and the only artist I knew of was Valazquez. (Now I know more - Goya, Ribera, El Greco) It was a good change for me to visit this museum, the Spanish collection definitely felt darker, more emotional, grand...and the religious themes were heavily pronounced. There was no shortage of paintings of stories from the bible or stories of various saints. Besides Spanish paintings - Flemish and Dutch paintings were also prominant - such as Rembrandt, van der Weden, Rubens, and Italian Paintings from the early Renaissance. I must have spent at least 3 hours+ in the museum wondering around various rooms. Also managed to eat my first Spanish meal in the Museum Cafe - Seafood Paella!

Prado Museum (can see construction cranes in the background...)

For 14.50 Euros you can board the "Madrid Vision" Hop-on/Hop-off tour. I stayed on the bus more than I hopped off it! (hey, I was limited for time!) And surprisingly, most other tourists just sat on the bus too! The tour actually operates 2 routes - Madrid Historico & Madrid Moderno. Guess which one I chose? Madrid Historico.

So according to the Madrid Vision pamphlet I still have - these are apparently the sights I visited whilst sitting on the bus!

1. Teatro Real
2. Palacio Real (Got off the bus to explore Real Palace and its surroundings)
   
3. Puerta de Toledo
4. San Francisco el Grande
5. Catedral Almudena
6. Plaza Mayor
7. Puerta del Sol
8. Circulo Bellas Artes
9. Museo Thyssen
10. Museo Reina Sofia
11. Jardin Botanico
12. Museo del Prado (Started th tour at this stop)
    
13. Puerta de Alcala
14. Barrio de Salamanca
15. Plaza de Colon
16. Plaza de Cibeles
17. Plaza de Espana
18. Templo de Debod

Now I just need to sort through my photos to figure out which building is what!

Snapshots of Madrid from the tour

As mentioned, I took some time to explore the Palacio Real - which is the Spanish Royal Palace. I didn't actually go into the Palace (upon reflection...i can't remember why i didn't go in...must have been the time constraint factor), so I just admired it from the outside. It's a very grand building which apparently took 26 years to construct! Next to the Palace is a garden which kinda reminded me of Schonbrunn in Vienna, except it's by no way as grand or big! Still, it was nice to sit around the gardens and enjoy the good weather! The palace is built on high headland overlooking the Rio Manzanares and its an impressive view. If I was a King - I'd definitely want a view overlooking your territory too!

Palace de Real

Well I think that's about all I can write for my highlights of Madrid! And it's already far TOO LONG for my liking too! I definitely didn't get enough time to explore Madrid, but I guess I'm happy with what I managed to achieve. Despite my limited time, I still managed to fit in some shopping (it was a very fast walk around the department stores and shops!) and a good dinner at the Hotel with an excellent glass of Spanish red wine :)

Rach in Madrid...shopping area

Note: in case you didn't already know...I am back home now trying to update this page retrospectively. I will eventually finish this page!! I hope!