The great advantage of living in Europe is the ease in which one can travel to cities and new countries. The first weekend in June I took the high speed train from Köln to Paris in just three hours and for only 30€ each way. I have never had a great desire to see Paris, but I thought it would be rather stupid to not jump on such an opportunity. I am happy I did and can say I will likely not ever make a point of going again unless I have weeks to spend there. I don't see how it could be a city that one would immediately fall in love with. It's crowded and expensive, and I believe all of it's natural charm is hidden. There is simply too much to see and all of it is big and grand. Sensory overload.
On the train I chatted with the German girl sitting next to me and we arranged to meet up the next day. I was grateful for her. She could speak French, which was beyond helpful, and it was quickly apparent that Paris is not a city to visit alone. I wish I had had a pedometer with me. We saw most of the major sites and did it all by foot.
My favorite time in the city was night. Once the sun goes down and many tourists are back in their hotels or in restaurants, a magic is cast over the city. I CouchSurfed while I was there and my host, a very friendly and open French man, lent me his bicycle (the way to get around). Friday evening he joined me on a very cool bike tour of the city. There were so many people on this ride that we dominated the streets, cars having to wait for us to go by. In the very blurry photo above you may be able to make out Champs d'Elysees which we were riding towards.
Saturday evening was spent picnicking on the Seine which was full of people and music. A bit of dancing was called for of course. My favorite bit was the Tango dancing. For whatever reason the group didn't have permission on that evening to play loud music, so all the dancers and observers were very quiet, straining to hear the music. The effect was magical. The energy between partners was heightened and the only sounds to be heard was breath and the movement of feet against the cobblestone.
There is nothing in all that I have learned, read, or seen of the Palace in Versailles that could have prepared me for the absolute, awe inspiring immensity of the place. Every photo I took still dwarfed the place. There are separate fees for the gardens and each of the Palaces. While discovering the architecture would have been nice, the weather was far too nice to spend the day indoors and the gardens deserve a minimum of 3-4 hours to wander, and that is if you just want to leisurely wander and not take breaks for ice cream or a picnic. I must say, though Paris certainly is a master at being beautiful, it was Versailles that absolutely won me over and make my trip well worth it.
[More photos found on Flickr]
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