Paris Part 2
Paris was the final stop on my travels, and needless to say, while I was glad to be coming home, a part of me wished I didn't have to. James came and met me in Paris, and he splashed out on a beautiful hotel for us, Les Bains Paris. It is an absolutely stunning hotel, the staff will help you with anything you wish for, the food was amazing, and we even had a glass of champagne when we arrived. It was blissful, and the best way to end ten months of backpacking and exploring the world. Or rather, just a small part of it.
First up, a visit to the Shoah, or holocaust memorial and centre is a must. It's quite general in the fact that western Europe had it easier than eastern Europe during the second world war, but any life lost is a tragic thing. At the Shoah memorial, they have carved the names of every French Jew who died into large slabs of marble, so that their name and memory is remembered. The centre is free to enter, and has a large selection of artefacts and information about what happened to French Jews when the country was under occupation.
A quick mention about Paris's metro. When you visit London, Warsaw, Sofia, Rome, even Athens, the metro's are clean, tidy and function well. This was not really the case for the Parisian metro. For a start, I've been on the Yerevan metro, one of the bounciest and worst rides I'd experience. But Paris was worse, for a start, it rocks from side to side in a frighting manner, and that compared to the fact that the carriages seemed so small, you were pushed up against other people, while desperately trying to find something to hold on to. There was numerous delays, trains just not turning up, as well as stations that appeared to be caving in. One station I went into had tiles on the floor from the walls and roof, while another had not a single functioning ticket machine or even someone to buy one from. It's clear the Parisian metro suffers from a chronic lack of investment and maintenance. On the upside though, its one of the best connected metro's I've ever used. I didn't use any other form of public transport while in Paris, and I was never more than two minutes walk from a metro. It's fairly cheap too, and thus very overcrowded.
However, it's great connections, particularly to Gare Du Nord where you catch eurostar from, despite the fact everyone looks like they are going to rob you while you are there.
Me and James had a lovely weekend in Paris, we didn't rush about too much. We visited Notre Dame, which never ceases to impress, and also the Pantheon, a building building with a very interesting history. Be prepared to pay a fair whack for the pantheon though!
And it seems to be a fitting tribute, that the last picture I took in Paris, and indeed of my trip, were of the Eiffel tower, in it's beautiful shining glory, it's large beam of light pointing me home.
And that ladies and gentlemen, was the end of my travels :(
Le fin...
Or was it?
First up, a visit to the Shoah, or holocaust memorial and centre is a must. It's quite general in the fact that western Europe had it easier than eastern Europe during the second world war, but any life lost is a tragic thing. At the Shoah memorial, they have carved the names of every French Jew who died into large slabs of marble, so that their name and memory is remembered. The centre is free to enter, and has a large selection of artefacts and information about what happened to French Jews when the country was under occupation.
A quick mention about Paris's metro. When you visit London, Warsaw, Sofia, Rome, even Athens, the metro's are clean, tidy and function well. This was not really the case for the Parisian metro. For a start, I've been on the Yerevan metro, one of the bounciest and worst rides I'd experience. But Paris was worse, for a start, it rocks from side to side in a frighting manner, and that compared to the fact that the carriages seemed so small, you were pushed up against other people, while desperately trying to find something to hold on to. There was numerous delays, trains just not turning up, as well as stations that appeared to be caving in. One station I went into had tiles on the floor from the walls and roof, while another had not a single functioning ticket machine or even someone to buy one from. It's clear the Parisian metro suffers from a chronic lack of investment and maintenance. On the upside though, its one of the best connected metro's I've ever used. I didn't use any other form of public transport while in Paris, and I was never more than two minutes walk from a metro. It's fairly cheap too, and thus very overcrowded.
However, it's great connections, particularly to Gare Du Nord where you catch eurostar from, despite the fact everyone looks like they are going to rob you while you are there.
Me and James had a lovely weekend in Paris, we didn't rush about too much. We visited Notre Dame, which never ceases to impress, and also the Pantheon, a building building with a very interesting history. Be prepared to pay a fair whack for the pantheon though!
Le fin...
Or was it?
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