Et voilá, Je suis a Paris!

While I’m waiting for Aga and Marie, I observe the street and after about 15 minutes I realized that the walking zebra for pedestrians is not understood as such: for the drivers it’s like they have a sign saying “let’s see who goes faster!” Because the drivers DON’T stop at all! It’s a marathon departing from different places, going in different directions! What do they all have in common? Everybody wants to go first! It’s madness!

And there are my friends… so we start walking following the Eiffel Tower… and ended up a bit lost, or so we thought! We found the Arc de Triomphe – another crazy round about!

– But how do people cross it?
– Ahh there, there is an underground passage.

We decide to go in. Eagerly we start climbing the 284 spiral steps. I’m getting breathless but still I can’t stop laughing at my friend’s jokes… finally the last step…
What a wonderful view of Paris! 

One way to be introduced to a new city is by climbing a tower and look at it in panoramic view… so now I have an idea of where is what: the Avenue de Champs Elysees starts right where we are, at the bottom end we see the Louvre. The Eiffel Tower to the right, the Basilica of Sacred Heart (Basilica de Sacre-Coeur) up there, the top of Notre-Dame Church… parks and an endless number of buildings that elegantly dear to be so tall.

Walking down the chaotic Avenue de Champs Elysees, the bicycles make their way in between people, and… “oh pardon” – I was very close to bump the coffee of a man who jumped into the street, he was in such a hurry, as if he was running away from paying the bill.

People are dressed very elegantly. Men, typical business man. Women look like out of a catwalk, with very stylish well brushed hairs, pretending to be messy.

As we reached the end of the avenue, we cross the Concorde Square and walk towards the Louvre Museum.

Awhhh! The famous european pyramids!
Well, let’s get in. Most museums in Paris are free for people under 26, so is the Louvre. The entrance is down one of the pyramids, a beautiful hall and here we go…

2 hours later, we have seen Monalisa (an authentic little lady), a lot smaller then I had imagined; the gigantic painting of The Coronation of Napoleon by Louis David, that took 2 years to be done – impressive! A real Egyptian mummy, jewels and so much more…

It’s is now 7pm, time to take the underground. As it seems all the city thought the same, it’s rush hour! The underground of Paris has 15 lines. At the rush hour they run every 2 minutes and are always full! I feel packed like sardines. Other sardines in this can are business people, on their smart suits, ties… and there isn’t a smell of sweat in the air, very much the opposite, there is a mix of perfumes!

As we are squeezed out of the underground, the night as already took over the city. And our hungry bellies drive us to a little restaurant with a vintage decoration, very cosy.
On the menu a list of crepes! Ahhh it is hard to choose… I feel like trying everything.

The order is done! It is so good to meet friends, Erasmus friends I haven’t seen in a while! 15 minutes later the mixed smells of melted cheese with a variety of ingredients wrapped in a thin and so soft pastry arrive at our table. hmmmm so delicious! 

And to finish the day, nothing like a crêpe au chocolat!

Bonne apetit mes amis!