Autumn Charm of Paris
Another year has flown by, and in this crisp autumn season, I find myself reminiscing once again about that wonderful Paris holiday, the city of romance that captivated me at first sight, a place unknown when I left but unforgettable upon return.
Taking advantage of my daughter's study opportunity in Paris, I arrived in this most famous city in the world via Doha on National Day 2018. Qatar Airways' five-star service indeed lives up to its reputation. From Beijing, after an 8-hour flight to Doha, a 2-hour layover, and another 6 hours to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The Hamad International Airport in Doha, built by the wealthy nation of Qatar, is the best airport in the Middle East and the sixth in the world to receive a "Five-Star Airport" rating from Skytrax. If you have enough time, it's definitely worth a thorough exploration.
The flight from Doha to Paris was a luxurious double-decker plane with very young crew members. Just a few more hours until Paris, and I could see my daughter—I was too excited to sleep soundly.
Finally arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport, we smoothly completed customs, picked up luggage, and met my daughter to take the metro. There weren't many people on the metro. An elderly gentleman noticed us chatting animatedly and warned us to be careful with our belongings. Thanking him, my daughter told me that Paris often has security incidents targeting tourists, so indeed we needed to be cautious. Fortunately, my trip was safe and uneventful.
Setting foot on the European continent for the first time was full of curiosity. Beyond the well-known historical sites, I wanted to see the everyday life of Paris and whether it was as charming as people said. Since childhood, my daughter had a strong longing for France, Paris, and the Eiffel Tower. Being able to study in Paris for a year made her extremely happy! The school arranged accommodation near Place Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th arrondissement. There is a famous catacomb nearby, and every time we passed, tourists were queuing up. A small apartment building served as the school dormitory, quite old, with no elevator and a wooden spiral staircase. Carrying the heavy suitcase upstairs was quite a workout.
In the afternoon, we strolled around to get familiar with the area and wandered into a nearby flower shop. I always enjoy seeing flower shops in different places to discover new varieties of flowers—a treat for the eyes.
Nearby, there was a market with shops along the street selling various vegetables, fruits, bread, cakes, seafood, and meat. We bought some groceries. Finally, I tasted authentic baguettes—they were so delicious that I couldn't resist eating a third of it before we even got home. I saw fresh lavender for the first time, spread in bundles on the ground, filling the air with its rich fragrance. A small band of three elderly gentlemen, at least over 70 years old, were performing on the roadside. We watched for a while. The singing old man had a hunched back, but his spirit was admirable!
The first destination of our holiday was naturally the Louvre. As the oldest, largest, and most famous museum in the world, it was first built in 1204 and expanded and renovated over 800 years. The once-controversial glass pyramid entrance designed by I.M. Pei has become a symbol of the Louvre and a masterpiece of modern art.
Paris's metro is very efficient. The weather was superb, so we set out early and arrived when there weren't many people. Standing in the square and looking around, I was truly excited for quite a while. Louvre, I finally made it!
When buying tickets, I wanted to rent an audio guide. The staff asked if we wanted Japanese or Korean. When we said Chinese, she shook her head and said there was no Chinese. I was astonished. Every year, millions of Chinese tourists visit Paris and the Louvre—don't they consider these tourists' needs? When I mentioned this to friends in the travel industry, they said most Chinese tourists are on group tours. They just quickly see a few famous pieces, take photos, listen to a brief introduction from the guide, and then rush to the next spot. Given our people's artistic cultivation, not many would spend a lot of time in museums. Our fellow countrymen prefer shopping—don't many luxury stores have Chinese-speaking staff? Well, I have nothing more to say, but I was a bit indignant. If there's Japanese, why is there Korean?
Fortunately, my daughter has always been passionate about European art history. She gave me a tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S. before, and our Louvre tour finally began!
Let me give you a sense of the crowd inside the Louvre. From an art appreciation perspective, it definitely detracts from the experience, but as a tourist visiting a world-famous museum, the overall atmosphere is still very good.
Here are the three treasures of the Louvre:
The Winged Victory of Samothrace was discovered in 1863 on the island of Samothrace in the northern Aegean Sea. Initially just fragments, it was restored over many years. The sculptor is unknown, but it is believed to have been created around 200 BC. The composition is very vivid, as if the goddess has descended from the sky, guiding the fleet through wind and waves at the bow. Although the head and arms are missing, it is still considered a masterpiece of ancient Greek sculpture's high artistic level.
The Louvre's history is complex and intertwined with that of France and Paris, witnessing nearly a millennium of French history. It once housed 50 French kings and queens, including Henry IV and the Sun King Louis XIV, who made significant contributions to its construction. Napoleon, in particular, decorated the Louvre in unprecedented ways, bringing the best artworks from other European countries into it. When France dominated Europe, thousands of tons of art were transported to Paris, and Napoleon renamed the Louvre the Napoleon Museum.
During the reign of Napoleon III, more construction was done on the Louvre than all his predecessors had done in 700 years. Opulence characterized everything Napoleon III built, and thus the entire grand complex of the Louvre was completed over nearly 600 years. Understanding this, I could somewhat comprehend why the proud French initially rejected I.M. Pei's glass pyramid.
After walking and looking for several hours, we were quite tired. When we came out, the square was much more crowded. We followed my daughter for a stroll around the Louvre, and I especially liked the street below, which exudes a sense of solemn history and classical atmosphere.
The streets around the Louvre are lined with shops and restaurants, bustling with people.
My daughter and I leisurely walked along the Seine River, where people were comfortably enjoying the sunshine. As we strolled, we came across a group of very historic buildings. One of them was the famous Sainte-Chapelle, which requires a ticket to visit.
Next to Sainte-Chapelle is the Paris Palace of Justice (Palais de Justice). A crowd had gathered at the entrance, and at first, I didn't understand what was happening. Staff dressed in sharp suits with Givenchy badges indicated that the brand was holding an event there. Later I learned that from 2017 to 2020, Givenchy used this venue as its exclusive fashion show space.
Not far from Sainte-Chapelle and the Palace of Justice is Notre-Dame de Paris. At the time, I never imagined that half a year later, it would suffer a major fire. When I heard the news, my heart sank. Fortunately, the main structure of the first fully Gothic cathedral in European history, built from 1163 to 1345, survived. How fortunate we were to have seen it before the disaster.
Generations of French craftsmen took nearly 200 years to complete this masterpiece. Notre-Dame is located in the heart of Paris, serving as France's religious, artistic, and tourist center. The French set the entrance of Notre-Dame as the point of origin, from which coordinates of other French cities are measured. So, when you stand before Notre-Dame, you are at the center of France.
Under the warm afternoon sun, we leisurely strolled through the streets of Paris and enjoyed a simple afternoon tea at a sidewalk café. Looking back, such a pleasant experience!
At night, the glass pyramid highlights the blend of classical and modern art at the Louvre.
One of the symbols of France, the Eiffel Tower—named after its designer—also faced opposition when construction began. Truly a freedom-loving people, these French oppose everything! Fortunately, the French Minister of Trade at the time gave the green light. It's unimaginable what France would be without the Eiffel Tower, such a beautiful structure! We took the metro to the Palais de Chaillot. The square was bustling with people. After seeing pictures for decades, I finally stood at the foot of the Eiffel Tower!
After feasting our eyes, we planned to find a restaurant nearby for dinner and also celebrate National Day. Since night cruises on the Seine are a must-try, we checked out a restaurant on a boat but were shocked by the price. Walking along the riverbank, we saw that all restaurants required reservations. Since it was dinner time, we would have had to wait, so we ended up walking back to the Palais de Chaillot. Paris was quite cold at night, but fortunately, there were stalls selling crêpes to warm us up. They were delicious!
Just as we were about to head back, the Eiffel Tower suddenly lit up with pink lights, followed by singing from below. It turned out to be a light show organized by the Estée Lauder Group for the "Pink Ribbon" global breast cancer prevention campaign. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month worldwide, and the Estée Lauder Group prepared pink lighting decorations at over 12 famous landmarks globally. By sheer coincidence, we happened to be there for this year's event at the Eiffel Tower.
Public transportation in Paris is very convenient. We took the RER C line to the Palace of Versailles, arriving in about 40 minutes. The station signs clearly show times and train numbers, and my daughter has an excellent sense of direction and travel skills. With her, we can travel anywhere in the world without worry, haha!
King Louis XIV, known as the "Sun King," is probably the most famous monarch in France and even Europe, also a popular figure in many historical films and dramas. France produced the most expensive TV series ever, "Versailles," which tells the story of the 28-year-old Louis XIV and the Palace of Versailles in 1667. Through this series, I learned more about history and the "Sun King." Ascending the throne at age four, Louis XIV had experienced several escapes as a child, leading to a psychological shadow over Paris. Therefore, from 1661 to 1689, he expanded the hunting lodge at Versailles into a grand palace, making it the political and cultural center of France. The Palace of Versailles is unparalleled in its grandeur and art collections. It later suffered severe damage during the French Revolution, lying in ruins for 40 years until restoration began in 1833, after which it became a history museum.
The palace and gardens of Versailles are the largest and most luxurious in Europe. They served as the center of activities for French and European nobility, as well as the birthplace of culture and fashion. As the most beautiful royal garden in Europe, its design principles have been followed by many European royal gardens for centuries, such as Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg and Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. Unfortunately, on the day we visited, it was overcast the entire time, and the gloomy sky diminished much of the beauty.
This French formal garden has three radial avenues, planted with various plants and flowers, adorned with statues in different poses. There are 1,400 fountains in the garden, and at the far end lies a 1.6-kilometer-long cross-shaped artificial canal. Louis XIV once held sailing battles on the canal and even set up gondolas to imitate Venetian scenery—what a fun-loving king!
Walking through the Palace and gardens of Versailles requires at least 10,000 steps. Coupled with the cold wind, it dampened our sightseeing enthusiasm. I suggest avoiding bad weather when visiting Versailles. I believe on sunny days, the palace is far more beautiful than these photos.
After spending most of the day at Versailles, cold and hungry, we returned to the city center and treated ourselves to a steaming hot pot—yay!
Since my daughter had classes, our sightseeing schedule was quite relaxed. We mainly explored within Paris. Later, my daughter went to Mont Saint-Michel and Monet's Garden on her own. If I have time to visit Paris again, I want to make up for missing those two places.
Beneath the Arc de Triomphe lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where an unknown soldier who died in World War I is buried, representing the 1.5 million French soldiers who fell in that war. Beside the tomb is an eternal flame. That day, a ceremony was taking place, so we couldn't get close to the Arc de Triomphe.
To facilitate photos, a median about one person wide is set in the middle of the Champs-Élysées. Tourists lined up to take pictures with the Arc de Triomphe in the background amidst the heavy traffic.
On the Champs-Élysées, there is one place you can't miss: Ladurée, a classic century-old French patisserie, a paradise for dessert lovers, and the Hermès of macarons.
We aren't particularly fond of desserts, but we were drawn by Ladurée's reputation and the appearance of its macarons. The interior decoration is elegant and classic, very French, and the waitstaff were a bit proud.
Another attraction on the Champs-Élysées is the Lido nightclub, famous for its cabaret show. In the Chinese variety show "Flower Grandpa," Liu Ye took actors Qin Han, Kenneth Tsang, and others there. Of course, the show we saw was different; the lead singers and dancers were fantastic, and the costumes, stage set, and lighting were incredibly dazzling. Truly an unforgettable performance. We had some issues that day, and we were worried we might miss the show. I'll share the details in the next travelogue about Brussels.
My daughter and I have watched the movie "The Da Vinci Code" more than ten times. We had thought that someday when we came to Paris, we would see the "Rose Line" in person. And so we excitedly went to Saint-Sulpice Church, where the Rose Line is located. This church was first built in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1646. Ancient European churches are often built intermittently, taking anywhere from a hundred to several hundred years. Saint-Sulpice Church ranks alongside Notre-Dame in importance in France.
There are many bridges in Paris. One bridge we especially loved after watching the movie "Me Before You": the most ornate bridge on the Seine, the Pont Alexandre III, completed in 1900. In the film, the heroine goes to Will's favorite place, Paris, and reads his letter while walking on this bridge. The romance of Paris might be embodied by a certain bridge, a croissant and coffee at a street-corner café, or an elegant, old perfume shop. This city, which has been the capital of France since the 6th century, has a charm like its name: Paris—it always attracts you...
To be continued. Next: Brussels Travelogue
