The Romantic City: Paris, France

In October 2018, I transferred internally to after-sales field support. At the end of the year, my manager told me that after the Spring Festival there would be an opportunity to travel to France for a study visit. So in January 2019, I started preparing for a French business visa. I hired FESCO Adecco to book a February appointment for fingerprinting and the visa interview. Everything went smoothly and I received my passport with the visa in about a week. In addition to the visa, I also needed to buy commercial insurance to ensure safe travels. After consulting friends and colleagues, I made all the travel plans, including round-trip flights and hotel reservations.

The whole trip lasted 10 days. On March 8th, Day 1, I flew Air France Boeing 777 from Shanghai Pudong direct to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, a flight of about 12 hours. I re-watched Mission: Impossible – Fallout on the plane, especially the scenes of Tom Cruise racing around the Arc de Triomphe and with the White Widow along the Seine. After landing, I took the airport bus and happened to sit next to a Colombian girl who was transiting through Paris to return home. With some time before her flight, she took the bus to quickly see the Paris streets – a nice way to sample the city, hehe. It was the weekday evening rush hour, and traffic was badly jammed. My first impression of Paris: bustling, romantic, and full of charm. That night I checked into Ibis (Eiffel Tower). I didn’t bother with jet lag and just went to bed at local time.

Day 2: In the morning, I had a French breakfast of baguette and coffee at a corner shop. Under overcast skies, I walked through Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower area and strolled along the Seine for quite a while. The weather wasn’t great for photos, but at least it didn’t rain. At noon, I checked out and moved to Ibis (Montmartre). In a restaurant near the hotel I had my first pizza in France – I remember it was about 16 euros and incredibly delicious. After lunch, I took the metro to the department store district Galeries Lafayette (La Fayette). I remember asking an elderly man for directions, and he said, ‘Look over there, the golden roof building is La Fayette.’ The huge dome inside Galeries Lafayette is breathtaking, with a lively crowd of international shoppers, especially many Chinese who seem to have money to burn, haha. On the top floor, there’s a glass viewing platform designed for photos, but you need to queue, and only 2–3 people can walk onto it at a time. By the time I came out, the city lights were twinkling. The business district at night with its heavy traffic and dazzling lights reflected the prosperity of the Western world.

Exquisite macarons

Finally, I could just space out in front of the Eiffel Tower!

The first pizza I had in France

Blue sky and white clouds in the afternoon

The gleaming Galeries Lafayette department store

The transparent skywalk on the top floor

Day 3: Early morning, thick clouds, wind and heavy rain. After breakfast, I walked around near the hotel with an umbrella, and soon, unexpectedly, the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly – such a wonderful surprise. I couldn’t waste such a fine walking day, so I hurried out and took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe, circling it several times and taking photos from every angle. Then I strolled down the Champs-Élysées past the Grand Palais, Élysée Palace, and the Paris Opera, continuing to the world-famous Louvre. I spent three hours in the Louvre, but it was only a cursory look because there are simply too many exhibits, mainly Renaissance and later European paintings and sculptures. I was especially thrilled to see the three greatest treasures up close: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, and the Venus de Milo.

Majestic Arc de Triomphe

A walk along the Champs-Élysées

Romantic banks of the Seine

Place de la Concorde and the obelisk

The world-renowned Louvre

A café inside the museum

Gilded palace interior

Mona Lisa, the museum’s treasure

Day 4: I got up early and climbed the hill for some exercise. The hotel was right at the foot of the hill. I passed the Moulin Rouge and walked up. There are still many residential houses on the hill, and at the top stands a grand basilica. From Montmartre, you can overlook the entire city of Paris. Except for the Seine, you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Opera, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame all at a glance. In the afternoon, I took a taxi to Paris Central Station to catch a train to Le Havre. Actually, there was no need to worry about getting tickets and booking in advance on Ctrip like I did. The station is old and there’s no security check – it’s very relaxed. France has no high-speed trains like China’s; SNCF trains have many carriages and are never full. Delays are routine, and tickets are checked only after the train starts moving. I actually enjoyed the slow European train ride, passing through hills and small towns. I really love those French towns; compared to bustling Paris, they offer a sense of peace and beauty.

View from Montmartre Hill

Paris Central Station

Seaside town Le Havre

Billboard for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup

Day 7: In the early morning, under a downpour, I took the train back from Le Havre to Paris, then a taxi to Orly Airport for a flight to Toulouse, the aerospace city. On Day 6 in the morning, I visited the Safran company. Actually, Airbus is right opposite Safran’s factory; from the road you can see planes parked, some not yet painted. Sadly, I had no way to arrange a visit to the Airbus final assembly line. In the afternoon, after the visit, I took a taxi to the Aeroscopia aviation museum. Tickets were 10 euros, quite reasonable. This museum, right next to the Airbus assembly line, displays aircraft including the early European aviation pioneer Blériot XI monoplane, the world’s first twin-engine wide-body A300B, the Concorde supersonic airliner, the A400M military transporter, and an A380 prototype. The variety reflects Airbus’s rapid rise. On Day 7 morning, I took the tram to explore the old town of the Pink City, Toulouse, and then sat by the Garonne River in the afternoon, daydreaming...

Aeroscopia aviation museum

Pink City Toulouse

The gently flowing Garonne River

Day 9: I flew back to Paris and deliberately chose the Holiday Inn near Notre-Dame on the Seine. That day I strolled around Notre-Dame and met a few university students from Germany traveling in Paris. I still remember their bright smiles; we took a photo together and it was a happy moment. Shortly after 2019, Notre-Dame was severely damaged by a massive fire and restoration is still ongoing.

The famous Notre-Dame Cathedral

Day 10: After breakfast, I took a pre-booked business car to Charles de Gaulle Airport. The fare was a whopping 70 euros, you can pay by credit card but the receipt is handwritten. For the return flight, I had booked with Air China. Overall, life in Paris feels romantic, refined, and full of that je ne sais quoi, with high living costs. Corner cafés are everywhere, balconies are decorated with colorful flowers, and the plane trees on Champ de Mars are trimmed neatly – all reflecting the French love of life. However, because of ethnic diversity and a large number of immigrants, especially from North Africa, you see many black people on the streets, in the metro, and at tourist spots. Metro abroad has no security checks, which gives a sense of insecurity and disorder. Paris is also known as a ‘den of thieves,’ with many pickpockets on the streets requiring constant vigilance. The moment I stepped onto the Air China plane with the five-star red flag, my nerves finally settled – the plane from my homeland was taking me home, hehe. The only regret about this trip to Paris is that I didn’t visit the splendid Palace of Versailles. I’ll leave that for a future trip with my child, haha.

Cash tax refund at CDG airport