You know, most days, I secretly wish for a simple, routine life that is void of troubles and worries. Then I realize that such a life may border on boring and mundane, and could end up becoming void of adventure and spontaneity. After that, I am thankful for having a life that does have flavor and adventure, and that I am not stuck in a rut. And then, RL takes my appreciation a bit too enthusiastically and hits me with everything its got. The rest as they say, is history.
(Read above spiel as: Life has been so busy for the last few days, I'm just tired...)
But any-moo, let's go back to France!
My journey through the city of love consisted of many world renowned attractions. The Louvre, of course, was an important landmark in our tour. Being a Dan Brown fan, and having read all of his novels makes this structure all the more fascinating.
The absolutely rich culture could almost be felt in that building... it was simply ah-mazing. The incredible architecture, the intricate designs and colossal paintings.. I honestly wished that I had about 8 heads on my shoulders, and they would still not have been enough to take everything in. From the Mona Lisa to the tombstones to Leonardo Da Vinci, the Louvre is a museum I'd need to visit about a hundred more times to do it the justice it (and a geek like me) deserves.
The other thing I also realized when I was there is the magnificence that the French like to showcase. So many of the buildings in the quaint, yet hustling and bustling capital were huge. They were truly grand in all their aspects, and standing before them would just fill you with so much awe.
Another beautiful place we visited and toured was the Palace of Versailles. Hands up, the most stunning home I have ever laid my eyes on. Not only did the grandeur of it all impress me, but it also rocked me to my core to see how functional this home had been back in the older days. The stories we heard of the different rooms, the passion with which the tour guides spoke, their utter and undying devotion to maintaining the history in this place - you almost felt like royalty!
The Champs-Élysées leading right up to the Arc de Triomphe.
Another breath-taking spectacle to behold on Paris. Famous for it's wide range of high end retail stores, it's cobbled roads and several famous landmarks along it, this scenic route holds a lot of history behind it dating back to the French Revolution.
While the route itself is meant to be like a paradise, the arc at the end pays homage to the French revolutionaries who fought and lost their lives during the Napoleanic Wars. For a monument that holds so much beauty, it also holds a lot of grief and sorrow.
Can anybody hazard a guess at this?
While I know it looks like I'm photographing the lady, and if not the lady, that pretty building in the back. Au contraire, I was trying very hard to take a picture of that bridge that's seen in this picture below. Famously known as the "Love-Lock Bridge", and formally as Pont des Arts, this bridge hosts thousands and thousands locks that lovers tie to the bridge.
After putting up a lock on the bridge, they then throw away their key in the Seine River below to symbolize their undying love for one another.
Whoever takes me to Paris, buys me a padlock with our names engraved on it, and gives me the key to throw away - I'd certainly hold on to them! ;)
And finally, after a long and hard day of sightseeing, we came to a lovely little cafe near our studio apartment. I don't think I've ever had a tastier burger than the one I had there. Those French fries were baked to perfection, and the salad didn't taste like stale grass!
All the meals I had when I was in France did justice to everything, anyone has ever said about French cuisine - it was simply exquisite. Especially for a foodie like me, my taste buds were doing a happy jig like never before!
With this, the French edition of my throwback Thursdays comes to a bittersweet end. I also feel the need to point out, that all of these wonderful pictures were captured by yours truly on nothing but a simple phone camera. I can't help but be proud of them, considering they were taken from all sorts of odd angles, moving buses, crowded places and crazy heights.
Remembering it makes it miss it terribly, and really makes me want to pack my bags and up and leave. Paris was a trip I will never forget in my life. A few of the most important days of my life were spent there, and I would not trade them for the world. The lessons I learned, the memories I made are some that I will carry with me forever.
However, I now bid you, au revoir!
In terms of that amazing post I'd mentioned, I'm still working on it. I haven't quite gotten everything I need to write it out just yet, but as soon as I have it, there shall be magic. Just you wait.
Until then...
Hasta la-buh bye!
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