Paris: Charming, romantic and mysterious
By Kamaljit Singh

HAVING heard the tales about the beauty of Paris, I always longed to see the city. Luckily, some time back I got a wonderful opportunity to visit the dream city. While the plane was still hovering over sprawling Charles de Gaulle Airport, the pilot directed the attention of the passengers to a rare sight of two aircraft landing on the same runway. After the touchdown, in short time I was in the Cite Universitaire by shelling out 300 francs as taxi fare. It was a mistake on my part to travel by taxi as Paris has a highly developed local train and bus transport system. You can go to any place in the city by the very efficient underground train called Metro or the bus. The charges are quite low for one day tickets. Passes of various durations are even more economical.

However, to discover the numerous tourist attractions in a short time, it is better to travel by the Paris sightseeing bus which covers all the major spots for just 125 francs per adult. A live commentary en route takes one back to the times of historical evolution of Paris. Believe me, once you see this jewel among European cities, it is hard not to fall in love with its many facets. The unbelievable architecture, beautiful statues adorning the walls and pillars, and the layout of Paris gives the feeling of moving in a fairyland. There is romance in every nook and cranny. Elegant boulevards with large chestnut trees are everywhere, and colorful plantings of multi-hued flower beds enhance the beauty of statues that adorn nearly every intersection. Further, the woods and parks that encircle the city are restful havens, ideal for strolling and sitting.

Getting Indian food in Paris is not difficult at all. One Indian restaurant Aarapana on Rue du Petit Pont is near the historical cathedral of St. Notre Dames’ just across the bridge over the Seine river. The tasting of typical Indian food in Paris makes one feel at home, except when you see some French persons having their dinner with hot samosas on the side table! To taste French delicacies, there are many French brasseries which are open all day and serve any thing from snacks to traditional French provincial no-frill cuisine. In the upmarket establishments, better go in for set menu rather that selecting from a la carte. This would make even such places affordable if you are able to limit yourself to mineral water or cola.

The massive cathedral of St. Notre Dame on an island in Seine was built from 1163 to 1330. The restoration was carried out in the middle of the 19th century. The cathedral’s design, a Gothic masterpiece, with its twin towers and richly sculpted west front is kept closely to the original plan of Sully, the bishop who ordered the construction. During the Revolution, the statues of the monarchs on the facade were destroyed by anti-royalists. They are now kept in the national museum.

Originally a fishing village of the Parisii tribe on the largest island on the Seine, Paris, arguably the most beautiful city in the world, has a chequred history. The main rulers who contributed to its development were Philippe-Auguste in 12th century, Charles V in 14th century, and Louis XIII, XIV, XV. But it was in the reign of Louis XVI in the 18th century that Paris was transformed completely. The demolition of all the houses built on the bridges gave long views of the Seine as we see it today. Napoleon I wanted to make it the most beautiful city that could ever exist. He constructed not only bridges, embankments, market halls, the Arc de Tromphe of I’Etoile, the highways, and churches but also a water supply system and numerous public fountains. The last major changes before the 20th century were made under Napoleon III. Then for the world fair of 1889 there appeared an initially controversial, but later celebrated, monument--the Eiffel Tower.

The work on this tower, one of its kind in the world, began on January 26, 1887. About 700 drawings were prepared to make parts of the tower. These were assembled using 25,00,000 rivets and the work progressed at an average of 15 metres per month. Interestingly, despite weighing 10,000 tonnes, it exerts the same pressure on the ground as a person seated in a chair.

In order to reach the first floor at 57 metres, 360 steps must be climbed, then 380 to reach the second at 155 metres, and another 1062 to reach the top at a height of 300 metres. Fortunately, you can instead take the lifts installed shortly after its construction. Built as a part of the exhibition, the tower was to have been demolished at the end of the concession obtained by Eiffel in 1909. It was saved by radiotelegraphy and its military applications — the interception of coded messages during the World War, which most notably led to the arrest of the spy Mata-Hari. Continuing its career on the airwaves, it was improved in 1954 with television equipment that brought its height to 320.75 m. Paris does not seem to have an end when seen from top of the tower. You can measure the distance from your home to the Eiffel Tower as the distances to major cities of the world are written on the four sides of the top floor.

Among the common tourist spots, besides the Eiffel Tower, are Louvre Museum, Orsay Museum Opera Galeries Lafayette, Grand Palais, Trocadero, Champs Elysees Etoile, Bastille, Disneyland, Palace at Versailles, etc. For conveniently seeing various museums, passes of one to five days duration give admission to seventy museums and sights in and around Paris. The world renowned Louvre Museum can take up five to six days for seeing every chamber in detail. It has an amazing collection of 30,000 works of paintings , antiques, sculptures and artefacts from all over the world. These are divided into seven main collections, including both antiquity and western art, from the Middle Ages to the first part of the 19th century. Several temporary exhibition areas and a section dedicated to the history of the Louvre complete the permanent display. Leonardo de Vinci’s Mona Lisa kept inside is a big crowd-puller. With people jostling with each other, it becomes difficult at times to click her in a proper frame.

Just opposite the pyramid at the entrance of Louvre is the Carrousel Square, a name given by Louis XIV. The elegant triumphal arch here is an imitation of Septimius Severus in Rome, built to the glory of Napolean I’s victories in Italy. From here begins the Gardens of the Tuileries, one of the largest in Paris, with 2800 trees in 28 hectares. Besides its lawns, it contains museums, making it a kind of open air ante-chamber to Louvre. Running parallel is the rue de Rivoli which was constructed on a commission from Napolean Bonaparte. Beneath its arcades are many souvenir shops, cafes and tea rooms for the delight of passers-by. In the centre is Place des Pyramides where a statue of Joan of Arc by Fremiet is a reminder that the heroine was wounded on this site during an attack to deliver Paris in 1429.

As you leave Tuileries, the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, comes into view. It was here that King Louis XVI was executed after the Revolution. Between the Rond-Pont and the Place de la Concorde, the Avenue Champs-Elysees becomes a place to stroll, as laid down by a royal decree in 1667. Petit Palais and Grand Palais built for the world fair are architectural wonders. Dominating the avenue des Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe stands at the centre of a perspective which starts at the Louvre Palace and finishes at the Grande Arche. This work, some 50m high and 40m wide, was constructed by Napolean I and is dedicated to the imperial armies. The design of India Gate at New Delhi is said to have been adopted from this Arc. The names of military generals who laid down their lives are inscribed along with the victories. Nearby, on the tomb of an unknown soldier, a flame burns which is rekindled each evening. A triumphal way, a place for strolling, or an obligatory route for Heads of State on official visits, the Champs-Elysees is also the prestigious shop-window of Paris. The buildings lining the service roads include cinemas, luxury shops, cafes, restaurants, banks, motor manufacturers and airlines vie with each other in imagination to give the avenue its glamour.

Not far away is the Opera on Boulevard Hussman. A real architectural masterpiece, the opera is sumptuously decorative. Raised above a wide terrace with ten steps, seven fully arched arcades flanked by sculpted groups, including la Danse, it opens into the lobbies. Inside the building, a profusion of materials, decoration and colour is to be found. Legend has it that an underground river, la Grande, flows beneath the Opera. The national academy of music and dance is a place of wonder and marvels, full of the passions expressed here — for art and life — in a kind of temple, where the world finds itself recreated through singing and dancing. Composers and choreographers, instrumentalists and distinguished singers and star dancers have performed here. The most spectacular plots of a Romanesque world have been unravelled on stage in the auditorium, adorned with the finest worldly glories. In the corridors of this fabled palace, the Cafe de la Paix’s terrace has served as a host for the literary, artistic and political world.

While going from Grand Palais to Hotel des Invalides, one crosses Seine by a 100-year-old, richly decorated bridge, Alexandre III, a symbol of Franco- Russian friendship. This 40-metre wide marvel supports, in the keystone of the vault of the arch, two embossed copper front motifs — the arms of Paris surrounded by Seine nymphs upstream, the arms of Russia and the figure of La Neva surrounded by nymphs downstream. At each end, two square pylons are surmounted by gilded bronze equestrian groups symbolizing Pegasus held by Fame.

Located in Marne-la Valley, 32 km east of Paris, the Disneyland theme park is a must for everyone visiting the city. You will find that this magical world created by Walt Disney in an enchanted setting with rides and attractions for everyone, A range of refreshment stalls and restaurants ensure visitors’ comfort, and for those lucky enough to be staying longer, hotels offer accommodation with staff in costume. An array of shops ensures that everyone can take home a souvenir from their journey to the kingdom of imagination. The park is mainly divided in five lands with rides, attractions, food outlets and shops on a particular theme. The themes are Main Street USA, Frontier land, Adventure land, Fantasy land and Discovery land.

Cabarets in Paris have been a legend ever since Toulouse Lautrec immortalised the can-can dancers of the Moulin Rouge. Enter any such place and you will come across extraordinarily beautiful girls, superb choreography and supporting acts of puppeteers. However, non-smokers can have problem there as the atmosphere becomes a bit thick in the evening.

Paris is a city of small but speedy cars, just like our Chandigarh. Parisians drive on the right side of the road. Often, the motorists will not mind jumping the red light at less crowded crossings. So one has to be extra alert while crossing on foot. Beggary is not a rare phenomenon at most of the public places like the Eiffel Tower, major railway stations like Gyre de Lyon, even as the city authorities have often taken measures to curb it. Pickpockets also operate as in case of every other city. Therefore, always take care of your purse and other belongings.

Wherever you are staying in Paris, the fascinating stores are always within the easy reach. Shopping is not necessarily expensive though many stores may be beyond the reach of visitor from South Asia. Purchasing French perfumes and cosmetics there, unless you need a particular brand,is not a sound preposition in the age of liberalisation as you can get them at home at a lower price.

Knowing functional French is an advantage as a majority of the Parisians do not know English. There are certain things about which they are very particular. Be polite to every one and formally wish the person occupying any counter at public places before you ask for any thing.

The more you explore it, the more you fall in love with Paris, it’s like a charming, beautiful woman — alluring, mysterious and always at the back of your mind when you are at home.