A Fall Idyll in Paris

Lourve museum has too much displayed for words. It has great collections of the world's finest and most precious arts, from the Egyptian to Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities galleries, sculptures galleries, Objets d'art, paintings, and medieval Louvre, and so much more. If you are an art buff, get the museum pass for one to five days, costing 18 to 54 euros individually. Or, to enjoy a free tour of the museum, simply be there on the first Sunday of each month and on the 14th of July, except for the exhibitions at Hall Napoleon.

There are many ways to reach Louvre Museum. I intentionally arrived at Louvre Rivoli (an indirect way from my apartment), where the Metro station was already in an artistic mood, lined up with sculptures on both sides of the station. Try this staton--it's really different! Before entering the main Louvre, I took the way of Cour Carree, which is supposed to be the side entrance to the Louvre. Then, of course, I took a few snapshots of the enormous pyramid. Down below, this pyramid was the main entrance to Louvre.

P.S. Some parts of the museum forbid cameras, or at least keep your flash off!

I was in the long line for more than an hour and decided to get a hot dog from the nearby street stall, nibbling on my bread and hoping to get to the front of the queue. On a usual day, there is not supposed to be such a long line in front of Notre Dame, but it was the first Sunday of the month, when there is free admission to almost all the historic sites in Paris. After waiting for another half-hour, I finally stepped in the entrance to top of Notre Dame.

The flight of spiral stairs was grueling. It seemed endless at that point of time. The spiral stairs continued to swirl for 10 minutes before I was out of the narrowed stairways. I was in a dizzy spell when I reached the top. Stabilizing for a few seconds, I felt better. At the top of Notre Dame, the view was enviable. It overlooks several famous monuments and structures in Paris: Sacre Coeur; Eiffel Tower; Hotel de Invalides; and, of course, the long stretch of the Seine.

The Castle of Versailles is one of the most famous heritage sites in the world. It appeals to thousands of tourists almost every day. In front of Versailles was the Marbled Courtyard, packed with tourists and locals on the day I visited. I waited for about an hour or so before I made my way through to the castle. The State Apartment of Louis XIV, the Hall of Mirrors, the Apartments of the Queen, the Crusades Museum, the Hall of Battles, the Grand Trianon, and the Petit Trianon were must-see highlights in the castle.

After the castle tour, I walked to the back of castle, where there was a huge public park. South Parterre was a nice little garden. Blocks of dainty grasses were shaped into curves of patterns, like a gigantic patchwork, and diminutive flowers were sowed around them. To the right of South Parterre was Fountain of Latona. A flight of stairs behind the fountain was featured as a seating area for the crowds during the evening, when the musical fountain came to life.

Amble down the Royal Ave and Tapis Vert, where you will see Fountain of Apollo with bronze flying horses sculptures partly submerged in the pond spewing water into the air. Go farther to the Grand Canal of Versailles. Couples used to have dates here. Rent a boat, row across the Grand Canal or laze in the middle of the canal; lay your head on your partner's lap, arms folded; and enjoy the light breeze. If you came here by yourself, cycle on a rented bike around this canal and explore the inner part of Grand Canal.

The Pompidou Center is notable for its architecture, and its 1977 factory-style architecture sustains a splendid contrast between the surrounding houses of Paris' oldest district near Hotel de Ville. You will never forget the building, even if seeing it for just a glance. The external elevator is like a long caterpillar wriggling across the building. Just walk through the tunnel of elevators and you will be able to view a panorama of Paris and its nearby districts, Les Halles and City Hall.

The museum features collections of paintings that are very different from ones in the Lourve. It includes 20th-century paintings and works by famous artists (Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, Klee, and more). If you love modern art, Center Pompidou will be the top museum for you, but be reminded that the museum is closed every Tuesday. The museum is easily accessed by Métro stop Rambuteau or RER stop Chatelet les Halles. After the museum tour, there was a Pompidou fountain adjacent to the museum. It has whimsical shapes spraying water, the most notably being big sexy red lips!

There are simply two ways to appreciate the Eiffel Tower in Paris, view the whole tower or be in the tower. If you chose to view the Eiffel, get to Trocadero, where you can capture the vista of Eiffel Tower in your camera. If this is your first visit to Paris, going up the Eiffel Tower is a must. You can choose between climbing the stairs, which are open to the public, and going up to the second floor (115m), or taking the elevators. In order to get to the top of tower, you must take another elevator from the second floor.

I got a ticket to the three floors at the cost of 10.70€, which was definitely worthwhile. On the first floor, there was a vast, spacious hall offering exhibits and displays. You could shop for souvenirs and dine there. The second floor has a 360-degree view over Paris, perfect to make a photographic study of the city. There was a glass floor on this level, so you could view the tower through the glass and experience a downward viewing. The sun was beating hard that day. On the second floor, I captured the Eiffel Tower's shadow casting on Paris city. It was then that I could see the entire tower and be in the tower at the same time!

The top of the tower was about 276m. There were two parts, the indoor and outdoor. Indoor, there was a panoramic indicator guiding you to different landmarks in Paris and a viewpoint indicator providing information on how far you were from some great cities and in which direction. Viewing from outside, the entire Paris city becomes minuscule. Cars and people almost looked like dots. Buildings, rivers, and bridges seemed to have shrunk extremely in size. It was a totally breathtaking view of Paris, but the wind can be really strong when standing outside. You need to be back indoors every few minutes.

From the outside, the building looks like any ordinary one. But for god sakes, who knows? After entered this building, you will plunge 30m without realizing it! It starts with a stairway leading you deeper down. Then comes the tunnel, the space getting narrower, darker, and cooler. The temperature was said to be at a constant of 11°C. Eventually, it will lead you to piles of bones of 5 to 6 million people covering a surface of 11 square meters. Due to the cool tunnels, it used to have water droplets dripping from the ceiling.

Experience the thrills and fears while walking in this narrow passageway. Try this yourself without anyone near you. You would get so scared, even though you know that it is a museum and that the bones, skulls, and skeletons belong to people of a few centuries before!

I took the train from Paris at Gare St Lazare to Trouville-Deauville. The journey took about two hours. Trouville-Deauville are twin towns separated just by a bridge. Deauville has everything: casinos, racetrack, shops, and restaurants. Comparatively, Trouville was a cheaper town. After crossing the bridge, on the main road on the bank of La Toques was the visitors' center. I picked up a town map and headed for the beach in Deauville.

The beach in Deauville was apparently wider than Trouville and with more crowds. Along the beach was the residence areas adjoined by spacious gardens, children's play area and tennis court. You can easily take a stroll down the beach without worrying your shoes or pant filled with sands as the sands was wet and packed tightly. Sand was as smooth as running water and on the fronter shore, there was a layer of shallow water then a stretch of narrower beach before entering into the sea. On the other side of Deauville, just in front of the casino, a little port harbors opulent yachts.

Downtown of Deauville was only 20 minutes' walk or 5 minutes' drive from the beach. There was a wet market selling luscious seafood. Bring some home, as they look really fresh. If you were not a adroit 'chef', just get into a seafood restaurant and have your dinner there before leaving for Paris.