Our Guide Through Paris
Strolling is by far the most scenic way to explore Paris. Taking in the street life, the food, the people and the feeling like you’re an integral part of something majestic should claim as much of your time as sightseeing any historical churches or museums. Of course, you could only do so much walking so for those long journeys we relied heavily on their Metro.
Their Metro system is described as one of the most complexed but ironically enough I found it much easier to navigate in comparison to the one in New York. Their trains also happen to be modern, cleaner and there was little waiting time between trains. What I could not help notice was that nearly all the stations had the same conspicuous red sign that validated where you were entering.
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Arc de Triomphe
To say there’s no city like Paris may be a cliche’, but it’s a profoundly true statement. I’ve had the fine pleasure of visiting this spectacular city in two occasions with each stay being completely original from the other.
When you choose to go will have an impact on how much you’ll be able to see. Summer and Spring is the most expensive but the added expense is worthwhile in comparison to the bone-chilling weather of Winter that I bow never to go through again because I endure enough of it here in New York.
When I’m asked about what it was like, I always start off by saying that “If you don’t appreciate art, history, culture and a lot of walking, then don’t even bother making the trip.” I think you have to be able to first esteem the artfulness in your city or town before justifying going half-way across the world thinking that your value for it will be different. I’ll admit that The Da Vinci Code movie was the driving force for my wife and I going.
As for this photograph, it took me a total of 8 shots standing in the middle of a packed cross section on the hectic Champs Elysees avenue in Paris until I was satisfied with a photo that best represented being in the presence of the enormous Arc de Triomphe.
Added to the pressure was the reality the not all of us visit Paris, so this moment was significant, rare and it wasn’t something I wanted to screw up. The complete amount of other things that begged to be photographed in the area were endless and quite frankly overwhelming, so deciding how to approach my subject before framing the shot was priority.
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Arriving at Sacré-Coeur
Unlike the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Coeur basilica in Montmartre is one of those landmarks in Paris which can be seen from practically all areas of the city. The long trek up to the basilica will have you resting periodically but once you reach the summit, the view is breathtaking in more ways than one which almost makes you forget the hundreds of stairs that you had to endure to get there even though there’s also the option to take the trolley right up the hill.
The interior of the church hides a lot of treasures of its own: marble sculptures, stained-glass windows, and mosaics. You can literally spend hours admiring every nook and cranny of the place. The religious atmosphere and the feeling that you’re for that moment part of something special is difficult to describe.
Like I frequently did everywhere we went in Paris, the best way to reward yourself for reaching Sacré-Coeur is indulging on a crepe with Nutella from the many street-side Creperie stands everywhere. Half the joy of eating one was observing how they made them.
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