Ooh-la-la... Pa-ree! C’est bon, la vie à Paris.
My classmates and I spent a weekend sojourn in Paris, another school-organized trip that turned into a memorable first encounter with the “City of Love” - or, as it’s often called, the “City of Lights.” As it was my first time there, I was eager to explore its famed landmarks. I made the classic tourist rounds: the Louvre (€8.50), La Tour Eiffel (€10), Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, and the Arc de Triomphe. We stayed the night at the Novotel Port d’Italie, comfortably situated for a quick weekend escape.
Much like Madrid, which I also visited for just a weekend, Paris revealed only its surface during my short stay - yet even that was enough to leave an impression. The Parisians struck me as a study in contrasts: modern yet steeped in tradition, candid yet contemplative, sweet yet tinged with melancholy. They have every reason to be proud. Paris, after all, is the capital of a nation whose cultural legacy spans centuries of conquest, innovation, and artistic achievement - shaping everything from literature and philosophy to science and style.
I hope to return someday to peel back more of the city's layers - and to linger a little longer in its charm.
Above: At the Lourve
Above: The Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Lourve - a marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike, symbolizing victory
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Above right: The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci at the Lourve ~ perhaps the world's most enigmatic smile
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Above: The Venus de Milo at the Lourve ~ an ancient Greek statue believed to depict Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty
Above right: Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1787) by Antonio Canova ~ an exquisite marble sculpture capturing the moment love triumphs over death, on display at the Louvre
Above right: Club baguette lunch at Café de la Comedie ~ €5
Above right: Picked up a Starbucks mug and a praline latte for €15 ~ my little Paris splurge
Above: An ING Direct Cafe - très cool!
Above left: Borat was a hit with some of us - spotted here in poster form deep in the Paris Métro
Above left: Round-trip metro fare to Basilique du Sacré-Cœur ~ €2.80, for a glimpse of Paris from its highest hill
Above: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
Above left: Nutella & banana crêpe ~ €4.40. A simple Parisian pleasure.
Above: The Arc de Triomphe - commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to honor French military triumphs and fallen soldiers
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