A day In Paris

When they say, "Paris is always a good idea" it really is.!!! 

You can stay months together in Paris and still experience only a tenth of it. That being said, if you are short of time like us, and have to do Paris in a day then here is the list of must go places and details of how to cover it in a day.

For obvious reasons ,we had Paris in mind the first day we planned our Europe trip,

We planned a day trip for Paris from Brussels considering the fact that 'Thalys' is the best and fastest train covers the distance between Brussels and Paris in just over an hour.

We started early in the morning, Thalys starts from 'Brussels Midi' at 7:43 am, We Boarded 27 number bus at around 6:45 am .If you have mobib it helps, as you don't have to buy tickets when you board bus. Once we reached Brussels Midi, we Boarded the Thalys train and started our journey towards Paris. It was an exiting journey in the bright red and chic train, where the speed accelerated to 300 kms per hour at times. Before even we had the time to settle in we were at Paris.

Once in Paris, first thing we did is to buy the daily pass which gave us unlimited access to all the metro, bus, tram lines within the limits of metropolitan Paris. Our first stop was going to be CityPharma, we took the metro line 4 and reached there in less than 30 minutes not before a harrowing change of trains in between.  

City pharma : Parisians are know for their beauty regime. More so, Paris pharmacy are known for quality skincare products, and how can you be in Paris and not do any skin care shopping? 

In Paris, CityPharma at the corner of Rue du Four and Rue Bonaparte in Saint-Germain-des-Pres is not only known as “the world’s biggest,” but also the city’s best, for its impressive selection of skin care and beauty products, helpful staff, and highly unusual discounted prices. Since it is usually a crowded place it's better to reach there first thing in the morning. Though I am not a beauty products junkie, I still felt is a good place to buy staples like sunscreens, moisturizer, lip balms etc... We did all required shopping within half an hour ,had hot chocolate and headed to Louvre

Next transit was from Bus 95 which ran from Saint-Germain-des-Prés to Louvre .

Louvre :The world's largest museum - since  none of us were into art we just visited the Louvre from outside, which itself is a sight to see. But if you are interested in art, might take 2-3 days to cover each and every room. As we had crunch of time we did not chance to wait in the queue. 

Our next visit was Notre dame Cathedral, we took Bus 24 from Pont des Arts to Petit Pont, Notre Dame.

Notre dame Cathedral :

One of the most beautiful and most visited Cathedral in France. Made of Gothic architecture in the 12th century this Cathedral is sight to behold. The rose Windows and stained glass are breath taking. You can also go to the tower and get the view of the entire city, but buying ticket.... going up in stairs will eat out of the time kept aside for rest of the city, if you are here for a single day  you will have to ditch this idea. 

Next to the cathedral there are may restaurants where you can tantalize your taste buds
 

Cruise : Seine river is an identity of Paris much like the Eiffel Tower. If you don’t visit, walk around, stroll, cruise the Seine River while in Paris, your trip would not be complete . you can gaze at the famous landmarks like the Luvre, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, etc.—as you float along the famous Seine River.

Eiffel tower :This must be on the top of every travelers bucket list, no one ever can imagine a trip to Paris and not visit Eiffel tower. We walked next to the garden and reached the east end and spent ample time strolling eating etc.

Trocadero : After walking the through the Eiffel Tower, we walked across the river, and arrived at the Trocadero. Here is where you get the best view of the Eiffel tower. Although  very crowded, and swamped by Street hawkers.... You will be able to get the  perfect picture of Eiffel tower. 

Arc de triumph : the Arc de triumph is a historic monument in the heart of Paris. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806. It is iconic victory monument which is a must see when you are in Paris. 

Sacre de cure basilica :this was the last  stop  during our visit to Paris The basilica  is nestled in the monte marte region of paris. There is a festiv aura around the region as you walk from the metro to the tram. The basilica  itself is stunning also the view when you climb  up the 300 odd claustrophobic steps. 

What we could have done better :                                                                                 

• We could have skipped city pharma altogether, as it is not the best experience to  have during a holiday to save some bucks if you are not a cosmetic freak. 
• We could have taken a water taxi which cost almost the same as the cruise ,and could have directly gone to Eiffel tower, and save some time.
• We could  have still climbed the tower if we had planned and got the  tickets earlier.
•  We could have booked tickets online and not miss the chance to see at least the world famous Monalisa smile.

Overall it was once in lifetime experience, and one more tick in the bucket list of mine.

Summer Occasions

 Come summer and I dread,partly the unbearable heat but more so the number of auspicious ceremonies that need to be attended.Not that I am an anti-social animal but to attend parties and functions in hot summer, especially in humid coastal region like mangalore is  a different story all together. 

It all begins at the wake of summer, people seem to get good muhurthams only on the hottest days of the season.Pretty and colorful invitation cards arrive from various places in many different ways, by post, in person and now the "in thing " -facebook  watsapp , and what not. 

The preparation starts.To begin with, silk saree's have to be found from the depths of the wardrobe,ignored until now and all covered with cobwebs. Next,the blouses seem to shrink year after year,not that i am gaining weight. I have to remove a stitch or two and even then I am barely able to breath. Finally, comes the gold,I get all of it from the bank.The heavier your saree and gold more the people seem to be impressed.You may ask what if they are not impressed? Then I am the target  for the day and will be stared at as if I am an animal from a different planet.People shoot comments left, right and center. Why take all this trouble?I choose to bear the torture of wearing the saree than get shot by the high caliber verbal bullets. I always envy the opposite sex who can wear a cotton shirt and trouser and get away with it.

Finally, the D-Day is here. I take longer than usual to drape the nine (ty?) yard saree and get ready. The car is like an oven already and I am all drenched in sweat by the time I wade through the traffic and reach the venue. As I sit and try to make small talk, I see only bored and sleepy faces all around. I wonder how many people gather to speak to friends and family and to watch the rituals? What is the real purpose of these costly affairs? Why can we not show off and have a fun filled function with just a few close friends and relatives.Suddenly, I see a long queue for presentations and photo sessions.So I join the queue and the heady mix  of sweat,jasmine fragrance and various perfumes make me so nauseated that I am in no mood to eat the pompous feast that follows. The mad scramble continues as all the 500-600 people throng to the food hall at once to try and leave as soon as possible.

As I finally make my way out to the car, I see dark clouds gathering and heave a sigh of relief that the monsoon is almost here....I can just relax in my easy chair with tea and pakodas and not worry about it all until next summer.  

Virtual World

When i see the happenings around me i ponder ,What is most important thing in the world ?

For some people your country is the most important and you are ready to give your life for it, but for others borders are just lines drawn by some bureaucracies ,you just have to go places, cross borders to survive ,get food ,provide for your family.

For few religion is god, they even go to extend of killing people just because he is of other religion. For others in orphanage would not know their parents let alone their religion.

For few working endlessly ,getting promotions and  securing the highest post is what they live for, others who work as laborers would not have seen the face of office  and would not even know what promotions means, For them most important would be that days wages so that they could eat stomach full and sleep peacefully.

For a few keeping the house spic and span is the whole purpose of their life ,and will get really stressed just in case a single crumble of paper is left on the floor ,but  for a child  it is a bliss to have all mess around him and play innumerable games with bits and pieces of paper.

Few ladies cannot venture out of the house without making their face and body look flawless with beauty products . Making a person look beautiful itself has become a profession and lot of its branches like preparing perfect wedding gowns ,perfect cake, perfect decoration for the ceremony ....but many would be ignorant of the fact that there are so many brands and products to make you look gorgeous.

For few calculating  and saving money even after they have enough and more is their craze , rest love to borrow and spend .

For few travelling to places is the purpose of life , others would not have stepped out of their town.

Each one has their own craze , their own version  of what is important to him/her  , i call it the "Virtual World" .Every person gets peace of mind when they achieve  what they consider is their  most important thing in their world ,and they justify every action of theirs to achieve the virtual world they are craving for.

Each person thinks the other person is not right , the way they are and the things they do....
 for each their own ...that's how the world is....

But at the End of the day all these different bodies having different ideologies , goals becomes part of the same soil.