Posted by Carambs
1) Arc de Triomphe – Seeing the Arc de Triomphe up close was a dream come true for me. It holds a special place in my heart because I see it yearly when I follow the Tour de France. The last few laps of the Tour pass by the Arc, and it’s a fitting end to one of the greatest sports event of all time. I was actually teary-eyed when I first saw it up close, when I still inside the shuttle. Last May I was supposed to follow the Tour for 11 days but visa problems did not allow my dream to come true. And so I am grateful for this trip because it partly fulfilled my dream. In the coming years, I still hope to watch the Tour de France live in the mountains of France and the Champs Elysees.
2) Louvre – The Louvre is an amazing place. Words cannot describe how I felt while I was walking around, seeing all of the paintings, sculptures, and artifacts from hundreds, and even thousands, of years ago. We only allocated 3 hours for the Louvre, which is definitely not enough. But we had no choice because we only had 1 day in Paris, and we wanted to see other sights as well. We went to the Scully and Denon wings, mainly for the Mona Lisa and the Egyptian exhibit. Seeing the Mona Lisa was actually anti-climactic. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be. Maybe it’s because the painting was small, and the bullet-proof glass that covered it did not allow the viewers to truly appreciate the painting’s beauty. Maybe because it was cordoned off and one couldn’t really get near. In any case, it’s still an experience. The Egyptian exhibit blew my mind. I couldn’t believe I was looking at items that were thousands of years old! I also found it so amazing how the human mind works, because at the core of it all, the people then and the people now are just the same. There’s science, self-preservation, art, and even vanity. People think of, worry about, and are concerned with the same things, whether surrounded by stones or surrounded by digital gadgets. I want to go back to Paris mainly for the Louvre – I would like to allocate 2 to 3 full days for it, so that I can see and appreciate all that it has to offer.
3) Eiffel Tower – Though beautiful, I think it’s overrated. Still, that didn’t stop me from taking photos. I wish it weren’t as hard to take pictures at night, because it is more beautiful at night. It was a perfect night – we took some pictures with the Eiffel Tower in the background, had a hotdog sandwich for dinner while viewing the tower from afar, had nutella crepe for dessert, and took pictures up-close while sending MMS images to friends.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Carambs
Click here for the complete Paris album.
Read the rest of this entry »
