I in Paris

I went to Paris in early September for a quick holiday: here are the attraction highlights!

The Arc de Triomphe

Located at the end of the famous Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe is renowned as the famous French monument that honours those who fought and died in the French Revolution as well as the Napoleonic wars. The inside is inscribed with the names of the generals. Being here was special to me; my home city of Manchester has rich political history, with St Peter's Square being the site of the Peterloo massacre. The French Revolution is perhaps the most well-known revolution in the world, so being in Paris at this site was very surreal as opposed to reading about it in a textbook.

The Louvre

I was so excited to visit the Louvre not just for THAT iconic painting, but the triangular architecture piece in the middle of the courtyard. My family loves Mission Impossible, and in one of the films (Ghost Protocol?), Ethan Hunt scales the Louvre. I took great joy in having many photos taken!

The Musuem itself was absolutely beautiful. Because I visited the Vatican in March this year, I could see some similarities with the ancient paintings that had religious or Romanic connections. I found this museum to have a wider variety of types of paintings, from Egyptian sculptures to painters such as Lombardi and Greuze. The layout of the Louvre was grand and the paintings were beautiful to inspect and adore.

Of course, I visited the Mona Lisa. It is true that the painting is smaller in reality. My experience was very pleasant because the waiting time was 2 minutes max, and people were reasonably polite despite the commotion. Seeing the painting in person was a moment I don't think I will ever forget.

The Eiffel Tower

The symbol synonymous with France; I saw the Eiffel Tower and went all the way to the top! My thing about the Eiffel Tower is its colour; it is always depicted as black but in reality it is more copper/dark gold. Many tourists were around taking their own photos with the tower, and many salesmen were selling red heart balloons and photo packages with the Tower. Paris is viewed as a romantic city and the French certainly use this to their advantage! That being said, most people took their own photos with the Tower at different locations.

Conclusion

Paris was everything and more! I was fortunate to go on an evening boat ride, jump on the sightseeing bus, and even taste the famous Ladurée macarons (Gossip Girl season 4, anyone?).

It feels so dreamy to look back because a lot of the attractions were bucket-list items for me. Having seen all of these sights has reinforced to me just how much more there is out there, beyond my own city. I hope to return to Paris one day again, and not just for the delightful macarons :)

#paris #iinparis #france #frenchholiday #parisiangirl #berets #eiffeltower#louvre #arcdetriomphe #parisianstyle