I have so many stories about Paris by night. During the exchange programme, we were sorely disappointed because Paris by night turned out to be just Paris by evening because we went in May and were told we couldn't stay too late. As a result, as soon as the lights of Paris started coming on, we were indoors once more.To make up for that, a few years later, my sister took me to see the Eiffel Tower by night, and that was another experience altogether.In winter, it's much easier to sit and gaze at the lights of Paris, for night falls conveniently early. Shortly after dusk, two days before Christmas, we made our way towards the Seine and took the famous boat ride through the city. Ah ... Paris! It is special, this city full of magical lights! People talk about the charm of Christmas and how everything is lit up and festive in December, but even without the added festivity, the … [Read more...]
The Eiffel Tower
I was not at all impressed when I first saw the Eiffel Tower. My problem with the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Mona Lisa is that they look just like the pictures. When you go and look at them, there's nothing that you have not already seen or sensed, unlike, for example, when you see the Notre Dame, the Sistine Chapel or the acropolis. When I said this, everybody told me that the charm of the Eiffel Tower lies in how it's lit at night. So my sister and I decided to go at night to see the Eiffel Tower and then take the last train out from Paris back to Grenoble.It was worth it, people were right; the Eiffel Tower was truly beautiful. Paris by night is charming, and the Eiffel Tower carried some of that mood - call it romantic, call it festive, call it anything.We worked out our schedule to the letter, planning perfectly how long the metro-ride to the station would take so that … [Read more...]