PARisTrip 2: An Evening with Paris!

It was from “Grande Arche” that I sighted an “India Gate”-like structure far in the distance. Thanks to the knowledge sharing I had had with my colleagues, who visited Paris just few weeks before us, I instantly knew that it was “Arc de Triomphe” that I was looking at. At that moment, a sudden realization dawned upon us that we had still much to explore & the afternoon was already fading.

The obelisk, like others from Dan Brown’s parlance, had intrigued me and though this was no Rome I wanted to visit “Concorde” next. It was a good decision, as not only did we get to see Paris’ earliest erection surrounded by magnificent palaces & buzzing with people, we also caught the first clear glimpses of “Tour de Eiffel” in daylight. As we got closer to the Egyptian obelisk, we saw “Arc de Triomphe” (slightly closer than before) awaiting us at the end of world’s most famous esplanade – “Champs Elysées”. Standing at “Place de La Concorde” at twilight hour, we felt being right in the centre of all the Paris action – a Joie de Vivre Moment!

I had so far managed without food, but could sense weariness setting in & knew to enjoy the rest of the evening I should eat something. So at a sidewalk kiosk on Champs, I grabbed of what simply put was a tomato cheese sandwich and sauntered along the tree-lined promenade towards “French Gate”. On both sides of the Avenue, not only lay loads of historical monuments but also stores of world famous brands. Of course, we didn’t have the time to shop (or even window shop) around here. It was beginning to drizzle, fortunately a hesitant shower, & so we hurried for our planned Seine Cruise.

At the rendezvous, our tour guide handed over the tickets & asked us to wait a while before he would escort us to the ferry. Wanting to make most of whatever time was spare, we walked to the buildings nearby. I tried & failed miserably (yet again) trying to capture those splendid palaces (which I think were Grand Palais & Petit Palais), washed fresh from the drizzle, using my archaic camera’s night mode. After a while, we followed the tour guide on foot wondering if Seine was that close to us. Just a turn around one monument and it was as if we were transported into another land.

As the grove of trees cleared from view, we knew it was time to wish Diwali! Right in front of us arose a dazzling Eiffel Tower – shimmering against the Paris night sky – with flashing lights, spectacular than any fireworks show! I was told, what we witnessed was a 10-minute special light show which happened after every one hour at night. Tranfixed, we tried our best not to take our eyes off this sparkling beauty even for a second, as we settled on the top deck of the boat.

Paris isn’t called “City of Lights” for nothing; the cruise over Seine River showcased the city lights at their absolute best! Every building, every bridge was illuminated enhancing its opulence. Even the birds fluttering over the Seine seemed aglow in the lights reflecting on them.  Layers and layers of history shone in full splendour on both sides of the Seine as we cruised through under the exquisite bridges. The Louvre at night had an enigma of its own, its incandescent ramparts telling a tale of eras bygone. Soon “Cathedrale Notre Dame” emerged into view and we stood ogling at this beaming citadel-like cathedral.

I am not very keen on history, yet ironically I traveled to this city, glutted in history, with “City of Djinns – A Year in Delhi” as my travel companion. At that moment, I couldn’t help but think how we have let Delhi’s glorious past decay in ruins, when it could have been showcased in as enthralling a manner as what lay before us here. In the book, Dalrymple mentioned that Red Fort once stood on the banks of Yamuna but the river was diverted during British rule. On this cruise, I could imagine what a sight it would have been to watch the Red Fort, while sailing through the Yamuna!

As soon as we had boarded the cruise we could feel the night beginning to get cold, it was only after the ship steered back that the chill sank in. The air was freezing and we quivered as we turned past the miniature replica of “Statue of Liberty”. It was a welcome respite to be back in the bus, now ready to traverse the city roads at night.

The cold and a full day of incessant gallivanting had taken its toll on us & a couple of us took this opportunity to doze off. Even the chance for a night portrait with a lit-up Eiffel Tower in the background was turned down by most passengers in the bus. It was just the three of us, in a semi-drowsy state albeit still excited, who ventured out in the cold to pose in front of the Eiffel Tower. When both the photographer and his subject are shivering, you can well imagine the end result of photographs – perfectly hazy Lazy! I don’t even recall correctly how one of us bargained with this guy selling these small Tower figures, but it was later in the bus we discovered that the tip was broken for each of the three pieces we had bought. The German commentary was not helpful anyway, and I witnessed Paris streets and monuments as if in a state of trance.

Paris had indeed cast a mesmerising spell on me, as I sleep-walked to my hotel room, and dozed off even before I could close my eyes!