Grad Trip Day 22 & 23: Paris, France

DAY 22: 9 JUNE 2014

We arrived in Paris last evening but we encountered some trouble in getting into
our apartment.
So, we only had a full day to do sightseeing in Paris.

We were blessed with really good weather today!
We left our apartment at about 9am and made our way to the Eiffel Tower, the signature
icon of Paris.

Eiffel Tower

We could spot the tower upon exiting the metro station.
By the time we reached the tower, we could see extremely long lines at the ticket offices.
You could actually go up the tower to get a panoramic view of Paris,
either via the elevator or stairs.
I actually considered climbing up the tower, but I realised that it will take up too much time
and thus, I decided to give that up.
I'm glad I did though!

We managed to find a spot that allows us to capture the entire tower.

We spent some time snapping photos and admiring the tower from afar before heading

to other popular spots to photograph the tower.

Eiffel Tower from Trocadero

Having taken close to a hundred photos of the Eiffel Tower, I decided that it was

time to move on.

Another famous attraction to see in Paris is the Arc de Triomphe, which is located

at the western end of Champs-Elysses.

Arc de Triomphe

Sadly, the arc was under construction during my visit.

Oh well!

So we walked down Champs-Elysses which is a famous avenue full of restaurants,

shops and sites including the Grand Palais. 

Down the Champs-Elysses

During our walk down, we chanced upon a Laduree retail shop, which is famous

for their lovely pastries!

Laduree pastries

Huge macarons

Rose & Raspberry Saint Honoré

How could we leave the shop without buying one of their pastries?

We settled for a Saint Honoré which was recommended by the staff, and it costs 7 euros.

It was so delicious, with a nice balance between the flavours!

Loved it!

We continued our walk down and soon after, we were feeling hungry.

This time, we headed to a restaurant recommended by Michelle, called Chez Chartier.

Duck Confit at Chez Chartier

We ordered cheese to go with our bread, and duck confit for our main.

Both tasted really good, and I really enjoyed my meal there.

The bill came up to 25 euros, which was reasonable to me given that we are in Paris!

After lunch, we did some shopping!

This was probably the fourth or fifth visit to Paris for Michelle and I didn't want to

pack the day with sightseeing.

We went to Galleria Lafayette and several boutique stores, and I managed to get something

for myself.

After an afternoon of shopping and tons of walking, we went for our last dinner in Paris!

We relied on tripadvisor for food recommendations throughout the entire trip, and most

of them turned out well.

This time, we settled for Bistrot Victoire, a small bistro that serves decent french cuisine.

Steak and fries

Michelle and I decided to share two mains, and one of them is the steak and fries.

It wasn't up to Michelle's expectations, but I thought it was pretty good.

Because they were famous for their creme brulee, we decided to have one after our mains.

Creme Brulee

It was awesome, and definitely one of the best creme brulees I have ever eaten!

An American couple sitting two tables away decided to order one after seeing ours

and they enjoyed it too!

After dinner, we went straight to Louvre, another main attraction in Paris.

As Michelle has been to the museum before, I decided to skip it during this trip

and probably return the next time.

Louvre Museum

Kind of glad that we came here pretty late, because the crowd was gone and most of the

people were camping for sunset photography.

The Louvre looks really stunning with the clouds!

Arc du Carrousel

I wanted to see the love locks at Pont de L'archevêché before leaving Paris.

And so, off we went!

Love locks at pont de l'archevêché

It was kind of confusing because it wasn't just one bridge that had love locks.

But we finally got there, and there were seriously tons of love locks!

The locks really decorated the bridge really beautifully.

Sunset in Paris

We actually paid a visit to Notre Dame before going back to the apartment.

However, it was late and the cathedral was closed.

Hence, we decided to return the next morning before I leave for home.

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DAY 23: 10 JUNE 2014
Our apartment was just 15 minutes walk away from the Notre Dame,
which brought much conveniences to us.

Notre Dame is a famous historically Catholic cathedral with its exterior decorated
with gargoyles.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Gargoyles of Notre Dame

These gargoyles are built into the ends of the gutter to drain rainwater off the roof.
The gargoyles actually looked kind of scary to me though.

Inside the cathedral

As we were really early, there were only a handful of tourists in the cathedral.

We took our time to explore the cathedral.

Then, it was time to return back to the apartment and get our belongings.

I was heading home and Michelle was heading to Belgium for a solo trip before

meeting up with the couple for London and Northern Ireland.

I would have loved to continue travelling with her, but work was starting for me and

I had to return home.

So, I took the RER B train from Gare du Nord to CDG airport using the return tickets 

that I bought when we first arrived in Paris.

My return ticket costs 19.50 euros which includes the metro ride in Paris.

As I was departing from Terminal 1, I alighted at the second last stop and took the CDGVAL

shuttle to get to my terminal.

The RER train doesn't stop at Terminal 1, which explains why I had to take the shuttle tram.

The journey to the airport was really smooth because I read up beforehand.

There was a small Laduree retail shop in the terminal, and I got a box of macarons

for my family.

Even my grandmother loved it!

And so, this marks the end of my holiday in Paris, and also, the end of my graduation trip!

13 cities, 24 days <3