We planned our trip to Paris since Rishi’s parents and sister were visiting us for a month. This was a short trip, and I made a list of important places after looking through dozens of Things to Do in Paris websites. Rishi’s friends also had their parents over just before us, so we took some suggestions from them as well while planning our trip.
Day 1 – 28 July 2022
Since we were planning to drive to France, we got ready and left early in the morning. We wanted to have a break from sitting in the car the whole time, so we had planned a stop in Brugge, Belgium, on the way to our destination. Bruges, or Brugge, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets, and medieval buildings. Its port, Zeebrugge, is an important centre for fishing and European trade. The song Char Kadam from PK was shot in the city.
After parking our car in the parking lot, we walked to the Grote Markt or Market Square. The market square is the heart of the old town. It is ringed by banks and many guild houses converted into restaurants. The most prominent buildings on the square are the Belfry Tower and the Cloth Hall. However, in all four directions of the square there are unique buildings that provide a glimpse of Bruges’ glorious past. The statues at the centre of the square are of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, two freedom heroes in the struggle against the French at the beginning of the 14th century. In Market Square, there is a Historium, which is a historical experience attraction. It takes you back in time to medieval Bruges (15th century). The square was filled with beautiful architecture whichever way we looked. We did not visit the Historium since we did not have enough time to spend in one place.
We then walked to Burg Square, which is a square and former fortress in Bruges. It is one of the main squares in the city. The most impressive building in the Burg is the Town Hall. This beautiful Gothic Bruges City Hall was built in 1376, making it one of the oldest in the Low Countries. In the corner of the square, down from the Old Court House and the Stadhuis is one of the smallest buildings, the one with the most interesting history, the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The facade of the Basilica is ornately decorated with gilded statues and medallions of the Counts of Flanders and their partners. Just next to the Basilica of the Holy Blood are a few brasseries and restaurants. Rishi bought some waffles for us, so we enjoyed the ambience of the beautiful square along with the delicious dessert.
We then walked along the canals from Burg Square to Gruuthusemuseum. The canals have for centuries been the veins of the city, winding through Bruges and treating us to a magnificent view around every bend. We passed Rozenhoedkaai (Rosary Quay) on the way, which is the cityās most popular spot for photography, a centuries-old Instagrammable hotspot. Once upon a time, rosaries were sold here; today it provides one of the cityās loveliest views. The entire stroll was delightful, with picture-worthy scenes.
We reached the Gruuthusemuseum, which is a museum of applied arts in Bruges, located in the medieval Gruuthuse, the house of Louis de Gruuthuse. The collection ranges from the 15th to the 19th century. The campus had a canal passing through it, which looked very cute.
We then walked to the Church of Our Lady. Its tower, at 115.6 metres (379 ft) in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the third tallest brickwork tower in the world. The interior demonstrates the heavily ornamented Baroque style in the side aisles and chancel. The church was quite charming.
Finally, we passed the Saint-Salvator Cathedral, which is the cathedral of Bruges, Flanders, in present-day Belgium. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint-Donatius of Reims and the Verrezen Zaligmaker.
After finishing our tour of the city, we proceeded to our destination for the night in France. We had booked a 2-bedroom apartment in NÅux-les-Mines, which was just a little further from the Belgium-France border.
Day 2 – 29 July 2022
We got ready and left early and reached Paris by 11:45 am. Paris is the capital and most populous city of France. Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of the principal hubs for science, trade, fashion, diplomacy, and gastronomy. It earned the moniker “the City of Light” in the nineteenth century due to its prominence in the arts and sciences and its extremely early implementation of a street lighting system. The city is so pretty that we couldn’t stop clicking pictures on the way to our destinations.
We could see the Eiffel Tower from afar. We also saw the Arc de Triomphe on the way to our first stop. The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, standing at the western end of the Champs-ĆlysĆ©es. The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
Rishi had already booked a parking spot for 3 days in central Paris. We parked our car and then walked to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. The tower is 330 metres (1,083 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building and the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125 metres (410 ft) on each side. It is a spectacular wonder, and seeing it for the first time was incredible. We sat under a tree in the Champ de Mars and soaked in the view. We had brought Litti from home for our journey, and we ate it there. It was a little moment of Biharis in Paris!
After lunch, Nupur and I decided to explore the area and maybe go to the first level of the Eiffel Tower. The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level’s upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground ā the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second, making the entire ascent a 600-step climb. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually accessible only by lift. The line for the lift was huge, but the stair line was way smaller in comparison. So we joined the line for the stairs but later left it because I was not sure if I would be able to climb that much and have the energy to visit other places that day. We clicked pictures under the Eiffel and left.
Next, we walked to the Pantheon, which is a monument in the 5th district of Paris. The edifice was built between 1758 and 1790, from designs by Jacques-Germain Soufflot, at the behest of King Louis XV of France. It was flipped between religious and secular roles over the decades before becoming a Pantheon honouring France’s greatest leaders in the state, military, arts and science in 1885. It was a massive building with a beautiful interior and sculptures. Since we had visited the Pantheon in Rome as well, we were not as impressed by the architecture. I did want to visit the top of the building, but the ticket sales for visiting there had stopped just a few minutes earlier.
We then walked to Notre Dame, which is a medieval Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. On 15 April 2019, while Notre Dame was undergoing renovation and restoration, its roof caught fire and burned for about 15 hours. The government of France has said it hopes the reconstruction can be completed by Spring 2024, in time for the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Since it was not accessible, we saw the building from the outside.
Our next stop was Sainte-Chapelle, which is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la CitĆ©, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion relics. The Sainte-Chapelle is one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace on the Ćle de la CitĆ©. Although damaged during the French Revolution and restored in the 19th century, it has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world. Soaring arches and medieval stained glass create a stunning and spectacular display.
Finally, we walked to the Louvre, which is the world’s most visited museum. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built in the late 12th to 13th century by Philip II. The MusĆ©e du Louvre contains more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments, with more than 60,600 square metres (652,000 sq ft) dedicated to the permanent collection. The Louvre exhibits sculptures, objets d’art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds. The Louvre Pyramid is a large glass and metal structure designed by the Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei. The pyramid is in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris, surrounded by three smaller pyramids. The large pyramid serves as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum. Completed in 1988 as part of the broader Grand Louvre project, it has become a landmark of the city of Paris. Since we did not plan on going inside, we sat outside the entrance and enjoyed the vibe there.
We then took the metro to our parking spot. On the way to the car, Rishi bought a cake for Nupur’s birthday while I tried to distract everyone else and took them to the parking lot. The cake was in a box tied with a ribbon, and I thought Nupur might have already realized what it was, but she realised when we reached home. We had packed ready-to-eat food from Haldirams and Taco Wraps. Those came in really handy during the entire trip.
After dinner, we drove back to the Eiffel Tower to see it sparkling. To obtain its sparkle effect, each side of the tower was fitted with 5,000 metal casings containing a 6W xenon bulb, for a grand total of 20,000 lamps and 120kW of electricity. The sparkling lights are very low-energy equipment. The sparkling lights are superimposed over the golden lights for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour until 1 am. We reached the front of the Eiffel Tower at exactly 12 a.m. We were stuck in a jam when the sparkling started. I got out of the car and tried to take a few pictures. Then, we could finally park in one of the free parking spots near the Champ de Mars. We then sat on the Champ de Mars and Nupur cut the cake with the golden Eiffel Tower behind her. After the cake was cut, we clicked pictures while waiting for 1 am, when it would sparkle again. The last sparkling lights at 1 am have a special little feature; the golden lights go out and the tower is left only to sparkle for 10 minutes! We did not realize we had seen a special feature until the next night.
Day 3 – 30 July 2022
We got ready and drove to Paris in the morning. We took a bus near the parking lot. We had to walk 1 km uphill from the place where the bus dropped us off. After climbing all the way up, we passed a shopping street and bought fridge magnets as souvenirs for everyone.
Our 1st stop for the day was SacrĆ©-CÅur which is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in Paris, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is located at the summit of the butte of Montmartre. The church is 85 meters long and thirty-five meters wide. The overall style of the structure is a free interpretation of Romano-Byzantine architecture. Some elements of the design, particularly the elongated domes and the structural forms of the windows on the south facade are Neo-classical. The nave is dominated by a very high dome, which symbolises the celestial world, resting upon a rectangular space, symbolising the terrestrial world. The two are joined by massive columns representing the passage between the two worlds. The plan of the interior is a Greek cross, with the altar in the centre, modelled after Byzantine churches. Other Byzantine features in the interior include the designs of the tile floor and the glasswork. The mosaic over the choir, entitled The Triumph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is the largest and most important work of art in the church. The interior was as stunning as the exterior.
We then walked to the Palais Garnier, also known as OpĆ©ra Garnier, which is a 1,979-seat opera house. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. Initially referred to as le Nouvel OpĆ©ra de Paris (the new Paris Opera), it soon became known as the Palais Garnier, in acknowledgement of its extraordinary opulence and the architect Charles Garnier’s plans and designs. The faƧade and the interior followed the Napoleon III style principle of leaving no space without decoration. Garnier used polychromy, or a variety of colours, for theatrical effect and achieved different varieties of marble and stone, porphyry, and gilded bronze. The faƧade of the Opera used seventeen different kinds of material, arranged in very elaborate multicoloured marble friezes, columns, and lavish statuary, many of which depict deities of Greek mythology. The interior consists of interweaving corridors, stairwells, alcoves, and landings, allowing the movement of large numbers of people and space for socialising during intermission. Rich with velvet, gold leaf, and cherubim and nymphs, the interior is characteristic of Baroque sumptuousness. It was completely jaw-dropping, and we clicked pictures at every possible corner.
By the time we were done, it was around 5 pm. So we decided to get something for lunch. We searched for a Pizza place and found a pizzeria called Casa Cosa and ordered a few Pizzas. It was the worst pizza we had ever had. Pizza was generally our safe food on trips because we thought no one can go wrong with Pizza but clearly they could mess up pizza too. After that, none of us dared to eat outside for the rest of the trip.
We then took a train to visit Place de la Concorde which is one of the major public squares in Paris. Measuring 7.6 ha (19 acres) in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It was the site of many notable public executions, including the executions of King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution, during which the square was temporarily renamed Place de la RĆ©volution. The centrepiece of the place is an ancient Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramesses II. It is one of two that the Egyptian government gave to the French in the 19th century. The other one stayed in Egypt, too difficult and heavy to move to France with the technology at that time. The obelisk once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple. I was excited to see the obelisk as I had seen its pair in Luxor. It felt like I had found another piece of my Egypt trip. Since there was not much to see except the obelisk and a fountain in a large open space, the rest of them were not as delighted by the place as I was.
Finally, we decided to visit the Eiffel Tower once more, so we took the metro and reached Jardins du TrocadĆ©ro, which is an open space in Paris, bounded to the northwest by the wings of the Palais de Chaillot and to the southeast by the Seine and the Pont d’IĆ©na, with the Eiffel Tower on the opposite bank of the Seine. The main feature, called the Fountain of Warsaw, is a long basin, or water mirror, with twelve fountains creating columns of water 12 metres high; twenty-four smaller fountains, four metres high; and ten arches of water. We were now on the opposite side of the Eiffel Tower from where we sat the last time. We clicked lots of pictures and decided to stay back and enjoy the sparkling Eiffel Tower once again. This time, when the sparkling started, the lights did not go out like the previous night, so I thought maybe it occurs alternatively. So, we sat for another hour and saw the sparkling Eiffel Tower for the second time that day, and my theory was proved to be wrong. I later googled and found out that it happens only once a day and we were indeed on time for that one the previous night.
Day 4 – 31 July 2022
We had only one place to go that day, and we were living very near our destination for the day, so everyone took time to get ready.
We reached Versailles at around 12 pm. We then got into the line for tickets while Rishi went to check out more information about the place. A lady came out and announced that all the tickets for the palace were sold out and only people who had the museum card were allowed. Since it was our last day, we were obviously not going to buy the museum card. So we were left with the only option of visiting the Versailles Garden.
The gardens cover some 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French formal garden style, perfected here by AndrƩ Le NƓtre. In addition to the meticulously manicured lawns, parterres, and sculptures, are the fountains, which are located throughout the garden. Dating from the time of Louis XIV and still using much of the same network of hydraulics as was used during the Ancien RƩgime, the fountains contribute to making the gardens of Versailles unique. We were provided with a map of the gardens, which illustrates a few walking routes and the timing for each fountain shows around the garden. The gardens were beautiful and there were restrooms and restaurants along the way. The garden was so huge that by the end of the day, my step count app showed that I had walked more than 16km within the garden.
Nupur & Mummyji cooked dinner in their room. After dinner, we packed our bags for the next day.
Day 5 – 1 August 2022
Since we were planning to drive back to our home, we got ready and left early in the morning. We decided to stop in Antwerp, Belgium this time. Antwerp is the largest city in Belgium by area, at 204.51 square kilometres. There is folklore that the name Antwerpen is from the Dutch word handwerpen (“hand-throwing”). A giant called Antigoon is said to have lived near the Scheldt river and extracted a toll from passing boatmen. He severed the hands of anyone who did not pay and threw them in the river. Eventually, the giant was killed by a young hero named Silvius Brabo, who cut off the giant’s own hand and flung it into the river. This is unlikely to be the true origin, but it is celebrated by a statue in the city’s main market square, the Grote Markt. We parked our car in a parking lot and walked around the area.
Our first stop was Grote Markt, which is a town square situated in the heart of the old city quarter. It is filled with an extravagant city hall, numerous elaborate 16th-century guild halls, and many restaurants and cafƩs.
We then walked to the Cathedral of Our Lady, which is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It was under renovation and had an entrance fee and a huge line for entry, so we did not go inside.
In the shadow of the Cathedral of Our Lady, a boy and his dog rest in an embrace. Only a blanket of cobblestones keeps them warm. The statue on Antwerp’s Handschoenmarkt is that of the poor young orphan farmer boy aspiring to be a painter, Nello and the faithful Patrasche. The inseparable pair play the leading role in A Dog of Flanders, a novella written in 1872 by the British Ouida. The writer got the idea for her book during a stay in Belgium. The story takes place in and around Antwerp. The very large smooth statue of a boy and his dog sleeping under a cobblestone blanket literally dwarfed us in size.
After walking around we returned to Grote Markt where we had some Belgian Waffles & Icecream.
We then went to Het Steen which is a medieval fortress in the old city centre of Antwerp. The surviving structure was built between 1200 and 1225 as a gateway to a larger castle of the Dukes of Brabant which was demolished in the 19th century. As the first stone fortress of Antwerp, Het Steen is Antwerp’s oldest building and used to be its oldest urban centre. The words “Het Steen”, are dutch for The Rock. The site contains the local information centre and a small, interactive, museum about the different boroughs of the city. It provides a panoramic view of the river from its rooftop.
Finally, we went to click pictures near a colourful tunnel at the Waterfront near Het Steen.
We left for home with lots of memories!
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