Paris: A Dollop of Fantasy, a Pinch of Reality

After spending a few weekends revisiting German cities, I got a chance to explore a new country. A friend from India visited Europe recently and we both spent a wonderful day along the banks of the Seine river, in a city that is a dream for many: Paris.

Paris has been the subject of several books, verses, films and is one of the most visited cities in the world. I know what you are thinking: why should you read this blog post when the internet is full of information about Paris? But this isn’t just another Parisian travelogue. I myself wasn’t too keen on visiting Paris, for it is too expensive and very crowded (the Mumbaikar in me is smirking at this). But I planned a budget day trip to Paris and found it truly unique!

Our first stop, of course, was the Eiffel tower. I’m not going to sugarcoat this: I was underwhelmed at the first sight of it! The Engineer in me was impressed at this marvel, but the romantic in me not so much. The fancily dressed people posing for Instagram Reels made the experience quite entertaining. We went on a sunny summer weekend, and the queues were super long. We decided not to spend the entire day climbing on top of the tower, specially when we had the whole city to explore!

I was most interested in exploring the Parisian bakeries and patisseries, and they did not disappoint one bit! Paris is a sweet tooth’s heaven. The fluffy croissants, perfect macarons and mouth-watering madeleines really made my day! Now that the most important part of my day was taken care of, we decided to explore the city on foot¹.

Parisian Bakery

The city looks like a museum, and it reminded me a lot of Vienna. There is a lot to see, but I will only write about the not-so-famous places I found fascinating. The Flame of Liberty caught me off guard. It is a life-size replica of the flame on top of Statue of Liberty, but that’s not even the most interesting part. When Princess Diana was tragically killed in a 1997 car accident in the tunnel underneath the Flame of Liberty, it became an unofficial memorial to her. I have heard that she was very loved and it was heartwarming to see how Europeans still remember her! Another interesting place we found unexpectedly was the Bouquet of Tulips. At first glance it seemed like a hand holding paprika (capsicum) but on reading more about it, we realised that it was a memorial for the November 2015 attacks. One thing was clear at this point: there was much more to this city than what had been depicted by social media.

Left to Right: Flame of Liberty, Louvre Museum, Arc De Triomphe and the Bouquet of Tulips

I was smitten by the city. I loved the subtle architecture, specially the detailed carving on the balconies! The beautiful Parisian apartments made it seem like I was walking through a palace. Paris is the most densely populated city in Europe, hence the prices of apartments are affordable by only the richest people. I was indeed walking through their palace :)

We walked a lot all day and ended the trip with a cruise over the Seine river. Nights are very short in summer, and the sun had had a long day. It set behind the river as quickly as one falls asleep after a long hard day. And just as the sun fell asleep, Paris woke up. The banks of Seine lit up and the Eiffel tower looked absolutely breathtaking. Yes, I was unimpressed with it during the day, but it looked beautiful at night. I love nights, and I have missed them deeply. Experiencing a real night after such a long time was amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to see the moon and the starry skies. I thought to myself, “Wow! This is what poets write about!”

Left to Right: Notre Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower

Paris is home to millions of people. It is versatile: there’s something for art lovers, fashionistas, foodies, nature lovers, architecture enthusiasts. The love saga between romantics and Paris is one for the ages. But it is a real city, with dirty patches and crimes. It is not always as glorious as social media has us believe. Many people suffer from Paris Syndrome on their first visit. I, on the other hand, visited Paris believing I won’t find it special, but it has a charm that I cannot deny. It is a pocketful of surprises, and spending a day in Paris is a beautiful way of celebrating summer!