Wunderbar!: Paris & Nice, France

PARIS

Oui...I love Paris like crazy! Definitely going back there one day! Victor Hugo, Napoleon, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, King Henry IV, King Louis XIV...the place is just brimming with so much interesting history, BEAUTIFUL people, wonderful attractions, super buttery croissants, crispy-outside-but-soft-inside baguettes & crepes-with-banana & nutella! Oh how i miss Paris so...

On a more serious note, I would really like to come back to Europe with more money in the future! I know Maccann and BK feel the same too, given that we are always talking about staying in one of our imaginery hotels...and taking one of our imaginery private jets....eating at one of our imaginery restaurants- haha. The cost of oblivious daydreaming is always the moment of return to reality, the realignment with what had been ..back in the world that made us...not the world we made...haha...SIGH. Our plans once rich in plausible details become a passing silliness....not! It will happen one day!!!

This is Luke, our guide for the free walking tour around Paris. He's really really good...as you can see from his animated expressions- he delivered nuggets of interesting history one after another, I learnt so much! Sometimes his stories seemed a bit ludicrous though...and i couldnt help but wonder if he was bullshitting us about some stuff...but even if he did, he did it damn well...so yea he still deserved our generous tips at the end! Go for a free tour in Paris!

Notre Dame de Paris ("Our Lady of Paris" in French): One of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture

This monument is actually St Michael the archangel banishing Lucifer to hell...somehow i really like these sort of statues/paintings...the violent ones with angels quashing demons are even better..heh

Palais Royal, Musee du Louvre- the most visited museum in the world

Inside...photography is not allowed but there are so many visitors who do so anyway...the curators/guards can't be bothered anymore! haha

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Just look at the sheer number of people edging forward to see her! I couldn't believe i was in front of the real thing...

I regret not buying some of the replicas...argghh...Following are some of my personal favourites:

If Maccann, Bingkai and I were characters in this picture...guess which figure each of us would be? ;)

I know this ia bit off...but this sculpture reminded me of my 2 sisters and myself..haha! So i really like it...

Clockwise from top left:

2 & 4: The Champs-Élysées -- is the most prestigious and broadest avenue in Paris. Its full name is "Avenue des Champs-Élysées". With its cinemas, cafés, and luxury specialty shops, the Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world, and with rents as high as $1.25 million a year for 1,000 square feet (100 m²) of space, it remains the 2nd most expensive strip of real estate in the world (the first in Europe) after New York City's Fifth Avenue.The name refers to the Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed in Greek mythology. -wikipedia.org

3: The Arc de Triomph -- is a historical treasure in Paris, France that stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the Place de l'Étoile (Star Square). It is at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The arch honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, and today also includes the tomb of the unknown soldier.- wikipedia.org

The Eiffel Tower...after sunset, it glitters for 10 minutes after each full hour!

In the picture grid above, the top right photo shows 2 baguettes and a plastic bag right? Those were the stuff we brought for the trip back to Switzerland on the train...The shorter baguette is Sam and the longer one is Lucy. We finished Sam first, half of Lucy is still in our kitchen. They are really nice! I didnt intend to buy a baguette at first but after i stepped into the bakery, this very pretty lady said 'Bonjour' so chirpily that i felt obliged to get something..and the cheapo in me zoomed in on the 0.80 euro- baguette (Sam)...it turned out to be the best investment! hha. I was really happy also because i felt quite french-y...holding a baguette on the streets proudly! I didn't have an eclair during my time there though! Inside the plastic bag was 2 kebabs for the guys...