Bienvenue à Paris!
That’s how you say “Welcome to Paris!” in French. I went to Paris together with the other delegates of UST as part of our pilgrimage after the World Youth Day celebration in Germany.
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region. Paris was the largest city in the Western world for about 1,000 years, prior to the 19th century, and the largest in the entire world between the 16th and 19th centuries.
Paris is today one of the world’s leading business and cultural centres, and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities.
from: Wikipedia
Have you watched Monte Carlo of Selena Gomez? We basically had the same tour like them minus the fast paced tour guide and bus.
We first went to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur in Montmarte. It is also known as the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. In my files, I got to see an image title with a little description of the Basilica. I know I got this online but I can’t remember the source.
Basilique du Sacre Coeur is one of the most recognized Catholic churches in the world. It is located high on a hill of Paris and there are at least one hundred steps to get there from the Metro stop.
Most people forget that Sacre Coeur is a becautiful place for Catholics to worship. Their only purpose for making the journey is the spectacular panoramic view of Paris. Also, they come to see the famous artistic area known as Montmartre.
Climb the steps to Sacre Coure, and when you do, thank God you survived the ascent and for the breakthtaking view of Paris.
We had the privilege to celebrate mass in one of the chapels of the Basilica. I don’t know who arranged it or it’s part of the tour but the priests who were with us concelebrated the mass.
Also in Montmartre, we saw the Moulin Rouge cabaret but didn’t get inside. We were so excited to see what’s inside but it’s not in our itinerary and we have to eat our dinner in a French restaurant.
We went to Auberge Du Pere Louis Paris that night. A taste of pure french cuisine. Délicieux!
The next day was a full day city tour in Paris. We visited the following places:
Chapelle dela Medaille Miraculense or the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Here lies St. Catherine Labouré whose body was not corrupted after her exhumation in 1993. It was miraculously preserved and now displayed in the chapel with glass case.
There was also a beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that stands over the altar. She is crowned with 12 stars and rays of graces lead from her outstretched palms to the floor.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris or The Notredame Cathedral means “Our Lady of Paris” is a beautiful cathedral on the the Île de la Cité in Paris.
Upon reaching the Cathedral, we kept on asking where the hunchback was! It was famously known because of Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”. So if you knew the story, you’ll be amazed with the Cathedral’s structure as it displays the gargoyles and chimeras standing on the towers. We never found out if the hunchback was there that time.
A few meters away the Cathedral was the Point-Zero of Paris. It is believed that if you wished to return to the city of Paris, you have to make a 360-degree turn on the center point. Of course, wanting to go back to the place, we took turns on spinning on it.
Jardin du Luxembour or the Luxembourg Palace & Gardens is the second largest park in Paris. I always love parks and wished that we also have those in the Philippines. It is the garden of the French Senate which is housed in the Luxembourg Palace.
The fresh air, the cool breeze, nothing beats the day with colorful flowers found in every corner of the garden. A huge place for everyone to just chill out and spend the day with family and friends.
Seine River Cruise where we saw some of the city’s oldest and most majestic historic monuments. It’s one of the great ways to see the city of Paris in a matter of minutes. We saw the Statue of Liberty, the view of the Eiffel tower, the hotels and a lot more. It was a unique and refreshing ride compared to that one we had in Heidelberg’s.
The climax for the day’s tour, the Eiffel Tower! The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel. We were allowed to go up to the 2nd floor of the tower for free since higher than the 2nd floor mean additional pay.
The 2nd floor was high enough to see the stunning beauty of Paris. It’s every one’s dream to be there, well for most people I know. We breathe the fresh air seizing the moment as we gazed upon the marvelous architectures in Paris.
When we are about to go down, the people were already rushing to the elevator. Since it was jam packed we decided to descend the tower with 780 steps all in all before you reach the ground. It took us almost half an hour and we felt like running a 5 km race. Although tired and desperately catching our breaths, it sure made our landing worth it. It was an experience we won’t forget.
On our way to dinner, we saw the Arc de Triomphe but didn’t get a chance to stop and take pictures since it’s getting late already.
It was a long, awesome and fascinating day for all of us. Personally, I want to go back and see the out skirts of the city, experience different French cuisine and discover all the beauty that Paris has to offer but I’m not sure when will it happen. As for now, the memories of our Paris tour will forever remain as one of our treasured moments of a lifetime.
Disclaimer: I copied Patty Laurel’s idea of blogging travel related stuff on Tuesdays. I made it on Thursdays instead. This idea is also similar to my post of Yummy Friday for food related posts.
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