Paris- My first day in the city of love and light!

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Paris is a beautiful city.

Paris, beautiful Paris! One of my favourite cities in the world.

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.-Ernest Hemingway

Somebody once asked me what are the three most important things to see in Paris. I didn’t answer immediately. In fact it is virtually impossible to narrow it down to only three things. Paris is Paris and so much more! I did try my best and this is what I came up with:

  • The Eiffel Tower;
  • The Louvre Museum;
  • The Arc-De Triomphe;
  • Paris at night;
  • Food: Cheese and pastries;
  • Moulin Rouge;
  • Champs-Elysees;
  • Fashion.

Our trip into Paris.

As you can tell, once I started, I couldn’t stop! But let me take you back to Thurday, 8 April 2004. We left Lucerne early that morning. It was a scenic drive through the wine producing region of Burgundy. We were all tired but very excited to be on our way to Paris. How did our tour guide call it? The city of Light! I always thought of Paris as the city of love. Then again I am a romantic at heart!

Excitement was building up.

The excitement were building up as we approached the city. Our guide gave us the run down, issued us with maps and told us where to meet. On a Contiki tour that is very important – the meeting point! If you miss your bus you have problems. The atmosphere on the bus was electric! We could hardly contain our excitement as we pulled into the city and had our first glimpse of  the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. This road is one of the busiest that I have ever seen! It is a huge circle and twelve avenues start from there. Don’t even try to cross it by foot!

Passing by famous landmarks.

Our bus driver felt our excitement and decided it was time for a little fun. We were almost hanging out of the bus to see these famous landmarks. The driver approached the roundabout and instead of taking an exit, he decided to go around the circle – again! We were screaming and clapping and I have never seen a bus driver handling a bus like that! It looked like he was driving a small little car! He was absolutely amazing and if I may add our hero! Off course other drivers got upset but who cared…we were in the city of love and light!

That was my first impression of Paris. These memories will stay with me for the rest of my life. Next time I will tell you more about my visits to the famous landmarks and my 4 glorious days in the city of light!

I have been fortunate to have done quite a bit of travelling. By heart I am an adventurer and I love exploring new places, cultures and food. Travelling can become stressful and expensive. Over the years I have learnt to travel as cost effective as possible, simply by travelling more clever. Nelmitravel.com is a Adventure and Budget Travel site where I review Airlines, Accommodation, Transport, Restaurants and give helpful travel information.

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24 Comments

  2. WOW so coooooooool..the city of lights……and I am really laughing at the video LOLOL…I don't think if I ever get to Paris that I'd be driving LOLOL….As always….XOXOXOXO

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  3. Wow! Some crazy traffic here! And, some gorgeous photos, too, of course. 🙂 Looking forward to the next installment, Nelieta!

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  5. Oh, Nelieta! ~ Such beautiful pictures and your storytelling put me right there in the moment! I love your bus driver and I actually got a little teary-eyed when everyone was screaming and clapping on the bus — haha! Sounds like so much fun! Thank you for sharing!!!

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  6. So so beautiful, the photos are stunning, I love your way of narrating, I was with you on this trip. Wonderful time wonderful memories. <3

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  7. Hello Nelieta.I have never been to Paris, but my has. I hear so many stories about how beautiful & diverse it is. I don't travel much, but I think Paris is one of those cities I would love to visit just to experience its romanticism.Love your photos, especially the "blue" one (second to last one).Thanks for the mini trip.

    Reply

  9. Wow! I have two French friends but they never talked about anything else aside from the Eiffel Tower 😉 Thanks for showing us around. Paris looks very lovely at night! I like the lights too 🙂

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  17. Hi Andy, it is truly an amazing experience. If you ever have an opportunity to go you have to! There is so much to do and see and it leaves you with lasting memories! Glad you enjoyed this trip with me.

    Reply

  23. I am really looking forward to our trip this coming September and you have now made me even more excited about going!! Are these your images??

    Reply

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