A rainy weekend in Paris

Last weekend, I went with my parents, by train, to Paris: our first opportunity to know the French capital, one of the top cities in Europe. The date (mid-November) was quite risky and we were not disappointed by the weather Paris had reserved for us: during one and a half day, it was raining cats and dogs, sometimes together with strong winds. An umbrella was broken and it was not until we bought a second one that it stopped raining. If we had not bought that umbrella, it could still be raining now! In despite of that (and of the just nice hotel room), Paris is always a nice place to visit.

As we were staying also on Monday, we decided to go upstairs the Eiffel Tower then. Unfortunately, the summit was closed due to some reparation works in the elevators, so I could not feel what I have watched in films like Superman II or A View to Kill. Anyhow, the second level is enough to give the visitor a broad perspective of Paris, from a monster of iron, built more than 100 years ago by a genious.

While visiting Arc du Triomphe, my mother insisted in going upstairs as well, so amidst rain and wind, we spent some time on top of it, with breathtaking views of Champs Elysées. There we had quite a strange experience the previous day, since people were entering shops like Louis Voutton or Toyota like crazy, apparently completely unawere of the goods' prices. This part of Paris is well-known in my family thanks to Tour de France and it was somehow special for the three of us to walk through places so many times watched on TV. Going back to Arc du Triomphe, it can also be considered as a Geography test, since it is really challenging placing all the battles won by Napoleon (some of them in Spain and even in Guadalajara): you can try it with the picture to the right.

Another remarkable site of Paris is Notre Dame. I was surprised that the entrance was free (not like in Sainte Chapelle), so we also went inside. The cathedral is quite dark inside, inviting everybody to think and pray and not to take many pictures. Sacre Coeur, in Montmatre, is a church with much more light, although it seems also too much oriented towards tourism. Notre Dame seems still to keep its real function: being a place of pray. Regarding the construction itself, it is one of the key gothic cathedrals in Europe (see picture below):I have mentioned some of the top tourist hubs in Paris, but Paris does not end there. Centre Pompidou, Louvre, Dôme des Invalides, Pont Alexander III, Montmatre, Saint Sulspice, Place des Vosgues,... are places which are worth a visit and which have the power to always open the visitor's mouth. The most relaxing time of our stay happened seated in a fountain in the Tuilleires, enjoying some minutes of sun, with a nice view of Quay d'Orsay. Below is the evidence of this moment: