Paris - the most romantic city in the world
Claimed to be the most romantic city in the world, and popular with honeymooners, no tour of Europe could possibly be complete without a visit to Paris, which has such an abundance of sights to see, and things to enjoy that you could quite easily spend a month or more here.
Standing majestic over the city is the once controversial Eiffel Tower, which has now become the iconic symbol for Paris. A trip up to the top is a thrilling experience and provides a breathtaking view over the whole city.
One of my favorite cathedrals is definitely the Notre Dame, and I especially love its numerous gargoyles – images of ugly little goblin-type creatures that were put on the side of the building to scare the Devil away, but which now fascinate tourists.
The Sacre Coeur is an impressive white domed basilica, situated high above the Montmartre, which is the artists’ quarter where Toulouse-Lautrec and his friends once drank absinthe, and enjoyed the Bohemian lifestyle. Street artists are still to be found in its streets today, and you can have a very good portrait of yourself done while you wait, (in fact while you pose), at a fairly reasonable price.
Of course no visit to Paris is complete without a visit to The Louvre, and of course the piece de resistance, the Mona Lisa with her secret smile. When the glass segmented Louvre Pyramid designed by Ieoh Ming Pei was built on the central courtyard of the Louvre, it raised a bit of an outcry, but now people say they cannot imagine the Louvre without it.
Another favorite of mine has to be the Centre Pompidou, an eye-catching piece of modern architecture, which is both a library, a museum and a center for music. Equally fascinating is the area itself which, like Covent Garden in London, has a lot of street theater, with skilled performers and musicians doing their stuff for mere coins.
You may find it interesting to pay a visit to the famous Parisian cemetery Pere Lachaise where such celebrated people as Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Honore de Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Chopin, Yves Montand, Edith Piaf, and many other great people are buried.
The sheer beauty and atmosphere of Paris is so stunning, you will find that this is a place that you want to come back to.
Filed under: Architecture, Culture, Art, Religious Sights, France
