Paris
На русском. 🇷🇺
The trip to Paris happened spontaneously and without much planning. An oil crisis was in full swing and airfares were threatening to rise, so I decided to fly somewhere for a couple of days while it was still cheap.
Tickets to Paris and back cost only about 120 euros, so without thinking twice I finally decided to visit this city.
A little later another event interfered with my plans - sailing in the Wadden Sea in the Netherlands, which started right after my return from Paris. If I had thought about it in advance, I would probably have skipped the Paris trip, but in the end I managed to do both and got a lot of impressions.
The flight was early in the morning, so I headed to the airport still at night. By around 9 a.m. I had already arrived and wandered a bit around the airport looking for the bus.
In the city I first went for a walk around Montmartre - there were a lot of tourists, but the place is beautiful.
I only had a couple of days in Paris, so without wasting any time I set off to see the sights and viewpoints.
I liked the relative compactness of the central part of Paris, so it was possible to simply walk around without using public transport.
At Galeries Lafayette there is a publicly accessible rooftop terrace that offers a panoramic view of the city.
Not far from the Eiffel Tower, I was somewhat surprised to discover an Orthodox church, which probably testifies to the close ties between Russia and France.
The tower impresses with its openwork structure and graceful, flowing forms. Very beautiful.
Walking along the Seine is also pleasant - bridges and interesting buildings are everywhere.
Right at that time, a “rocky cave” had been installed on the Pont Neuf (though it was still closed to pedestrians).
I stayed in the Canal Saint-Martin area. The next morning I walked to the Louvre along the canal. Many people were relaxing or having breakfast by the water.
The Louvre greeted me with a queue, which, however, moved fairly quickly. Inside there were crowds of people, especially dense around the Mona Lisa.
I’m not particularly knowledgeable about art, but even so I enjoyed walking through the gallery corridors and looking at the old paintings. Gradually you immerse yourself in the atmosphere and start noticing the details in the pictures.
After the Louvre I went to Notre-Dame. After the fire it had been restored and reopened to visitors. A religious service was taking place inside.
The high vaults and the acoustics gave a sense of grandeur.
Evening was falling, and from Notre-Dame I decided to head back to the Eiffel Tower to see the evening illumination.
Along the way I kept encountering armed soldiers in full gear. Maybe they were assisting the police?
The next day I didn’t have any particular plans, so I simply went for a walk along the canals and the Seine, across the bridges.
Towards evening it was already time to fly out. I got home around midnight, and by 5 a.m. a train was already waiting for me for the next trip.
I liked Paris - it left a feeling of relaxation and friendliness. A good place to spend a few days.