Solo travel in France 🇫🇷 : I see you Paris!
As I flew in and out of each city for weeks, so is the changes of the weather; from sunny to rainy and sunny again. My body didn’t felt good as I welcomed myself to the City of Lights, Paris. Frequent weather changes took a toll on me and I ended up getting a mild flu. Still, my anticipation hasn’t wavered as I continued my journey.
I considered not putting Paris on my itinerary when I was planning the travel, but then for some reason, I had to change my mind. I booked a one-way flight to Paris because...I just can't miss out museums. Given limited days, I narrowed down the lists of places I wanted to visit and had to spend my time wisely. Can’t also cross out a visit to the iconic Eiffel Tower, Champ Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, and a glimpse of Notre Dame, which was being renovated at that time because it was burned down at the same year, 2019.
Seeing the Eiffel tower glitter at night with all those lights was beautiful indeed. The place was bustling, vibrant, and enigmatic. The iconic Champ Elysees, also equally boast crowds for sight-seeing and shoppers. It was an environment that was a total opposite of my world, but touching these places amazed me.
I found myself doing simple things like strolling at the Siene by my own as a romantic me-time. After all, this romantic city is for anybody who wants to ignite their artistic minds, for solo travellers who values experience and discoveries, or for those who just wants to casually visit. Somehow, I also felt that Paris is a safe city for a solo traveller, although awareness of the surroundings remained very important to me. Nonetheless, Paris was more than what I thought; it's like the other version of its neighbor, Rome. An art magnet for artists and the epicenter of the many art movements, Paris gained its reputation as the art capital of the world. Can’t help thinking about the fact that the majority of the world-renowned painters that we know of today have a touch of Paris in their lifetime. It was an ultimate goal, I presume, for these painters/artists to have their artworks exhibited in galleries and even get their art education in Paris. After all, there was so much interests heavily invested around artworks in the 17th century, much more, gaining recognition in the art world of a prominent society. Art became the symbolism of power and wealth, and I believe, is still visible up until today in this modern age.
My head and body became lighter the next day as I started my Paris moments. I went to the Louvre Museum, the world's biggest museum that houses thousands of art collections ranging from Egyptian arts to Greek, Italian, French arts, and much more. There's so much art to see that a day of visit would not suffice, but one of the surprises during my visit was Mona Lisa's portrait. It wasn’t as big as I thought, with a small canvas size of 30"x 20". When I finally reached her space, her portrait was hanged up at the center of the room and people had to line up just to get a glimpse of her crescent smile where the viewpoint was barricaded a few meters away from her wall.Visitors were so patient, each waiting for their turn but I did not bother lining up because it'd only kill my time. Instead, I just took a photo of her from an angle where I could decently see her beautiful portrait. Amongst the artwork in that room, da Vinci’s art was the most attended to, but I didn’t miss the chance to look at other arts that were equally present in the same room because they were all stunningly beautiful as da Vinci’s. Yet, the busy crowd somehow overwhelmed me. I wonder how it would feel having to roam around the Louvre Museum without so many visitors struggling to get a better view of an art piece. Nonetheless, by just marveling at art pieces that was once my dream to see was already a priceless experience. Crowds were then the least of my concern.
Musee d'Orsay is also one of the anticipated museums I wanted to visit and became my favorite one. It housed the many art pieces during the Impressionism and Expressionism eras, and I also loved the layout of the museum. Though equally flocked by many visitors, I had a slower phase in this museum and admired so much the many impressive art collections. Other must-visit museums that might interest solo travellers are:
L'Atelier des Lumières (Van Gogh's immersive digital arts collection)
The Palace of Versailles, a UNESCO world heritage site, was indeed France’s living identity. The palace was not a royal residence until the reign of Louis XIV who is also dubbed as the sun god. Never thought that this humongous luxurious residence of the late French monarchy would leave me in so much awe. The exterior and interior baroque designed architecture, all the impressive gold furnishings, and very intricate colorful wallpapers represent why Paris was deemed the epitome of French arts and the symbol of France's rich history amazingly preserved until this generation. I wonder how expensive it is to maintain such huge property. I was mostly attracted to a particular room called the Queen's Chamber, with all the hues of pink and flowery wallpaper that matched up with golden furnishings. Inside the palace, the baroque designed home furnishings and paintings were my ultimate eye-catcher. Roaming around the property will somehow need at least a couple of hours. Including its massive garden, one can’t help spending a bit more time to appreciate this place.
Other must-visit attractions in Paris that solo travellers may also consider are Tuileries Garden, Eiffel tower’s perfect view at Place du Trocadéro or at the Trocadero Gardens, the iconic bridges of Pont Neuf and Pont Alexander III, take a nature walk at the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, or a stroll at Square of Saint-Jacques tower.
It was reported recently that this year, in the month of December, the Norte Dame church will finally be open again for the anticipated public visit and viewing after waiting for 5 years of its repairs and restorations. I believe that many visitors will be very thrilled for its re-opening. Would be nice to visit again and see it fully restored.
A fella I met inside the train who started a bit of conversation with me told me that I should have stayed in Paris for at least a week which I totally agree with; and why not, right? A week, probably, would not even suffice either. Maybe there’s no boring parts in Paris, as too many visitors make the city too much alive. Does it even sleep at night? Though I've only explored it for a few days, I have learned and discovered so much. I know that Paris is also worth coming back.
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