Beyond Here

Many refer to Paris as the city of romance. Infact it is a very popular destination among honeymooners. Maybe its so because it is the home of the Eiffel Tower. I have heard many couples express their deepest love to each other atop the tower. The Eiffel is wonderful, no doubt, towering above most of Paris. And I am guessing the only place in Paris from where you don't see it is when you are on the tower itself. But there are so many other things that add to the romance of the place that the Eiffel tower in the end seems just a small part of what Paris is about. Take for example, the river Siene that criss-crosses the city. Most of old Paris is situated around this river. There are numerous small foot and road bridges that take you across the river, and numerous embankments around the river where Sunit and I really enjoyed walking. Quiet walks along a river in the middle of a city - now that is something one doesn't get to do often. Also adding to the charm of this city are the...

No talk about Paris is ever complete without a mention of the most prestigious palace of Paris - the Louvre. More recently it was also featured as the location for the plot of the very famous Da Vinci Code. Divided into 3 wings - Denon, Sully and Richelieu, Louvre is indeed one of the best museums of the world. Following is a picture of the famous pyramid entry designed by I M Pei and the Richelieu wing to its side. It does seem too modern an entry for something that is so steeped in history but it added to its beauty nonetheless. The Pyramid and the Richelieu Wing Sunit and I had a day allocated for our trip to this one. But were we underestimating the treasures that reside here! The long halls, the beautiful paintings, sculptures - all were intimidating and at the same time awe inspiring. To think that one place could hold so much of history was just mind boggling. We could have easily spent 2-3 days more here and that is actually the time one needs to do justice to this place. But t...

View of the cathedral from the south-east end, across the Sienne When Sunit and I were planning our trip to Paris in the summer of 2003, he asked me what I wanted to particularly see in the city. Much to his astonishment, I replied - Notre Dame. He had half expected me to vote for Eiffel Tower, I guess. So it is befitting I think that my first of the many memoirs of our trip to Paris start off with an ode to this ancient Gothic Cathedral. The West side, or the front My interest in this monument was sparked by one of Victor Hugo's famous novels - The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Who can forget the disfigured Quasimodo and his love for Esmeralda. Much to my delight, Sunit actually booked our place to stay in the Latin Quarter of Paris - we were just 5-10 minutes of walking distance from this Cathedral and I had my fill of it because we saw it every single day we were in Paris. Notre Dame at twilight Notre Dame is built on an island on top of Sienne, the river around which most of Paris i...