Today’s the day. Despite the sedate start, everything felt rushed. The excitement and sudden anxiety about the journey ahead merged to reduce my perception to a blur.
Before I knew it I was sitting in the eurostar departure lounge at St Pancras awaiting my carriage to Paris. Upon arrival I made the quick dash to the hostel before dumping my bags and setting off into the beautiful streets of France’s capital.
Had all gone to plan I would have spent the afternoon in the Louvre. Unfortunately, ongoing panic by the museum staff about the Coronavirus epidemic meant that the famed art museum remained shut for the second day in a row.
Never mind though, having only 3.5 days in Paris leaves very little time to sit around. Having never been to the city before, I’m determined to enjoy as much of it as possible.
First stop then, the Pantheon. Resting place of giants such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo and Marie Curie. Once conceived as a church, it now stands as a temple for some of the greatest minds of all time. The building itself is as wonderous as the people who are interred within its walls.
Leaving the Pantheon, I wandered down to Notre Dame. Though gutted by fire, her towers still stand as a symbol of French pride. Looking upon the scarred facade it is clear it won’t remain closed to her people for long. Work is already well under way to secure and restore this most famous of Churches.
As an aside I couldn’t help but hum One Day Out There to myself – a song from Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame for those uncultured folk who don’t know. Go watch it if you haven’t!
Following a stroll around the Ile de la Cite I trekked my way down the Tuileries Gardens to the Place de la Concorde. By this time my feet were getting tired so I hopped onto the metro to see Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomph as the sun set.
Suffice to say the view of Paris at dusk is a stunning one. Thank goodness the weather cleared up in time!
All Aboard The Backpacker's Express 