Paris is a city - a holiday!
Paris is a city - a holiday!
Paris is very diverse and original, mysteriously romantic and fashionable. It is different, historical and modern, it is beautiful in any era! This is the city of love and dreams! And no one else will convince me of this. There you touch the eternal beauty and sweep through the ages. And you no longer pay attention to the local population, the cleanliness of the streets, the ugly subway, everything fades into the background, and you enjoy the masterpieces of architecture, painting and sculpture, streets, boulevards, parks and museums. In Paris, everyone sees what he wants to see. In general, Paris is a city of celebration!
So I was lucky enough to plunge into its romantic atmosphere for three unforgettable days. Although, they say that Paris is the only city in the world where it is not necessary to be happy. But, once in his arms, you involuntarily feel a moment of happiness, because you touch the beauty of eternity!
Usually, acquaintance with Paris begins with the central part of the city, with an inspection of the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. And we wanted to start in reverse order to see how it all began ...
So, day one.
Isle de la Cité and Montmartre.
For whoever has not seen Montmartre has not seen Paris.
And we really wanted to walk along the streets where Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and many other celebrities lived and worked.
and we went to the most colorful quarter of Paris, who in the 19th century she chose all the creative bohemia, on the famous Hill Montmartre , that in the French Martyr Martyr which has been known since ancient Rome. It was then that plaster was found here, from which rich temples and houses were built, and the first Christians hid in these quarries, among whom was St. Dionysius, the first bishop of Paris, who died a martyr's death.
Hence the name. The height of the hill is 130 meters, and I went up there by funicular using a regular metro ticket, and my husband ran up the stairs, and, oddly enough, arrived there first. Leaving the funicular, a stunning view opened up to me - on one side there was an observation deck, and the whole of Paris lay at my feet!
On the other hand, I saw the majestic Sacré Coeur basilica, which means "sacred heart". The basilica was built of white stone, which never gets dirty, and it sparkles all over with its whiteness. It turns out that the Montmartre hill is hollow inside (since the gypsum quarries have been depleted over the years) and the basilica stands on stilts, so it took a long time to build, more than 30 years. The decor of the basilica is interesting, such is the combination of Gothic austerity and Byzantine splendor.
After admiring the basilica, we go for a walk through the picturesque streets of Montmartre, where the unique energy of those times is still preserved. The streets snake around squares, theaters and cabarets, a flea market, small shops and pastry shops - and all this is Montmartre!
Montmartre
Place Tertre is the center of contemporary art. Artists create here and you have the opportunity to order your portrait in memory of Paris, or a painting with views of the city. Everything is very nice and even scary to imagine that once it was a place of execution, where executioners worked and there were guillotines.
And on Place Marseille Aimé , there is an unusual sculpture "Man passing through the wall", the author of which is the famous actor Jean Marais. He dedicated it to his friend, the writer Marcel Aime, who wrote a story about a man who can walk through walls.
And here is the only surviving windmill.
There is also a square in Montmartre named after the famous French singer Dalida. She is called Dalida. There is also a monument to the singer. She became the third girl whose monument was erected in Paris (after Joan of Arc and Sarah Bernhardt).
And here is the newest attraction of Montmartre, which is located next to Place de la Abbes. This Wall of Love, on which declarations of love are written in almost all languages of the world.
I found inscriptions in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. No wonder Paris is the city of love.
Wall of Love
But Pigalle Square is attractive because it houses the most famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. It used to be the center of "night butterflies", and even now it is an unofficial gathering point for them. It is more colorful here, of course, in the evening and at night, and you can see the Erotic Museum and the Salvador Dali Museum.
Clichy Boulevard also has its own special significance - it was here in 1814 that the Russian troops ended the war against Napoleon. But, they say that now there are a lot of criminal personalities here and it is unsafe.
And be sure to check out Vernissage. Ah, Vernissage, ah Vernissage! What a portrait, what a landscape!
The gallery is very beautiful, but I did not have a single photo, only a video.
If you have a whole day left, it is better to climb the hill in the morning, see the basilica and the whole panorama of the city, and then just go down the small, quaint cozy streets covered with ivy and grapes, looking at all the sights. Be sure to sit in a cafe for a cup of coffee, imagining that Salvador Dali himself was sitting on the same chair, take a walk around the Vernissage, look into museums, and end your walk in the evening on Pigalle Square to watch a performance at the Moulin Rouge cabaret, relaxing and enjoying the best cancan in the world, with a glass of French champagne.
As for the cafe, you won’t be able to just drink a glass of wine, you definitely need to order lunch for it, because in France there is a drinking culture, and wine brings pleasure only together with a gourmet dish. That's it! But you can drink a cup of coffee, although coffee, unlike wine, is clearly not their drink (forgive me, the French, but they don’t know how to brew coffee).
In general, I concluded that Montmartre is the charm and charm of Paris.
If you don’t have a whole day left, you can take a ride on a tourist bus that runs from Pigalle Square to Mairie de 18me and back. He makes stops at the most interesting places where you can take beautiful photos. We also didn’t have a whole day left, because in the second half we planned a trip to the island of Cité , where the famous Notre Dame de Paris is located, which means Notre Dame Cathedral (what, what mother? ) of Paris! Mother God!
Let's go to the Ile de la Cité .
In Paris, we traveled by metro all the time. It is very convenient, has several branches, you can change several times without leaving the subway. If you went out through the turnstile, having mixed up the side, then alas, you need to use a new ticket. Therefore, carefully look in which direction the train goes. It is better to buy tickets "carne" - these are 10 tickets at once for 14.90 euros, it's cheaper that way. We took the metro map from the hotel reception for free, and there we also consulted on the most convenient way to get to various places. Of course, we wanted to stay in a hotel in the historical center of Paris, but the prices there are clearly not for our wallet, so we lived in a hotel on the outskirts. Hotel Campanile Paris Est –Pantin at 62.64 Avenue Jean Lolive 3*. The hotel is so-so, well, C-minus, but it had two big advantages: it was close to the metro station and the price per night was 70 euros for a double room.
There were also complaints about the room, I didn’t even capture it in the photo, as it was very modest, the sink was broken in the bathroom, and the drain did not work. The air conditioner was in working order, although it was not needed. The breakfasts were good, by the way. A standard breakfast, both for France, and even very good, since I'm in France for the third time, and earlier it was worse. But for me, a hotel is not essential, there is where to spend the night, and that's fine. Therefore, there is no point in devoting too much time to describing it. If there were chic apartments, then, please, you can roam, otherwise ...
We also got to the island by metro, getting off at the Cite station.
Cité is the historical heart and cradle of Paris, the oldest surviving island on the banks of the Seine, from which it all began. It is connected to the city by nine bridges, so getting to the island from any part of Paris is not difficult.
Once upon a time, people lived here, and the royal residence was located, but at present, almost no one lives, and no more than thirty residential buildings remain.
The first object we saw was The Palace of Justice. We can say that this is a whole complex that occupies almost half of the island and is like a city within a city. The Palace of Justice is the heir of the old royal palace, which is a symbol of the great legacy of Napoleon, who created the legal system of France.
Part of the large Palace of Justice is the Concierge. The building is still a gloomy structure, and during the French Revolution it was the main prison of France. It was in this prison that Queen Marie Antoinette was imprisoned, where she remained until her execution. In the 19th century, the Concierges were rebuilt, leaving some rooms authentic.
This is an 11th century torture chamber and a 14th century clock tower.
And finally - we saw the most outstanding masterpiece and example of medieval architecture Notre Dame Cathedral.
It was built on the site of a former Roman temple. The first stone was laid in the 12th century, and the construction itself lasted more than 200 years. This Cathedral is the main temple of France and its spiritual life. All the most important events in the life of the French took place in it, even Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned here. And the square where the Cathedral is located has become a venue for various fairs and holidays.
The cathedral is fascinating, maybe it was inspired by the famous work of Victor Marie Hugo, or maybe it really has extraordinary spiritual power and energy. I didn’t want to leave the Cathedral, it also fascinates inside, in general, it was not in vain that I wanted to see it.
Another attraction is the so-called New Bridge.
Why it is called new, I did not quite understand, since Henry III began to build it. This is the only bridge that completely crosses the island.
So, following our plan, we spent the first day in Paris. Although we did not fully fulfill the plan, since we had planned a Paris night and a performance at the Moulin Rouge.
But we were so tired that we were not even tempted by the bright lights of alluring Paris. And in order not to go to the Moulin Rouge, they found an excuse that the tickets had risen in price. For this they made themselves visible and announced a severe reprimand, it was not permissible, the plan was not to be carried out. But on the second day, sparkling Versailles and the unsurpassed Louvre were waiting for us. And this plan could no longer be fulfilled. Therefore, we went to the hotel, of course, having bought a bottle of Burgundy, the first day in Paris had to be celebrated. We celebrated for a long time, we didn’t get by with a bottle, since our friends who had already seen Paris at night, palaces too, joined us, and they didn’t care about our plan at all.
Day two. Palaces of Paris.
We decided to dedicate this day to the most significant palaces in the history of France - the sparkling Versaillesand the unsurpassed Louvre.
Versailles can be reached by RER, line C.
And after the Frondon uprising, the king became afraid to live in the Louvre and decided to build a new palace in the suburbs of Paris, Versailles, on the site of his father's hunting grounds. Construction began in 1661. To do this, the King invited the famous architects Louis Leveau and Franç ois Dorbe and the painter Charles Le Brun, who created a grandiose palace in the style of classicism and it is believed that to this day he has no equal. And construction was completed already during the reign of his son Louis XV, and then Louis XVI lived there. Versailles was the main royal residence of France until 1979. Then riots began in France, the royal couple was forced to leave the palace and move to Paris. And then the revolution broke out, the rebels broke into the royal palace, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were captured, imprisoned and executed.
At the same time, the queen was beheaded and thrown into the common grave of the cemetery of St. Madeleine. This is such a sad story. 
Even from afar, in the sunlight, Versailles all sparkles with golden facets. The palace is beautiful, but it seemed pretentious to me, there is a lot of gold at the same time. There was a huge queue to the palace, three rows of snakes, and, as it turned out, it was still nothing, because when leaving the palace, there were already six such snakes. Therefore, we advise you to come to Versailles as early as possible. And of course, you need to stock up on time and patience. On a good note, it is advisable to set aside a whole day for Versailles, since the complex is quite large and covers an area of almost a thousand hectares, including gardens. It consists of the Chateau (the main palace), the Grand Trianon, the Petit Trianon (this is the mansion of Marie Antoinette) and a park with gardens.
Naturally, it is impossible to get around everything even in a day, but you can rent a bike (6 euros per hour) or take a tourist transport (electric car), which also runs there. And we took advantage of the instructions of Louis XIV himself, for who can advise better than the owner himself: “Leaving the palace through the Marble Court, go to the site. You need to stop on the stairs to appreciate the stalls, the water surface and the fountains. Then go to the fountain of Latona and pause there to admire it, the sculptures on the Royal Alley, Apollo, the canal, and then you have to turn around to see the parterre and the palace. 
Well, that's what we did, and lost it. First we went to the palace, and then to the gardens to the fountains. And the fountains work in the gardens on time, and at first it was necessary to go to the gardens, and then admire the palace. Here I am attaching a photo of the fountain schedule. 
There are fountains that operate with only a 10-minute break, but they are located "in the middle of nowhere" and do not shine with beauty. So plan your route in such a way as to admire the fountains, and we only admired them from the window of the palace, because when we went out into the gardens, we saw that the fountains were already turned off. The entrance fee to the gardens on the days when the fountains are open is 9 euros (we were on Sunday, this is the day when the fountains are open and the entrance is paid), on all other days the entrance is free. But we paid, but we didn’t see the fountains, the freaking French, they all have one place, well, if it’s Sunday, then you turn them on for the whole day, you take money for this, but no, the entrance is paid all day, and the fountains see time). And one more stupidity from the French - the audio guide in the palace also works like a moronic one - to listen to the instructions, you press the button of the hall where you are.
So, there are buttons on the audio guide, and the halls are so numbered that, given the huge number of tourists, you will run around the hall for half an hour, looking for where this number is stuck. The cost of the palace is 18 euros. Total for the whole day - 27 euros (18 palace and 9 gardens).
There are many halls, bedrooms and offices in the palace. And each hall is a masterpiece, showing how much effort, labor and money have been invested here.
The Gallery of Mirrors is considered the heart of the Palace of Versailles. On the ceiling you can study the life story of the King - the sun, everything is in illustrations of scenes from his life. There are 357 mirrors in the gallery, all in crystal, silver and gilding. 
Royal Chapel.
Here, the royal altar is surrounded by figures of ancient Greek gods. 
Hall of Venus
The main attraction of the hall is the statue of Louis XIV. 
The King's Bedroom 
And the bedroom of Queen Mary - Antoinette was under restoration and we did not get into this room.
After admiring the palace, we went for a walk in the gardens.
Gardens are certainly unique. The scale of the park is so grandiose that it boggles the imagination. What is there, fountains and pools, statues and sculptures, most of which are characters from Greek mythology, which were specially selected in the name of glorifying the strength and power of the French king. 
Grand Trianon 
Latona Fountain 
Apollo Fountain
Neptune Fountain 
Found one working fountain
Swiss Pond 
To be honest, the impressions of Versailles did not live up to my expectations. I thought I would see something amazing - grandiose, it didn’t work out, not my size. Too pretentious (this is only my opinion, and I'm not such a connoisseur and connoisseur of art. ) Although the Emperor of All Russia Peter the Great himself, having been here, was fascinated by the beauty of the complex and returned to St. Petersburg, he decided to create his own palace and park ensemble in Peterhof. I haven’t been to Peterhof, and I can’t compare, but those who have been say that Peterhof is really more beautiful.
After admiring the Palace of Versailles and working up in the gardens, we go to the no less grandiose Louvre Museum. The cost together with a guide and headphones is 40 euros. The palace is located in the center of Paris, on Rue Rivoli. Leaving the metro at the Place de la Concorde, you will find yourself through the beautiful Tuileries Garden to the inverted pyramid. This is the entrance to the Louvre. 
The style of the lobby is original and quirky, and we are greeted at the entrance by two cute cats. 
The Louvre is considered the most famous museum on the planet, the pride of France and the symbol of Paris. The guide told us that in the Louvre, the length of all the halls is 17 km. Yeah! How can you see everything? Well, I wanted to see at least two world masterpieces - this is the famous Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. It was almost impossible to get to Gioconda because of the Chinese, well, they saw it from afar, of course. In general, there are 35.000 canvases, frescoes, statues, engravings, etc. , etc. Therefore, I immediately parted with the idea of seeing everything. It was already 2 p. m. , and the museum closes at 18.00, and in 4 hours it was necessary to choose what to see? I didn’t have to choose, thanks for this to the guide Anna - Marie, who planned everything so masterfully that in 2 hours she showed us all the significant masterpieces of the Louvre.
And we still have 2 hours to explore on our own. On our own, we visited the Egyptian hall and the hall of the Sumerian era. There wasn't enough time for more. I really love the Louvre! This is grand! ! ! If I am ever in Paris, I will definitely visit the Louvre, and at the same time I will devote a whole day, or two, or three to it. 
I was particularly struck by the sculpture hall. 
The Louvre has a magnificent collection of sculptures from antiquity to modern times. These rooms are located in the Richelieu wing on the two lower floors. Like the rest of the museum's collections, the sculpture halls are huge and you want to stay here for the whole day, admiring the classical proportions performed by unknown ancient Greeks, the austere beauty of Romanesque crucifixes and the works of David.
Well, how is it possible to display human torment in stone in such a way, where you can see the tension of every muscle and nerve?
And of course the famous Venus de Milo. The statue was put on in 1820 on the island of Melos, dates back to the 1st century. BC e and represents Greek Hellenic art. 
The famous sculpture "Cupid and Psyche" by Antonio Canova
And this "Three Graces" is an ancient Roman statue dating back to the 3rd c. BC e. 
In the same hall with the Venus de Milo there is a unique sculpture "Sleeping Hermaphrodite". You can easily miss it if you rush into the midst of the largest crowd. It is clear that they all stand to look at the “handless celebrity”, but the “superman” lying down to rest does not receive a full portion of attention. But he, believe me, more than deserves it.
There is also embossing here
In general, I summarize: the Louvre made an indelible impression on me! Of course, I am delighted, but I understand with my mind that the French robbed the whole world for a long time and looted so much that they collected almost a third of the world heritage. The only good news is that this world heritage is publicly available, and we have the opportunity to contemplate the beautiful, enjoying the beauty of centuries.
To be honest, we also wanted to take a walk in the Tuileries Park, since the park is very beautiful, but we were already so exhausted, contemplating the beauty, that our legs were already failing. I had to take a bottle of Bordeaux and go to the hotel.
Well, in the hotel, of course, they noted the perception of luxurious royal life, and, having looked at night Paris again from the window of their hotel, they got to rest. Tomorrow we had another day in which we wanted to include all the other tourist sites in Paris. Eh! We are naive. . .
Day three. Paris overview.
In the morning it began to rain, and we decided to dedicate this time to the gallery in the shopping center next to our hotel. The gallery somehow did not impress at all, except for a delicious baguette, the rain had ended by this time, and we went to survey Paris. We took the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and went to see the Tour Eiffel. There was a long queue for the lift, we didn’t want to waste precious time, and therefore, simply capturing ourselves on the Champ de Mars against the backdrop of the famous tower, we went for a walk along Shan Ze Lisa. 
This is a very convenient route, as the road goes down, and you easily and freely go down to the very center of Paris, looking at the houses and boulevards. I especially liked the houses - irons that overlook different streets, a very original architectural solution. 
Of course, you need to look into the trade house of Chanel and the gallery Louis Vuitton to buy real French perfume and at least try on an exquisite handbag. 
That's how we walked around Paryzh, and went to Place de la Concorde, which is central. This is one of the most beautiful squares in Paris, named after Louis XV and built in the classicist style. It is located between the Champs Elysees and the Tuileries Garden. There are two 9 meter fountains on the square, imitating the fountains on St. Peter in Rome. Fountains are decorated with statues of mythical creatures.
We also took a walk in the Tuileries Garden. The Tuileries Garden is the central garden of Paris. Its area is slightly more than 25 hectares. It looks strict and gloomy, everything is like a ruler in orderly rows. I love something more lively. But here you can just take a break from a busy Parisian day, enjoying nature, because, unlike Parisian streets, it is surprisingly quiet here. 
Another garden of Paris we could not ignore. This is the most romantic, the most beautiful, the most Parisian
The Luxembourg Gardens. 
The Luxembourg Gardens appeared in the 17th century thanks to Marie de Medici. She really missed her native Italy and decided to reproduce the places she lived in as a child. And since the opening, this garden has become the most favorite place for walking and relaxing for Parisians and guests of the capital.
You can relax by sitting on special chairs that look like sun loungers. 
And this is the fountain of Maria Medici, reminiscent of an Italian grotto, surrounded by plane trees. It is always very crowded and there is a cafe hidden in the shade of trees where you can enjoy delicious crispy croissants. 
In the garden is the Luxembourg Palace, where the Senate sits. Outside, the palace is very beautiful, made in such a transitional style from the Renaissance to the Baroque. Unfortunately, we did not manage to get inside the palace, since it is open to general visits only once a year, on the third Sunday of September, and on other Saturdays it is open only by prior agreement. 
You can't ignore the Paris Les Invalides. 
This is a complex that has become a shelter for veterans who returned from the war and disabled battles. Louis, the sun, ordered the construction of this house. And today, museums are located on the territory of the complex - the Necropolis and the Museum of the Army. Here, in the crypt, the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte are kept. And the house of invalids is still a haven for veterans of the Second World War.
And finally, we reached Grand Opera. This is the world-famous state opera house, which is the center of theatrical culture in France. 
I would like to listen to the opera, but only three days in Paris, and we didn’t take care of the tickets in advance. In general, the second deuce for the trip, the first I put for absenteeism at the Moulin Rouge, the second I put for absenteeism at the Grand Opera, and the third, probably because I never saw Paris at night.
Well, I would like to at least take a look at the new modern district of Paris La Defense. We're going to watch La Defense. This is a place that lovers of modern architecture will probably really like. The locals call it Parisian Manhattan. All the business centers of the capital are located here, the buildings are made in the Art Nouveau style. 
And earlier, only windmills were located on this hill. And so Charles de Gaulle came up with the idea to build a modern district on this hill in order to unload the city center from endless traffic jams. To be honest, I’m somehow not very good with modern architecture, I prefer centuries-old antiquity, so the area didn’t impress me much.
Well, our tour of Paris has come to an end and we are leaving for the small town of Metz, where an overnight stay is planned. The town is chambered and very exquisitely beautiful in French, and in the glow of night lights it simply fascinated. 
We go for a walk in the city, and everywhere there are white people, it turns out that there are French in France!
To the question, what to bring from France? We traditionally have French wine and cheese, but we eat all the cheese in France, the only thing we deliver to the house is Comt, we like it very much and has no specific smell. These wines have been tasted, I recommend them.
And I will definitely return to Paris, there is a lot left not known, not seen and not heard. Thank you Paris for the charm and charm, the most beautiful architecture and the luxury of palaces, for the delicious food and hospitality, for the atmosphere of love and the feeling of a holiday!
