Birthday in Paris
02.11. 2017
We started our journey from Kyiv. We flew from Zhuliany Airport to Warsaw (Chopin Airport) with WizzAir. We went through online check-in in advance, as it is paid at the airport (300 hryvnias).
Upon arrival we passed Polish passport control. We were asked why we flew to Warsaw, what we plan to do here. Then we took a local train, and soon reached the city center. The hotel had to be reached by tram. Settled for one night at the Hit Hotel 3 *. The hotel is not bad, the location is good, near the zoo, 20 minutes walk to the Royal Palace. The rooms are very spacious, we had our own kitchenette (although there were no utensils). The staff at the hotel was very pleasant.
03.11. 2017
In the morning we went on foot towards the Royal Palace and the Old Town. It was rainy, but still great experience. In the morning there are no people at all, the city is empty, this gives it incredible colors. Near the old town is the Barbican - one of the main attractions of the city. Then we headed towards another of the important sights - the High House of Warsaw (I don’t know how to call it correctly), which houses the theater, some kind of center and much more. Despite the weather and the coolness in the air, all the fountains were turned on, the parks were green, everything outside was very, very beautiful. The walk in Warsaw was coming to an end, we went to the shopping center, drank a cup of coffee and from the main station went by train to the city of Modlin. There they transferred to the bus (shuttle bass) to the Modlin airport. The plane to Paris was waiting for us. We flew with RyAnAir. A good low-cost airline, though there is one remark: if you fly with this company, you will either have to buy seats to sit next to it, or this "wonderful" airline will "settle" you at different ends of the plane (for example, 14B, 25A and 27B). The second disadvantage of this low-cost (like Wizz Air) is the arrival of the aircraft at Beauvais airport. There is no need to rejoice at the price of a plane ticket, since the transfer costs 27 euros (round trip). You need to carefully consider whether it would be cheaper to fly directly from Kyiv (by the chic AirFrance airline to Charles de Gaulle) or by some low-cost airline to Orly (EasyJet). No need to be fooled by the fact that supposedly if you get to Beauvais, and then by train from there, it will be cheaper. You will spend a lot of unnecessary time and save about 5 euros. . . Fares are not 10 euros, they are different depending on the time, and only if you are lucky and your time coincides with a discount ticket in both directions, then this offer will be profitable. Shuttle bus from this "beautiful" airport takes about 2 hours (if you don't get stuck in traffic at the entrance to Paris). We arrived at the convention house of Paris, and from there we took the metro to our hotel (ibis Styles Paris Gare Saint Opera Lazare 4*).
Well, the Paris metro shocked us. At first, we tried for a long time to figure out his system, how to buy a ticket, where to go. As a result, the French woman at the ticket office explained which ticket to buy for us, and the locals showed an interactive map that plots the shortest routes and told how to understand where to go, take the metro or the RER. Thank you, dear Frenchman! By the way, all the French are pretty good at English, they are happy to answer it and kindly help in all matters.
The metro itself is very old. I was very struck by the way to get out of the car, not like everywhere else, by pressing the button, but by pulling the handle.
We arrived at our hotel pretty quickly. Stayed in a great room. The hotel is brand new in appearance, on the ground floor you can use tea / coffee for free. After settling in in the evening, we went to look at it... For the sake of which we are here... At the Eiffel Tower! We went to her on foot (30 minutes from the hotel). The first thing that catches your eye in Paris is the Afro-French, garbage and homeless people, there are really a lot of them. It's a shame that a sufficiently strong state spread such slops on the central streets of the capital. . . Afro-French people are completely inadequate, they rush at people, it was really scary to walk down the street after 22:00. . .
And so we saw the Eiffel Tower - the most disappointing sight in the world, but it attracted us, beckoned us closer and closer. Every hour it flickers with lights. This is a magnificent sight. I didn't want to leave her. . .
04.11. 2017
We woke up early in the morning. A rich program awaited us.
Breakfast at the hotel was very impressive. There was everything you need for breakfast: cold cuts, croissants, coffee, yogurt, muesli, freshly squeezed orange juice, lots of jams. . .
Then we went on foot to Montmarte, on the way we passed the Moulin Rouge. Montmartre Hill is a very beautiful place. It offers one of the most beautiful views of Paris. Climbing the stairs is absolutely low, so I don’t see the point in spending money on the funicular. Going downstairs, we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower. It’s better to come to the Trokai Gardens, from there you have a splendid view of the tower, then walk across the bridge to it. They bought a ticket to its highest point. The queues seemed to be very long, but it was constantly moving and in general we did not stand for long. We bought tickets at a discount (up to and including 24 years old). Next, it was necessary to go through the security system (as well as to the entrance to the territory of the tower), and a small queue for the elevator. First, we went out on the second floor, looked there, then stood a little longer in line to the third floor, and immediately, what I want to say - go up to the third floor! The difference is significant, the view is much more beautiful there. There was also a queue for the descent.
After the tower, we took the metro to Notre Dame de Paris. You can go inside for free. Next, we planned to ride the Ferris wheel and drove to the Place de la Concorde. We started looking for a wheel, but it was not there. We asked the locals, and they said that it was put up at the end of November for the Christmas holidays. . . ***. . . We walked to the Invalides and went to the hotel to rest.
05.11. 2017
According to the plan, one of the treasures of Paris was waiting for us - this is the Louvre. We were lucky, from November to April, inclusive, on the first Sunday of the month, admission to many places is free (Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Versailles, etc. ). After waiting in line for 20 minutes, we got inside. All signs led to the main painting "Mona Lisa". Having reached it with difficulty, I had to make my way through the crowd of Chinese. Further, it was not easy to find a way out, for about an hour we were looking for it, and gradually examined other expositions. After the Louvre, we walked along the Champs Elysees towards the Paris Convention House, and along the way we went to the Arc de Triomphe. We decided to go up, especially for free. There is no elevator here. An ordinary old steep spiral staircase at the very top. . . ***. . . "But it was worth it, " we thought as soon as we saw all the beauty.
Next, we took a shuttle bus to Beauvais airport and flew to Poznan with WizzAir.
It was already late when we arrived in the city. We arrived first by bus, then by tram. We got a little confused in the underground passage system, so there was a little lack of time on the ticket (all transport tickets are sold on time). We stopped at the Traffic 3 * hotel. Very cool hotel, despite the fact that it is divided into a hotel and a hostel. We really liked the rooms in the hotel. New, designer.
06.11. 2017
In the morning we went for a walk around the city. Poznan is not a small city, and there is something to see here. We went first to the Old City, then Tumsky Island, to the Citadel, all this took a whole day.
Late in the evening, a WizzAir plane was waiting for us, and we were heading home to Kyiv.
