Paris- The City Of Romance

It was a beautiful evening when our flight landed in Paris. And as we took the metro to Jaures, where our hotel was, our excitement towards getting to know the city began. The metro was just adjacent to the airport as in most cities these days so after a few asking around, we finally got to our stay for the night. It was a small hotel with a large window for a view of outside. Right outside our hotel we had lot of options to have dinner. We chose Le Jaures that served tomato salad and chicken sandwich for the evening and it was just the thing after our famishing walk all evening. Because the first day abroad, there is always a feeling of getting lost.

Cafe Le Jaures

Our Hotel

Arc de Triomph

Love locks, a tradition of biding locks together and throwing the key in River Seinne

As we get closer to Eiffel Tower

After a quick breakfast in McDonalds which was just below out hotel, we decided to visit the Eiffel Tower. The metro took us directly at Arc De Triomph which is a memorial sire for all the soldiers who fought and gave their lives for their country. It was a beautiful structure carved with lot of detailing. If you are a fan of art then Paris will not let you down. But we skipped the museums here frankly because we just wanted to see as much of Paris as possible and the museums would take half of our days. So the famous Mona Lisa painting was ditched. Instead was taking cab to the Eiffel Tower from Arc de Triomph, we just walked the Champs-Élysées street. It was a long walk but certainly a scintillating part of our day where we could see the cafes, the churches, the little boutiques on our way. And as we neared this wonder of the world, the sight was just getting better. We must have clicked pictures at every distance possible. 

Since we had not taken a ticket online, we couldn't skip the line and had to wait a good 45 minutes to get our hands on the ticket. There are two ways to go up, you could walk your way or take the elevator (which can never be a bad option if you want to get to the top soon. And it was as beautiful as i imagined, almost as if I was in a french film, watching the world from my eyes. Words feel short but it's as good as you know it will look. The structure was actually made to direct travellers by Augusts and soon became one of the tallest structure in the world. They even have a restuarant in the first floor and if you want to be seated soon then reserve a table or else if you want to wait and no where else to go then they could accommodate you. The second floor was even more unbelievably breathtaking and windy. But it felt good. There is even a place dedicated to kiss. So if you want to carry a memory then click a good one with your partner. It costs nothing to show love to your partner after all.  

We took a metro to Pantheon next and it's full of famous critics and writers. But in a grave. You are supposed to hold silence while you visit them. You can click as many pictures you want to. Again. It was HUGE. And full of artsy statues all over the place. It was our lucky day too because that day the entry was free. So you can imagine we saved a little on our first day.

It took us exactly three days to explore Paris. The city is booming with tourists at this time of the month and the day was crystal clear with a bite in the wind. So a warm pair of inners was a boon to have carried the last minute. So whoever told you May is summers in Paris forgot to mention that the sun is out with cold air. And this was just day 1.

The Great Europe Holiday- How to plan a holiday last minute?

I am been off blogging for a while and soaking in the culture of other countries for a while and it has been, wait-for-it, absolutely amazing to begin with. Of course we had our share of planning the last moment and actually acing it like a pro. Unfortunate for us, our travel agent backed out and we were left with just a sketchy plan and the money we had saved for the trip.

Planning in one of our journeys in train

From Prague To Budapest

Paris Metro Station. The best connected city. 

Get A Pass:

When you know that you have to go and the VISA stamp is staring right on your face then just make a travel plan. The best thing you could do is get a euro rail pass. This railway pass is divided into three categories- single country, four countries and 24 countries. The gobal pass is the most flexible if you want to change the route you had planned earlier. This pass means that you get to use any train from country to country but (And yes, you have a magic formula that I will tell you now), you have to get a reservation done which is as less as 3 to 4 euros. And without a reservation, its as good as not carrying a eural rail pass, so avoid any drama with the TT in the train and get reservations done as soon as you reach the first country.

Get a multi currency Card: 

Getting a multi currency card will ensure you with money that could be transferred from India too. Your relative could put the money if are short and that way you will not feel penniless. It's better to check out the currency of each country before deciding on one. My suggestion would be if you are adding Budapest and Prague in your list of countries then you have to have Krowns and Forints
with you.

Carry Cash:

At Berlin central station

If you plan to visit the country side and want to just relax away from the city then it's best that you have cash in hand. Also not only will you save on food but also you will have change with you for souvenirs on your way. The kebab stalls and the Asian food stalls are cheap and sometimes great on the go if you are in a hurry to get on with out sight seeing.

Cheapest deals online:

Accommodation should be your next priority. If you are looking for hotels and have enough to squander on stay then go ahead. It will cost you a bomb even if you plan to only sleep in the room anyway. The best favor you could do to yourself is check the websites like Airbnb.com and Lastminute.com. Do give breakfast and bed accommodations a chance. They worked out great for us and that could be the best way for you to meet the locals.

And we relaxed because our planning was just going perfect. Yes alcohol is permitted on board. 

Carry a GPS aka Smartphone

After getting your accommodations done, save them all on your maps. That way when you arrive, you will know the exact location of your destination. Also if you think that you will need to come back to the particular place then keep saving locations. It works great offline too and you will have cafe's wifi and hotspot wifi everywhere in Europe so you will have no problem in saving locations.



Airtickets:

Contrary to what people say, air tickets are not expensive the last minute. You will get good airlines like Air India too. But be sure to book them before you leave.


Booking tours:

You can reach your destination and book your tours right in the city. There are tour offices that provide you will deals and combo deals that would suit your itinerary. But do not pinch money now that you have reached your dream place. Just go for what makes you happy and will make your memories evergreen.

This are a few tips to have a holiday if you really do want to get your hands dirty with planning at the very last minute. You will actually get so much confidence in yourself that you will already be on your way on ditching the travel agent for your next trip abroad.