Parisian Walk

Day 1 (10 November 2006) Walking walking walking….

Been silent for weeks, very crazy schedule for me as I had a HUGE customer event last week (the planning & execution was HELL!) and next week I will be going off to Singapore for work (event - again!). Then rest for a week and followed by Bali in 2nd week of July for work (yet! again!).... then REEEEEESSSSTTTTTT !!!! YEAY!

So... off I go to Paris (WOW! 2006 seems soooo long ago!) along with Anna and her colleagues - nice people they are by the way (need to put this in else they kutuk me! Hahhahahaa....). The plan was hectic... well... kinda - for them I mean. Anna supposed to attend a conference the day after we arrive for 2 days hence she only have 1 day ie the day that we touched down for sightseeing.

This part is "interesting"... you see.... Paris airport is HUMONGOUS reason being it have 3 SUPER HUGE terminal (kid you not!). As Anna took KLM and I took MAS flight - means the earlier aircraft lands in Terminal 2F (and mind you - Terminal 2 ALONE consists of multiple terminals joined together, in total 7 Terminals ie 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and the separate 2G. Terminal 2G is located 2.5 km (1.6 mi) away from the rest and a bus ride is needed for transfer). And my flight lands in Terminal 1 (the oldest Terminal) 30mins before Anna and I ALSO did not realise that KLM lands in Terminal 2F. Sooooo..... when Anna touched down and unable to locate me (obviously) and that's when our problem started (I was sitting quietly alone in T1). She sms-ed to me to wait at certain Gate (in T2F) and when I couldn't find her, that's when I realised that we might be in different Terminal. I sms-ed her asking which terminal is she in, she kept saying "here" lar - where else.... Argh...!!! Oh no!!! She didn't get me, we start frantically calling each other, I kept asking which terminal, it took few calls & sms-es for us to establish the understanding of terminals (sigh!). Once she told me T2F, I have to look for feeder bus station to get me ALLLL the way to T2F (very very very far ok! and the bus wait was 15mins or so, journey was additional 15mins). When I reached there, she was pretty upset with me for not able to get her direction clearly (...hemmm !?!?). Sooo.... for those going to Paris and happen to board different airline please get the exact details else you definitely get into heated argument like we did - so not worth it.

Once all the havoc settled (phew!), we took the TGV to the Paris - City of Love (cliché!). First stop Notre Dame Cathedral. Didn't take much pic as I have been here 10 years ago hence this time around wasn't as facinated as earlier. I DID try to look for Mr. Hunchback but couldn't find him swinging anywhere, oh well.... One thing I remembered told by a tour guide during my first visit to Paris 10 years back is the POINT ZERO PLATE right infront of Notre Dame Cathedral; "apparently" if you step inside this cirle; you bound to return to Paris one day. Hemm.... apa lagi, I step in and out and in and out and in and out during my first trip. By a stroke of miracle, I am here in Paris AGAIN in 2006 - Do you think this is actually "TRUE" !?!??! Hemm...... Try and tell me whether it works for you or not yah.

Here we decided to take a cuppa al-fresco like by the side-walk cafe.... so DRAMA!!! And I hop next door for souvenir shopping....basically FRIDGE MAGNETS!!!!

I then took a stroll to Palais du Louvre... NO! I didn't go in to see the Monalisa... somehow am not hype on Paris in total.... not the first time nor the on this second time trip. Why neh I wonder? BUT BUT BUT, I would like to tell a story when I was out side the glass pyramid trying to take pic of the area. Well... the period I was there was when Dan Brown's Da Vincci Code hit the stores BIG TIME, soooo you can just imagine the facination & curiosity & excitement of Louvre by public in general. Now that we have established the scenario, let me tell you what I heard... As I was try to "focus" and "angle" my shot (perasan moment)... I noticed lots of the crowd nearby were from Asian country mainly Japan, find and well... GO ASIAN! What happened next was I heard them chattering excitedly NON-STOP...which sounded "cing cong cing cong...aso aso aso.... and hait hait hait...." I told myself - WHATEVER lar yet curios what got them excited as they kept pointing the ground and to certain direction. Hemmm..... then between the conversation I heard the key word that give it all out "Da Vincci Code" aso nei... or something lar.... ahahhahahah...... they were trying to do the Dan Brown trail. As I walked, I kept hearing other group doing or "saying" the same - "cing cong cing cong... aso aso aso.... Da Vincci Code ... hait hait hait....." hahhahahah.... I burst into laughter...

We walked further down to Jardin des Tuileries Garden passing Jardin du Carrousel. It was quite a walk before we reach Place de la Concorde(Obelisque), reminded me of my Egypt trip (will blog about this later).

And ofcos I just have stop by Peugeot Showroom to see their concept car.... KEWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A MUST go!

Finally we are on the MOST FAMOUS street - Champs Elysees.... YUP!!! We saw Louis Vuitton from far thinking (HARD) of going in but looking at the queue.... NAH!!!! Hhehehehe..... I guess the whole gang not much of a shoperholic.

Errr... saw this, very artistic... very err... hemm.... ok! NEXT!

I saw and Arc de Triomphe and was hopping we go up and check out the biggest Parisian roundabout but neh! They weren’t interested… sigh… take pic only lor I guess…. Sigh….

Last stop - EIFFEL TOWER at SUNSET!!! HEAVEN! Hemm..... am scared of height AND YET one feel one must go up THE EIFFEL TOWER. So how???? CONQUER YOUR FEAR and just DO IT! The lift was "noisy" and "shrieky" as it IS OLD and make of iron. And the lift doesn't go straight vertically up, it actually follows the contour of the structure, SCARY - for me ONLY lar.. I make sure I stand in the middle not able to see the view outside. OH! BY THE WAY! It's a GLASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! What were the French thinking.... ARGH!!!! FINE! Conquer your fear! Conquer your fear! Conquer your fear! Conquer your fear! We went to the highest deck.... (breath in! breath out! breath in! breath out!).... the windchill is not that bad BUT I think my nervous or fear shake was even more and WORST....ahahhaha..... Once you see the surrounding view.... Awww...... All fear VANISHED! WHOOOOSH......!!!! Ahh.... All paid off...

Let's let the pic do the talking here..... :)