From Paris to London

It was 11^th June 2009 that I made my way back to London from Paris. I was on the Eurostar again but this time on a Standard ticket without the meal on board, unlike the leg from London to Paris when I upgraded to Leisure Select.

I arrived at Gare du Nord more than an hour earlier to my train departure at 12:13 p.m., so I walked around shooting pictures again.

All the Eurostar trains were parked at the ground level, but the passengers had to check in through the upper level. What an inconvenient arrangement, unlike the other ordinary trains where passengers could just board from the platforms.

Knowing that I was not gonna be served any meal on board, I went to the cafe to have a big piece of chocolate-nut cookie and a cappuccino.

When the departure time was near, I checked in, boarded the train and waited for the departure. I was looking forward to my arrival at London and all set to roam around it.

I was lucky enough to fill my stomach at Gare du Nord with that big piece of cookie, because I couldn't get any food on board. It was sold out!

About two and a half hours after departure, the train arrived at St. Pancras International.

It was about 1:30 p.m. in London. London time is one hour behind Paris time.

I was all ready to hit the streets of London but unfortunately there was a Tube Strike. Therefore, I needed to look for alternative transport. It wasn't too much of a hassle to get to the Tower Bridge by bus anyway.

Panthéon with a Pendulum

Although with the same name, the Panthéon in Paris looks very much different from the Pantheon in Rome.

However, the podium does look the same as the one in Rome with soaring Roman Corinthian columns. From what I have found out, it was actually modelled after the Pantheon in Rome.

The inside of the Pantheon in Paris is grander. It was built as a church but was turned into a mausoleum upon completion. That explains the very church-like interior of a mausoleum.

The main dome is supported by for arches serving as gateways to the galleries.

A 67-m wire hangs from the middle of the dome with a 28-kg bob at the bottom end. This is the prominent Foucault's pendulum installed by the French physicist Léon Foucault in his experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. This pendulum has been oscillating since 1851.

On the gallery walls, some huge paintings depicting the bible stories and French history are displayed.

The Panthéon now serves a burial ground for the prominent figures of France. Among others are Victor Hugo, the author of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"; Joseph-Louis Lagrange, an Italian-born mathematician and astronomer who made great contribution in calculus; and the only lady who won the Nobel Prize for two times, Marie Curie.

Art Appreciation in a Train Station

Gare (Station) d'Orsay was completed in 1900 facing River Seine and became the first electrified urban rail terminal in the world. In 1977, it was converted into a museum with the same name, Musée d'Orsay, and has been guarding the French Government's collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and photographs since then.

The entrance fee was €8 at the time of my visit in June 2009. I got a ticket with Millet's The Gleaners, one of his most celebrated works.

This ticket opened my eyes to a vast exhibition area, which is much better than those enclosed galleries in some other museums in my opinion. I like open space.

The first painting I looked for was no other than Millet's The Gleaners, since it was printed on my ticket. The original work was definitely more stunning than the tiny little print on my ticket.

On the larger walls of the ground floor, a few life-size paintings were on display. Some sculptures were lined along the walkway as well.

The ground floor also houses Manet's and Monet's paintings, as well as some other impressionist artists' works.

The walkway of the ground floor were lined with sculptures for visitors to appreciate at close range. Those standing on the ground and sitting on the benches not included!

The upper floors display the smaller paintings, mostly from the impressionism and post-impressionism era.

That includes one of Van Gogh's self-portrait painting and one of his last 100 or so works produced during the last ten weeks of his life, The Church at Auvers. I like Vincent van Gogh's paintings very much for their vivid colours and wave-like patterns.

During my visit, there was a non-permanent exhibition of Italian portraits which I like for their warm tone, rich colours and the environmental details.

One of the paintings that shouldn't be missed here is Bal du moulin de la Galette (commonly known as Le moulin de la Galette) by Renoir. Nobody would doubt that this is one of the most celebrated masterpieces in impressionism.

As I was walking around, I saw some teenage girls chatting while resting, ignoring Caillebotte's Les raboteurs de parquet (The Floor Scrapers) scrapping the floor behind them. Nevertheless, they at least caught the attention of another girl.

The last batch of paintings I appreciated included this Tahitian Women on the Beach by Gauguin. There were just too many paintings to appreciate in this museum! My €8 was well spent. I think most painting lovers will agree with me.

A Morning Stroll Along River Seine

Before visiting Paris, I have heard a lot of romanticism about River Seine. This river winds through the heart of the city and couldn't be missed as most of the places of interest are scattered along this river.

With the river cutting Paris into left and right banks, there is certainly a need of bridges connecting them back.

On one fine morning, I took a stroll to try to get that romantic feeling but I couldn't feel it at all. Probably I wasn't there at the right time. Furthermore, I was alone.

I could only see River Seine as a mean of river transport.

With all the boat houses berthing along the riverbank, this river also provides the resources for the people who can't afford to live on land. This was perhaps a little pinch of romanticism I could feel at that moment.

Since I was missing that romantic feeling part, I continued walking along the river in search of places of interest. A police station is not quite an interesting place, I guess, as I spent almost two hours to lodge a report about the incidence of pick-pocketing at another one.

When I was almost reaching Notre Dame, I took another look at River Seine and went on to visit the most prominent church in Paris.

Breakfast with the Oldest Church in Paris

When I visited Paris, I put myself up at a hotel in St-Germain. This place is convenient in terms of transport and food. I had most of my breakfast meals at a place called La Croissanterie, which is also my favourite place for breakfast in Paris. By its name, it wasn't hard to tell that it is a pastry shop. Furthermore, with the vast choices of pastries on display, nothing can go wrong with the order.

I particularly like the raisin roll and almond croissant here. I miss them when I see these pictures. The raisin roll has a very cute name in French, escargot au raisin! It is not made of real escargot, though. These are best gobbled down with a freshly brewed cappuccino.

Just a stone-throw away, or shall I say, a distance of over-throwing the stone, stands the oldest church in Paris, Église St-Germain-des-Prés (Church of St Germanus of the Fields). This church is surrounded by cafes and restaurants.

The bell tower of the church has been standing there with very little change since 990, except the spire which was installed in 19^th century.

The construction of Église St-Germain-des-Prés actually dates back to 11^th century when it was built on the site of a 6^th-century abbey. It was the dominant church in Paris before Notre Dame took over the glory.

The vaulted ceiling of the church is painted blue with yellow spots, which is a resemblance of a starry sky. Other than functioning as a place for prayer, it now stages concerts and recitals because of its marvelous acoustics in a medieval atmosphere.