2014 in France (Paris)
On August 25, 2014, the Europe bus tour temporarily turned into a TGV (train à grand vitesse) high-speed train tour from Nice, France to Paris, France. We would meet another bus in Paris.
I had envisioned a futuristic train where the train would move at a blindingly fast pace. The train looked very 20th century instead. I wasn't disappointed, but going at about 300 km/h feels like going 150 km/h when nothing moves alongside the train, in order to have something to compare its own speed!
Visit
In Paris, I visited the typical sights with the bus tour group:
- Eiffel Tower (La tour Eiffel)
- Arc de Triomphe
- Champs-Elysée
- Louvre
The tour guide actually gave us a couple of hours to look inside the Louvre, more than enough time to get a view of the Mona Lisa.
In the evening, we got another nice view of the Eiffel Tower sparkling with lights. At the time, I had no idea it did that at night! I would also see it happen the next evening from my hotel room in the suburbs!
Reflection
The "Paris syndrome" exists. This happens when a person who has high expectations of Paris (or any travel destination) gets disappointed on the actual trip. For me, however, I had the reverse. I went into Paris expecting nothing. I don't hate French culture but I don't really have any partiality towards it.
Still, I came out of Paris enjoying the city because I got to see the Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower sparkle. That's all I needed to enjoy Paris.