Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are about to begin our descent to Charles de Gaulle Airport,” boomed the plane’s intercom. An announcement like this at the end of a flight usually excites me, but right now my heart sank.
Don’t get me wrong. I was looking forward to exploring Paris. I’d just really been enjoying the six-hour flight from Dubai. It was my first trip to the French capital and I was lucky enough to be travelling in business class. And so far, so chic.
I’d enjoyed two gourmet meals, endless cups of fresh juice and three blockbuster films since take off. “I’ll just sit tight until I’m prised from my seat,” I thought. But 10 minutes later, as the end credits on my last movie rolled, I glanced out the window and gasped. At 5am it was still dark outside, but I could see the city below covered in twinkling lights.
Now I could see why Paris is called the City of Light – although other explanations are that it was among the first cities in Europe to adopt gas street lighting; and that the name reflects the fact it was a centre of education and ideas during the Age of Enlightenment.
The last one off the Air France plane (of course), I was told by a friendly cabin crew member that there was an exhibition to unveil the airline’s new cabins at the Grand Palais. “It’s only on this week, you should go!” I hadn’t realised my love of the flight had been that transparent! “Thanks,” I replied, hurrying down the plane’s steps.
Across the city, I checked into the five-star Hôtel Fouquet’s Barrière, located at the corner of George V Avenue and the Champs-Élysées. After a short nap and a quick freshen-up, I decided to explore the city. After a pleasing stroll up the Champs-Élysées I reached my first destination – the Arc de Triomphe. Originally commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1800s to celebrate his victories in battle during the Napoleonic Wars, the arch took 30 years to build. It offers spectacular views of Sacré-Coeur – a Roman Catholic Church built on Montmartre Hill, the highest point of the city – and La Defense, the city’s business district in the Paris Metropolitan Area with its tall modern glass buildings.
Perched on the viewing deck I took out my camera, catching images of the snarling traffic filling the roundabout encircling the Arc de Triomphe. Pointing the lens down the 2km-long tree-lined street, I took in its designer shops and cafés and was suddenly hungry, so began my descent.
Within moments I was strolling down the Champs-Élysées. The fashionable district is the equivalent of New York’s Fifth Avenue or London’s Oxford Street; you find all leading designer brands there.
I decided to grab a quick bite in one of the cafés and chose an outdoor spot on the terrace to devour my club sandwich. It set me back 30 euros (around Dh140), but it was worth it – if only for earning me a great spot for people-watching.
There were tourists with backpacks, smartly dressed mothers pushing buggies, young couples and, of course, well-heeled fashionistas carrying designer handbags. “Ah, that’s how I’ll blend in with the Parisian set,” I thought, reasoning that competing in the style stakes would be far easier than trying to find a baby buggy at short notice. Polishing off the last crumbs of my sandwich, I headed to Louis Vuitton and bought myself a Turenne MM handbag – quick enough that I didn’t think twice or look at the price tag!
Now feeling the part, my next stop was the Grand Palais complex, which housed the Air France Air exhibition to celebrate 80 years of aviation, which was on for just a week during my visit in September. I’ve always been fascinated by the glamorous world of flying and I couldn’t wait to browse the displays of cabin crew uniforms from over the years and to get a glimpse of the bygone Concorde era. I had the perfect guide, too. Tjalling Smit – Air France KLM senior vice-president for Middle East, Gulf and India – took me around on an exciting journey through real and 3D virtual experiences. I got a sneak peek into what travellers on the Boeing 777 on the Paris-New York route are currently experiencing and what travellers flying Dubai to Paris will experience by 2015.
“The Business class features full-flat beds and privacy dividers, and all passengers get clear access to the aisle,” Smit explained as I slipped on the Bose headphones in the mock-up version of the seat and pressed the volume button on the 16in entertainment screen in front of me. “I’d never get off the plane,” I laughed as we moved on to the new La Première suite in first class.
“Do you mind if I put it in the reclined position?” Smit asked as I sat down in the giant cream seat next to a seahorse-studded table lamp. Before I could respond, the chair had turned into a bed and I was lying flat on my back on a wide comfortable bed. Once back in the seating position I looked over a copy of the menu and was pleasantly surprised to see the likes of lobster with wasabi mayonnaise, mango salad, ravioli with spinach and caviar on offer. Passengers even get Givenchy products – that’s what flying first class is all about.
Tour over, I thanked Smit and wandered outside to the pretty garden and sat by a pond to watch the world go by, with chirping birds providing background music.
That evening after meandering back through dusk-drenched streets to my luxurious haven, I decided to have dinner at one of the hotel’s own restaurants, Fouquet’s, a traditional French brasserie that opened in 1899.
It is here that movie stars used to meet for the annual party after the Caesar Movie Awards in the 1960s and 1970s. Pictures of celebrities who have dined here, including Maurice Chevalier and George Clooney, grace the walls. After this sophisticated dinner, I felt I’d done enough for the day and decided to call it a night and enjoy my room.
The following day, having mastered the expression “excusez-moi”, I felt I was ready to travel further afield to the other districts of Paris. Inspired by my Air France experience, I decided to try and view the city from above. Sadly my budget didn’t stretch to a private jet or helicopter ride (not after my handbag splurge!) so I set myself a mission to get to the top of Paris’s iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.
I hopped on the Metro from George V station to Notre Dame de Paris. One of the world’s most famous gothic cathedrals and dating back to the 12th century, Notre Dame features in Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
After marvelling at the 13 stained glass windows I climbed the ancient narrow spiral stairs to get a better view of the gargoyles and the hunchback’s bell in all its splendour.
Looking down from this vantage point I could see the Seine River below slicing a path through the centre of the city. It looked so small, like a streak of green paint on an artist’s canvas.
Back down in the square in front of the Cathedral I stood at Point Zero, from which all the distances in Paris are calculated.
My next stop was the iconic Eiffel Tower. Let’s get one thing straight. I’m short, I can’t really say how short, a woman’s height is top secret, like her age. But no matter what your height, standing under the legs of the tower that hovers 324m above Paris makes you feel like an ant.
Taking in its huge curves and sheer size it was hard to believe the structure was built so many years ago and designed by just one man – engineer Gustave Eiffel. But it was easier to believe it took 7,300 tonnes of iron to create this monument.
Originally built as a temporary structure for the World’s Fair of 1889, held to mark the centennial of the French Revolution, many people hated it when it was unveiled. But, surprisingly, it has become one of the world’s most recognisable landmarks.
One elevator ride took me to the first viewing deck. While many tourists were sending postcards to loved ones with the Eiffel Tower postmark, I took some more photos, before heading up to the second deck for views that were even more breathtaking.
I was lucky to be up there on a clear day and I could see a carpet of maroon and grey roofs stretch off into the distance. This was nothing like the views in Dubai where the skyline is populated by skyscrapers and circled by hot sandy desert. In Paris it’s all low-rise buildings as far as the eye can see, with just a sprinkling of high-rises.
After another ride in the lift, I reached the top of the tower, surprised to find the views were not as arresting as they were from the second platform! Probably because it was so high up I could hardly make out the buildings below.
I did, however, spot Tour Montparnasse, an office skyscraper in the trendy, hilly Montparnasse neighbourhood of Paris situated on the left bank of the river Seine, which made me feel right at home. In search of more 360-degree panoramic views of the city I got a taxi straight to the building and hopped into the lift. It took only 38 seconds to reach the 56th floor where a viewing deck is located. My instincts had paid off, I was greeted by an amazing sight – the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre all visible from the observation deck.
After a few moments I zipped back down in the lift and sat in one of the sidewalk cafés, where I began to take stock of my journey. I’d covered a lot of ground with so many monuments and museums, but to explore the Parisian culture and history I now needed to get involved on street level.
I’d been looking down on the Seine River from a dizzy height, but no trip to Paris is complete without cruising on the river at night.
I took the Metro to a boat station near the Eiffel Tower and booked a 7.30pm dinner cruise. There were all sorts of people on board, including honeymooners from Italy, and an elderly couple from Brazil who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Oh, the romance!
Instead of gazing into someone else’s eyes I enjoyed the views as we glided under many bridges and sailed past historic landmarks including the Hôtel des Invalides, which houses Napoleon’s tomb, and the Pont de l’Alma tunnel where Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997.
The Pont de l’Alma is also the site of the Flame of Liberty, a full-sized gilded copper replica of the torch of the Statue of Liberty in New York. It was beautiful to see all lit up. After disembarking I got a taste of Paris’s vibrant night life.
Author Ernest Hemingway once described it as a place “full of nocturnal pleasure-seekers” in his memoir, A Moveable Feast. The City of Light didn’t disappoint, it even has a Maire de la nuit (a nightlife mayor), who represents the interests of the revellers.
I went into a club to experience Parisian night life. It was full of a very hip crowd when I got there at around 10pm, as cool house music filled the air and guests were still warming up.
Around midnight, though, the tempo changed, with the DJ spinning some dance tunes and the crowd showing off on the dance floor. I didn’t bust a move, just watched from the sidelines and left for the hotel an hour later.
On my third day it was time to see the Seine up close in daylight from the city’s many bridges. And with the sunny weather on my side it was a perfect day for a walk. “I’ll be a le flâneur for a day,” I thought – apparently that’s how the French would describe someone who wanders the streets without a set destination in mind.
I began at the Latin Quarter – a short Metro ride from my hotel. Home to the Sobourne University, with its cobbled streets, this enclave is a good area for strolling. The streets led me past the Louvre where I saw the Mona Lisa (that enigmatic smile is impressive, although the picture is surprisingly tiny), gawked at the preserved Egyptian mummies and was stunned by the craftsmanship in sculptures such as the Venus de Milo.
I then wandered to the Musée d’Orsay, a smaller museum that is housed in an 18th-century train station, where I stood enthralled by Monet’s Water Lilies and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, his house and self-portraits, R and Toulouse-Lautrec’s dancers at the Moulin Rouge. Talk about an art overload! I also followed alleyways into hidden squares and found souvenirs shops selling the obligatory fridge magnets, Eiffel Tower-printed scarves and purses, and handbags with silhouettes depicting Parisian life and historical buildings. I felt the pace of city slow down in these quaint little pockets. There was a more relaxed and laid-back local feel where people sat in cafés nursing cups of coffee and lazily chatting with friends.
I kept walking, crossing from one side of the Seine to the other – each bridge telling its own story. Of particular interest were the love locks on Pont des Arts. Couples from around the world have been flocking to the bridge for years to attach a padlock to its railings before ceremoniously flinging the key into the Seine as a sign of their undying love. It’s so popular that a section of metal mesh on the Pont des Arts footbridge collapsed in June under the weight of the locks, and authorities fear it may put people’s lives in danger. The solution? They are encouraging couples to post selfies and create ‘a different type’ of love wall instead. And they say romance is dead!
One thing I was sure of, even after a short stay I’d fallen hook, line and sinker for Paris. Luckily for me my visa is valid until March next year. I have promised myself I will be on the first revamped Air France flight out of Dubai to Paris then.
