Europe has been like a literary dream for me since childhood. It is a place that I’ve known through the pages of my favourite books. I had always visualized the cobbled streets, the boulevards, historical landmarks, green pastures dotted with cows wearing bells, museums, palaces, Cathedrals and Alps, but nothing had prepared me for the sights, sounds and flavours of the real Europe. Every city that we visited was so captivating that I could have easily imagined settling down in one of them. 😀
With a history that stretches back centuries, Europe balances the old and new so effortlessly. I was amazed to see how well they have preserved the artefacts, heritage and history, while the present is thriving along beautifully. It is like Hampi and Bangalore (without traffic) co-existing. 😀
Planning
My initial idea of exploring Europe was somehow centered around Paris, Rome and Switzerland. I wanted to go on top of Eiffel Tower, devour the Louvre Museum, check out the world-famous fashion street-Champs Elysees in Paris, go around the charming villages of Switzerland, and then visit the beautiful city of Rome, where the timeless beauty and history come alive at every turn.
I did a lot of research and had put my entire plan on a spreadsheet (Picked up this idea from Arjun, my husband’s youngest cousin). My best friends throughout my planning and journey were ChatGPT, Google Maps, Forex card and my husband, of course, who was a willing and happy travel companion throughout. 😀
With 2 weeks of leave, I didn’t want to go around the entire Europe but cover only the places that I most wanted to visit. Also, I really wanted to experience the Euro rail journeys and eat the local food (Vegetarian). So, we did not go through the regular package tours, but got one customized for ourselves, with just the flight and train tickets, hotels and entry tickets booked. We were on our own mostly and were not travelling with a group anywhere. It has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. But we were able to explore the cities at our own pace, with only each other for company. After so many years of marriage, 2 weeks of just the two of us does become a little testing and overwhelming at times, but it was mostly good and fun. 😀
Our Itinerary
We were to travel to Paris first, spend a few days there, and then go to Interlaken and Lucerne in Switzerland. From there, we were going to Florence and Rome and then end our journey in Vienna.
I will try to break my blogs into different chapters for each city, so that it doesn’t become lengthy and boring. 😊
Chapter 1 – Paris:
On the flight to Paris, we had a French lady sitting next to us. When she saw that we were clicking pictures of the beautiful landscapes outside, she understood that we were first-time travelers to her city. She sweetly took a photo of ours and gave us some tips about what all to check out in Paris. We just smiled, nodded our heads and said “Merci”. 😊
1st day in Paris
As we landed in Paris airport on Tuesday morning, the first thing that I noticed was the long queue for immigration checks. Clearly, Paris is one of the busiest airports in the world. It did take a long time for us to clear that. Once done, we reached the hotel and were greeted with “Bon Jour”. (Bon Jour means Good day or Hello in French). As it was still early to check-in, we dropped our luggage and set off to explore the city. We were so excited about kicking off that we did not feel an iota of tiredness, in spite of missing out on the sleep in the flight. I felt at least 2 decades younger and revitalized throughout the trip. 😀
The first thing that we did was to walk to Gare de Lyon station, which was just a 5-minutes-walk from the place where we stayed. Gare de Lyon is a major hub in Paris, serving both inter-city and international trains, in addition to being a key metro station. It took us about 15 to 20 minutes there to figure out how to get a metro ticket, which trains to take and where the platforms were. Google maps suggested 2 to 3 different ways and trains to reach the place that we wanted to visit. Who creates such kinds of confusions, right? 😀
So, we just closed our eyes and picked up one option. No, I am kidding. 😀
The good thing is that the train ticket is a standard fare trip, whichever train you take, and whatever station you get down within 90 minutes. You can also change trains in between. So, we did end up taking a wrong train, came back and boarded the correct train. Just part of the experience. We were too thrilled to complain. 😀
Our first stop was Place Vendome. With a brief stop for lunch at Pret a Manger, where we had our first taste of French food, with Avocado Veggie Sandwich, Pain au Chocolat, and a Cappuccino, we proceeded towards Place Vendome. It is an elegant square, with a classy architecture, luxury branded shops around, and the towering Vendôme Column, which is a victory pillar built by Napoleon.
From there, we walked over to Palais Royal, another beautiful structure, with lovely gardens and arcades around. We walked around a bit, sat beneath the canopy of trees, relaxed and soaked in the surrounding atmosphere.
(Pictures of Palais Royal)
Then, we took off to see the Seine River, which beautifully winds through Paris, and provides a picturesque backdrop to most of the iconic landmarks. Having a river in the middle of the city, with so many historical bridges over it and surrounded by promenades, gives the city a tinge of romance, serenity, elegance, and glamour. We walked along the Seine River and reached Bastille market and square. Bastille was again a very lively place, with lots of activities happening around, and lined with cafes and bistros.
(Pictures of Seine and Bastille)
The day we reached Paris was the day that the French Government collapsed, and there were a lot of police activities around, and strikes as well. Thankfully, it did not impact us much, but some of our experiences the next day were marked because of the political turmoil.
2nd day in Paris
After a breakfast of Croissants, fruits, cheese and lots of cheese, we again took the metro and reached Tuilleries Gardens, an amazing place to walk around, with the Olympic flame in the centre. It overlooks the Louvre pyramid. We were surprised to see a lot of people sitting around the fountain with a book in hand and just enjoying the time there. How I wished I could join them. 😊
(Picture of Tuilleries Garden)
We had a 11:30am entry for Louvre, but due to the ongoing strikes, the first entry itself had been delayed, and we had to wait outside, with rains pouring. Luckily, we had umbrellas with us. The crowd management was excellent and there was no stampede considering the number of people waiting outside to get in.
(Picture of Louvre Pyramid)
As soon as we entered the Louvre, all our focus shifted to the beauty of the museum. There is just so much to see and admire there, but we had only 3 hours with us. This is when I took help of Google and AI and searched for the must-see exhibits. Suggestions popped up – to go to Denon wing, and Sully Wing, where we could find most of the well-known paintings and sculptures. Honestly speaking, I enjoyed every part of the museum, and it was difficult to pick up favourites there. We were totally enamoured by the paintings – Last Supper, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Coronation of Napoleon, Wedding at Cana, and a lot of beautiful sculptures around. As expected, Mona Lisa had the maximum footfall and had several people standing around, but I did manage to take a selfie with her. Not sure what Leonardo Da Vinci wanted to convey through that painting, surely nobody would have guessed that the painting would reach such heights of popularity.
(Some pictures from Louvre)
We took a quick lunch break and ate a Quinoa salad, and a Falafel sandwich. It was quite cold and we were wondering why people don’t eat warm food here. 😀
From Louvre, we went to Eiffel Tower, by changing a couple of metro trains. We had to meet our guide in a specific location, from where she took us on a tour of the tower. Our guide, Camille, was from Burgundy. She was young and passionate about narrating the stories and went into detail about everything. It was more like a history lesson. 😀 While many people in the group left her midway, we hung out with her till almost the very end. The Tower is a marvel in itself. We had to change 3 lifts to reach the summit, and the view from there was awesome. What we saw from the top was a view of Seine River, and the landscape. Surprisingly, almost every building in Paris is topped with a signature grey roof, giving the city a picture-postcard skyline. Though it was raining and super windy, the experience was one of its kind.
(Picture of Eiffel Tower and view from above)
By the time, we reached down, it was time for us to board the Seine River cruise. Just below the Tower, we boarded the boat in the drenching rain. It was nice to enjoy the rain-soaked city, while sitting inside the boat. We met a few Indians aboard, and it was nice talking to them, sharing our experiences.
We could not see the glittering Eiffel Tower in the night as it was raining and we had to travel all the way back to our hotel, by changing multiple trains. But, we did see the lit-up Eiffel Tower and it was stunning.
(Picture of lit Eiffel)
3rd day in Paris
3rd day was a day we wanted to spend at our own pace. We took the Big Bus hop-on hop-off and the first place that we got down was Notre Dame Cathedral. There was a huge queue outside, and we were wondering whether we should go inside or just enjoy the cathedral from outside. But somehow the church beckoned us, and we joined the queue. It was so stunning inside that we could not resist ourselves from taking a lot of pictures and videos.
(Picture of Notre Dame)
After a leisurely round around the cathedral, we went out meandering around Latin Quarters, had a lunch of pizza and pasta and then took the Big Bus again for another round. This time, we got down at Arc de Triomphe. Again, a beautiful structure commemorating the people who died during the French revolution. Across Arc de Triomphe is the famous Champs Elysses, which has various luxury brands lined up in the street. If you want to check out the latest fashion trends, then this is definitely the place to hang out. With an enormous Louis Vuitton shop, and long queues in front of Chanel and other shops, it is a happening street in Paris. We took a break here and had some nice Creme Brulee and Crepes.
(Pictures of Arc and Champs)
We wished we had another day or two to cover Montmartre, Versailles and at least a complete day inside Louvre. But, there should always be a scope for another visit, right. 🙂
Food
Being Vegetarians, we do have limited choice wherever we go, but surprisingly, we did get to eat a lot of interesting food. Panini was one of my favourites, along with Crème Brulee, and of course different types of Croissants every day. We also tried sandwiches, Madeleines, Crepes, Salad, Bruschetta, Pasta and Pizza. As a backup plan, we had carried some packets of ready-made MTR Upma and Poha to tide us through times when we did not find anything.
The Vibe
People around were quite warm and friendly. Like we say Namaste, a Bon Jour here and there was so common. I really loved the sight of so many of them riding cycles or jogging around. I guess that’s what gives the city a younger and brighter look and vibe.
Some Tips
- Do pack comfortable shoes, as you might end up walking at least 20,000 steps a day and climb steps everywhere.
- The Public washrooms charge money, so do keep some change in hand. Or, better get into a café, order a coffee, and use the washroom there.
- Use a Fanny bag, to carry your phone and purse. We were cautioned by several people that carrying valuables around is unsafe. Thanks to my friend who gifted me one on my birthday, especially for my trip. So thoughtful of her. 🙂
- Leave your passports in the hotel. You don’t need them anywhere.
- Universal adapter for power charging is a must. Thanks to a friend who let us borrow hers.
- Wishing people Bon Jour and Merci helps in reaching out to them.
- Souvenir shopping near Notre Dame Cathedral is cheaper than other places.
- Metro is the fastest and cheapest way to travel around, and you get the feel of locals.
Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. My next blog would be on Interlaken. 😊
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