Paris
Pardon me. My travel blog has been lagging behind my real travel to Europe all these while. I’ve been to Europe twice since last year but I had only blogged about my stories on the Europe tour last year. I have not really touched on my experiences in other European cities like Barcelona, Lucerne, Interlaken, Berlin, Copenhagen and Brussel where I visited in June this year (except sharing some travel guides that I learnt from there)! Making this situation worse is, I’m flying off to Beijing for another week tour this month! How am I going to catch up?
In fact, I’m kind of slack when writing travelogue. Not because I’m less passionate in travel, neither am I willing to share my experience. It’s because I’m not a good story teller, either am I a good travel writer, to actually lift up your spirit in travel. I can always share my experience in particular if you ask me, but I found it hard to write them all down as an interesting story. Also true is, my travel stories are not important to travelers. Travelers always love to experience themselves their own holiday in any countries or destinations, not to just follow exactly what someone had done before! I found writing some guides on travel to, or what to do in a city, will make more sense to fellow travelers. And this is my objective behind my new project, From Travel to Photo.
A bad excuse is better than none! Hahaha… 
Please give me some slack and I will speed up my travel blog, hopefully!
Before I start my stories on Italy travel, let’s wrap up (or rather recap) some of the exciting posts (sort of?) that I blogged about Paris travel last year. They are good travel guides to Paris if you are planning your own, which featured my 2-Day-itinerary in Paris:
- Top 5 attractions in Paris you must not miss
- The magnificent Eiffel Tower sparkling scene at night
- The white cathedral of Sacred Coeur Basilica
- The Louvre museum and its Visitor guide
- The Notre Dame cathedral
- Le Bistro de Longchamp restaurant
- My travel experience in Paris – Day 1 – From Gard du Nord to Monmartre
- My travel experience in Paris – Day 1 – From Sacred coeur to Eiffel Tower
- My travel experience in Paris – Day 2 – Avenue des Champs Elysees
- My travel experience in Paris – Day 2 – From Louvre to Notre Dame
All tips and guides to Paris travel can also be read under the dedicated category of Paris. Paris is not the first city I blogged about my travelogue, and definitely won’t be my last… – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel blog
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Think you’ve seen Paris? Think again! It’s time to explore beyond the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and find your own hidden piece of Paris. There is always something new to discover… and it doesn’t even have to cost a cent. Make these five free attractions a must on your Paris visit.
1. Shakespeare & Co. Bookshop
Tucked away on the Left Bank, across from the bustle of the Notre Dame, sits the Shakespeare & Co. bookshop. Since its humble beginnings in 1919, the shop has been a regular hang-out for artists and writers, including Hemingway, James Joyce and Ezra Pound. Over the years it has become known as a refuge for budding writers, who often work and even sleep in the store, and visitors will see beds tucked away alongside bookshelves. Downstairs is the jumbled bookstore, packed floor to ceiling with books new and old; upstairs serves as a reading space for those who just want to sit and lose themselves in literature.
2. UNESCO gardens
World organisation UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has its headquarters in Paris, and it is here that you will find the Garden of Peace. This Japanese-style garden was donated to UNESCO by the Japanese government in 1958. Covering 1,700 square metres, it is filled with cherry trees, lotuses, bamboo plants, streams and ponds. There is also a meditation space, and of course, plenty of pathways to walk amongst it all. This is as much a sculpture as it is a garden; the aim is to create a space which envelopes its own world, where visitors can find peace, tranquillity, and creativity.
3. Maison de Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo was a man of many roles – statesman, activist, essayist, poet – but it was his work as novelist which he is best known for. The author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (or Notre-Dame de Paris, to give it its French title), moved into this house in Place des Vosges in 1832 – when he was just 30 – and remained there until his death in 1848. So admired was Hugo that when he died, more than two million people came to his funeral. Even today the names of many Paris hotels and streets commemorate his work, and his home has become a tribute to his life and legacy.
4. Picpus Cemetery
The cemeteries of Paris are far from gloomy; instead they are places of intricate sculptures, wild gardens, and ornate tombs, and here you can visit the resting places of many famous and creative people. While most tourists head to famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery, there are other, lesser-known places worthy of a visit. Passy cemetery is located in the 16th arrondissement, and here you’ll find the tombs of painters, aviators, writers, actresses… even the last emperor of Vietnam is buried here. Surrounded by chestnut trees, and with a joyful view of the Eiffel Tower, this is a beautiful place to escape the crowds and perhaps even feel inspired by those who rest here.
5. Porte de Vanves flea market
Many tourists will flock to the scenic market at Saint-Ouen, but the Porte de Vanves offers substance over style – this is where Parisians come to buy. The best time to go is Sunday morning when it’s less busy. Take your time to browse amongst antique dishes, vintage clothing, jewellery, artwork and all kinds of fascinating trinkets. This is a great place to pick up a chic souvenir – an antique perfume bottle, or perhaps a necklace? You might want to stay at one of the hotels in the 14th arrondissement so you can get there as soon as the market opens. It finishes at 1pm, so the best bargains get snapped up in the early morning. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog
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If you are traveling from Paris to Amsterdam, like what I did, the most convenient mean of transport would definitely be train. It provide city centre to city centre transport where Europe travelers are most likely to travel from and to. This is convenient for flash packers like us where we don’t have to drag our heavy luggage a long way from our hostel in Paris Monmartre and to our apartment in Amsterdam Dam Square. Thalys trains provide this service every hour in a day.
Thalys is a high speed train operated by the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français) or the French National Railway Corporation. It provides regular high speed train service to major cities in northern part of central Europe, such as Paris, Brussel, Amsterdam, Masseille, Cologne, and Rotterdam.
If you book Thalys tickets well in advance, you can actually get one of the only four seats in their special First Class (or they called it Comfort 1) Salon lounge cabin with special low fare. We managed to get those seats in our early booking when we traveled to Amsterdam last Spring and I can tell you that it was awesome!
This little cabin lounge with 4 seats is actually separated from other First Class seats in the carriage by the luggage compartment and the entrance/exit. In other words, it is well isolated from the rest and you would be the first to get off the train with your luggage stored just next door.
Traveling in First Class means they are plenty of free services provided on board. Free Wi-Fi broadband service is available throughout the journey. Electrical sockets are fitted beside our seats for charging our laptops and cameras. Newspapers and magazines are also provided in our cabin free of charge.
Reclining and ergonomically designed seats are perfect for our journey, albeit not a very long 3-hour-trip. Coat hangers are fitted beside the entrance door where we hung our jackets.
One of the surprises was the complimentary on board catering service. Breakfast are served in the morning train with a savoury selction of 2 choices: sweet or salty. Sweet option of breakfast comprised of pastry, fruits, croissant and cakes; while salty options included cheese, cold meat and bread. Both are served together with yogurt, fruit juice and coffee (or tea).
The portion wasn’t enormous but sufficient for our morning trip. On top of that, additional pastries and drinks refill are offered regularly after our breakfast to make sure we were fully satisfied. Another surprise.
After all, Thalys high speed train was the best train travel experience I had on my Europe travel last Spring. Special low fare of only €79 in a Comfort 1 salon lounge seats was definitely a steal of our money, if compared to the normal fare of €171. This is something good in Thalys trains where tourists like us who always plan and book transportations in advance will get these extra benefits.
And this First Class comfort with only the Second Class fares had just proved to be one of the advantages to plan your Europe travel in advance! – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog
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On the 2nd day of my Paris travel, we started off our Paris city exploration at the Arc de Triomphe and strolled down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. But it was only our morning activities. We continued to walk. We overpassed the Jardin Des Tuileries, the public garden, from Avenue des Champs-Elysees to the Louvre, from [...]
We ended our first day travel in Paris splendidly with an exciting day and night visit to the Eiffel Tower, as well as seeing the Sacred Coeur Cathedral both at day and night. On the second day in Paris, we woke up early, had our breakfast in hostel, and headed out to continue our Paris [...]
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