Je t'aime Paris - Paris, France

Gare du Nord in May 2012

By the time I arrived in Paris, my interest on the city has waned. Not that it has lost its charm but my feet were soaring. It had been a long journey...from London to Geneva - Interlaken, then to Luzern and then to Zagreb, rode to Ljubljana, hiked in Plitvice, rambled in Venice, roamed in Rome, explored Sorrento, Pompeii, Amalfi, Positano and   shopped in Florence, Pisa and Paris was the last leg before we got back to London. All in all we have been traveling for 16 days.  

                                                

A tour to Eiffel Tower is a must

Surprisingly, some of us were still charmed by LV store in Galaries La Fayette and never gave up on the shopping spree in La Valee. Apart from the shopping, Paris has a reputation of being a romantic city of love and I think to appreciate it, you need to spend time and not rush it through. I felt lucky to have spent so much time in this vibrant city in the past...had taken ample time browsing through the museums and gardens. So at this point of time, my legs were the major concern!

I sat by the window of New Hotel, a very simple and basic hotel. For the last 12 years, New Hotel, just opposite Gare du Nord has been my favorite hotel...it is probably only a three star hotel but I just love the convenience of the location. Since Gare du Nord is the Eurostar terminal, that makes it real easy to take the train to London even in the early morning hours. But what is more interesting about this little hotel is the staff who are very chatty and never fail to extend help when needed. 

Early morning at Gare du Nord in 2009

Many parts of Paris have changed over the last few years. Gare du Nord the main train station has had quiet an impressive 'face-lift' since my last visit in 2009. From the window of the hotel i looked out...and I still remember on the same spot, few years ago....on a cold Winter day, I used to watch the homeless folks rolling in their nap sack trying to catch some sleep. Life must have been hard for many in Paris....although this high fashion city continues to catch the attention of the rich, glamorous and famous. For tourists, Paris is a wonderful hub to begin your exploration in Europe. The comprehensive rail network with several cheap airlines flying in and out of Paris and the availability of many buses to all parts of Europe...all these make Paris a perfect place to begin with. I love Paris!

Sacre Coeur

A view of Paris from the top of Sacre Coeur

A view of Paris

The view from Galaries Lafayette roof top

Shopping stores beneath Louvre

The Grande Mosquée de Paris - Paris, France

The tile work on the walls of Paris Mosque

Grand Mosque of Paris is the largest mosque in France. The minaret of the mosque is 33 meters high and the architecture imitates the Moorish of Andalusian (Mudejar). Founded in 1926, the first communal prayer was led by the Algerian Sufi (Shadilliya), Sheikh Ahmad al-Alawi on July 15, 1926. When France was occupied by the Germans in the World War II, the mosque was a secret refuge for the Jews, providing shelter and fake Muslim birth certificates to escape the holocaust (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Mosque). 

A major renovation on the interior of the mosque was completed in 1992 and the decoration used mosaics, wood carvings and wrought iron imported from Morocco. What is more interesting is the central courtyard of the mosque which reminds me of the typical patios in the Andalusian homes and palaces. The ground paved with turquoise tiles and decorated with small trees, shrubs, flowers,  ponds and fountains makes the place so delightful with its refreshing look.  

One of the entrance of the mosque

Today the mosque is the center of attraction for most people especially Muslims who come to Paris and a busy place on Fridays, Ramadan and holy days. There is a Muslim Restaurant adjoining the courtyard of the mosque which opens daily from noon to 3 pm and from 7 to 10:30pm

It is located in 5th arrondissement and if you are from the Eiffel Tower, take the metro from Bir Hakim Metro station. Take line Nation to Place D'Italie and transfer to Metro line 7 with direction towards La Courneuve.  Get off at Place Monge station and you're in the precinct of the mosque. 

Information:
http://www.mosquee-de-paris.org/
Address: 2 bis Place du Puits de l'Ermite, 75005 Paris, France
Telephone: 01 45 35 97 33

The tile work on the walls

The columns and the center fountain imitates Al-Hambra of Granada

The corridors to the prayer hall

Wood carving on the door

Inscription on the walls

The central courtyard of the mosque

Moroccan style minaret

Taking a rest after the prayer

Le Rouge Rousillon - Provence, Southern France

Another impressive Provencal village that deserves a visit is Rousillon which is about 10 km from Gordes and 48km from Avignon. Rousillon is a smaller village than Gordes with a population of 1280. What is most unique about Rousillon is the ochre soil that has given it a unique splendor. From a distant, this village on a hill top looks fiery in blazing hues of red.


In those days when commercial paint was unknown, to brighten their houses, dwellers of Rousillon drew from the palette of the old ochre quarry next door. Splashing the walls of their houses in shades of reds, browns, yellows, oranges and pinks; merging one into the other perfectly, matching the lush green pine, vivid blue sky and awesome red cliff. It’s just picturesque! 


It takes me to be here to understand why this part of France had been the home of great Post-Impressionist artists like Van Gogh, Cezzane, and Gaugin to name a few. My favorite Van Gogh’s paintings seemed alive in front of my eyes right here in Provence!  After visiting Rousillon, we passed St Remy the home of my favorite post Impressionist artist, Vincent Van Gogh but due to time constraint we were not able to stop by but I am determined to be back one day.

Rousillon from the other end

Small shops adorned the little lanes in Rousillon

Deposits of ochre

Shops selling home made linen and bottles of ochre in all shades

Part of the village on the ochre cliff

A small boutique in the village

Ochre Cliff

Splash of ochre on the walls

The red rock

La belle Gordes - Provence, Southern France

Gordes on a sunny day

About 38 km from Avignon, there is a charming old village by the name of Gordes. The best way to go to the village is to take a guided tour or you can drive there. It is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France but over the centuries, the population has shrunk to about 2130 inhabitants. Like most other villages in Southern France, Gordes perched on a hill as part of their strategy in those days…to be able to see the enemy when attacked. 

Gordes after a rainy day

A 12th century Renaissance style castle was built in the middle of the village, while all the stone houses clung tightly to the base of the cliffs. To preserve the unique architectural design and to maintain the village the way it has been, no fencing is allowed, the streets are paved with stones and only stone walls could be built. We were told that no nails were used to build the houses in Gordes. The shades of Gordes change according to the weather and regardless whatever the seasons you choose to come, Gordes remains a perfect picture for a postcard. Behind the village there are small roads leading to the valleys and forest of Plateau de Vaucluse and another picturesque spot, the Abbaye de Sénanque is 4 km away isolated in a little valley. Gordes is a popular summer residence for painters, movie stars and famous people.

From the other side of the hill, we watched the beautiful Gordes at sunset

Medieval house on the way to Gordes

Pourquoi es-tu si belle, Provence? – Southern France

Lavender up the highland

It means...Why are you so beautiful, Provence? The question that I asked myself repeatedly. It is a place where the phase of life allows you to sip your coffee while watching the world passes by. Some people say living in Provence through out the year could be boring but having visited here in both seasons of summer and autumn, I have no complaints. I would say this region remains charming all through out the year. With several activities and events going on in summer, Provence is bustling with tourists but approaching autumn everything slows down.

Avignon is a small town but complete with all the needed facilities for tourism, making it a good base to tour Provence. From Paris the high speed TGV swifts us to Avignon in 2 hours 15 minutes. With such efficient service, all the hassle of a long drive from Paris to Avignon (742km) is cut short. June and July are the best months to visit Provence with the lavender fields in its full bloom.

There are several group and private tours available from Avignon if driving is not for you. We took a whole day lavender tour up the mountain, visited the lavender town, Sault, Lavendar Museum and Gordes. The road up the mountain is very narrow and we’re glad we did not drive. But as soon as we reached the higher grounds, the purplish sea of lavender became visible and the beauty is indescribable. The moment we got out of our vehicle the sweet scent of lavender surrounded every space we crossed and the air we breathed.

Here is the place to shop for these sweet aromatic stuffs. Amazingly, it takes loads (about a ton) of lavender to produce 5-10kg of high quality lavender essence. Made by the locals with high quality standards but no brand attached to it…the price is reasonable. Apart from the lavender, they also produce vegetable based soap with citrus, lavender, olive and lily scent.

Lavender field

My favorite souvenir from Sault.
 Spray the lavender essence on it and your clothes smell heaven