Paris Archives ⋆ The Passenger

June 21, 2015July 15, 2023

36 hours at the living museum

I went to Paris, France several times when I was a child. My parents were guiding tourist groups to the city and were a bit lost, not speaking French or even English. That’s why I had to use my uprising language skills at the capital city of France.

I returned to Paris once in 2010 to rediscover the city on my own. And now I had the feeling that another trip would by necessary, mainly because of two reasons: (a) I never used the train à grande vitesse (TGV) and (b) I never arrived at the Musée d’Orsay while it was open. It was like a curse and for me being a fan of French Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism this situation wasn’t acceptable.

June 21, 2015July 15, 2023

The temple of contemporary art

Going to the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris, France is always fun! It is a futuristic building in the heart of Paris, close to the Hôtel de Ville. If you get inside you’ll find free WiFi, a bar, a nice art shop, a children’s art playground – but this museum is a playground for humans of all age.

June 21, 2015July 15, 2023

The Étoilé

At the end of the over-crowded, commercialized and steadily inclining Champs-Élysées you’ll find the Arc de Triomphe at Place Charles de Gaulle. It has been built by order of Napoleon to commemorate the victory of the battle of Austerlitz in 1806. You can walk trough a subterranean passage to the Arc and get on top – seeing 14 main streets crossing.

June 21, 2015July 15, 2023

Cimetière de Montmartre

Not as vast as Père Lachaise but also bigger than big. The Cimetière de Montmartre is a more quite graveyard close to the center of the neighborhood of Montmartre. You can stroll around and look out for history.

June 21, 2015July 15, 2023

French breakfast

Strolling throughout Montmartre in the morning is always a great idea. But there comes the point where you definitely need a café au lait and a croissant. In that case the boulangerie of Gontran Cherrier is a great stop: while you sit there you can have Montmartre behind the windows and a magnifique pain au chocolat at your fingertips.

June 21, 2015July 15, 2023

Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre

To me the most beautiful church in the world and the place to be on a Sunday morning if you are in Paris. The Basilique du Sacré Cœur is situated on the hill of Montmartre and is visible from most places in Paris, France. It has been built as a memorial to the lost war against Germany in 1870/71.

June 20, 2015July 15, 2023

A pit-stop at the Marais

When you walk through the wonderful neighborhood of the Marais – maybe from Place de la Bastille, crossing Place des Vosges (always worth a detour), you will find a lot of good restaurants of various kinds. I myself normally don’t go to classy restaurants while travelling; it costs me simply to much time. A good alternative in the Marais is Chez Marianne, a nice small restaurant in a sidestreet. You can sit outside and if it is too crowded – they also got a comptoir for food to take away.

June 20, 2015July 15, 2023

Tour Eiffel

One of the major sights in Paris, close to the Champ de Mars. Built in 1887 by Gustave Eiffel as a watch tower for the World Exhibition – and in remembrance of the French revolution – this iron giant draws the attention of people from all over the world. It’s the landmark of Paris and can be seen from most places inthe city.

Continue reading “Tour Eiffel”

June 20, 2015July 15, 2023

Science as it should be presented

I’ve seen some ethnologic museums around the world and most – let’s face it, are quite boring. You only like them if you are an expert or a student in the specific field. But the Musée du quai Branly in Paris, France is really different. Behind a big glass wall separating the museum from the city, there is a huge garden with trees and green fields.

June 20, 2015July 15, 2023

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

The biggest graveyard in Paris, France. A vast space with over 200 year old graves, temples and figurines. You can walk for hours through this crowded necropolis and watch out for the graves of lots of celebrities. Not an easy game because of the high number of paths and sepultures.