This summer has the cicada cries and melting ice cream similar to previous summers. It also has a quiet and orderly difference from the hot summer of the past. There is also a concerted effort, perseverance and determination that has never been seen in the summer. Memories fill the short vacation and record those lively and interesting days, so that when you can set off, you can move forward again with expectations. Let’s go, come with me to feel the French romance on the banks of the Seine.
Preparation Before Departure
Passports and visas: Passports do not need to be introduced, let’s talk about visas. There are two ways to prepare visa information. One is to register and prepare information appointments through the official websites of the French Embassy and Consulate-General in China. The advantage of preparing the information by yourself is to save money, but the disadvantage is that you need to worry about it a little more. The preparation and appointment must be completed by yourself. If the prepared materials are unqualified, you may need to do it again; the second is to fill in the form, itinerary and insurance policy through the visa intermediary. The agency will also help to make an appointment for submission and follow up the progress of the visa. The advantage of this method is that it is more worry-free. The materials have been reviewed by the intermediary and it is basically no problem. Don’t worry about the itinerary and insurance policy. Its disadvantage is that it costs more. These two methods should be selected according to your actual situation. What needs to be reminded is that you must arrive at the site in advance according to the scheduled submission time. The issuance rate of the legal visa is still relatively high, and the materials are quite simple. Generally, there is no need to cancel the visa. If you need to cancel the visa, it will be specially prompted when the visa is issued.
Traffic in French Cities
The traffic in the city, taking Paris as an example, is basically rent-a-car, taxi, bus, and subway. The transportation in Paris is very convenient. People who rent a car need to look at the parking lot near the attraction block. The bus and subway basically cover all the attractions. Don’t buy a ticket separately every time you take the subway or bus. This is very uneconomical. Both subways and buses can buy carnet according to the travel situation. It is more cost-effective to buy ten at a time. It can be operated on the subway automatic ticket vending machine. The English mode is fully understandable. Some lines need to buy a ticket separately, enter the station and vote once, leave the station and vote again. After the vote, the ticket will be colored, which proves that it has been used. The carnet looks exactly the same, pay attention to distinguish between used and unused, so as not to use the wrong ticket resulting in failure to leave the station. According to the different subway lines, you can actually see the situation in different districts of Paris. The men and women who take some lines are fashionable and elegant. These lines are basically close to the Paris Opera and the Louvre. People who take certain lines only commute daily. They see It looks like an office worker in a business district. Some subway stations in Paris are very old, and you can see that they have experienced vicissitudes at a glance. Coupled with the graffiti in the subway station and even on the subway body, it has a unique atmosphere and atmosphere of France. At this time, if you hear the guitar or violin playing in the subway corridor, the experience can’t be more wonderful.
Day1 First Experience in the Romantic City
Eiffel Tower.
The Eiffel Tower is the product of the 1889 Paris World Expo and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It is also the landmark and the tallest building in Paris today. The name of the Eiffel Tower comes from the famous architect and structural engineer Gustave Eiffel who designed it. The tower was all built by Schneider Ironware (now Schneider Electric). It represents that Europe was in a specific period of transition from classicism to modernism. The Tower made a great contribution to radio communication in the First World War. The construction team handed over the project to the government 100 years after the tower was built. Tower lights will light up when night falls, shining in the city. I boarded the tower to overlook the whole Paris and found it was so beautiful.
The Seine.
The Seine is the second largest river in France that flows through the center of Paris. Many famous cultural relics surround the banks of the Seine. The north bank is called the right bank, which is the commercial and political center of Paris; the south bank is called the left bank, which is full of artistic atmosphere, with famous coffee shops and the Latin Quarter. There are many bridges on the Seine, the most spectacular of which is the Alexander III Bridge. The Seine River Cruise is a project that I think must be experienced. I arranged this project on the first day to get a better overview of the landscape of Paris. Various museums and landmark buildings are distributed on both banks of the Seine. The login gate for the Seine cruise is under the Eiffel Tower. It is cheaper to buy tickets online in advance than on-site, and you can board directly without queuing. The Seine at night will be more romantic than during the day.
Orsay Museum. In Paris, it is indispensable to visit major museums and receive the influence of art. The Orsay Museum., the Louvre and the Pompidou are among the three major museums in Paris (the Pompidou National Culture and Art Center is one of the world’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art). It used to be the Orsay railway station built at the Paris World Expo in 1900, and then it was converted into a national museum and was called “the most beautiful museum in Europe”. The Orsay Museum. has many authentic works of celebrities. Van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait”, “Starry Night on the Rhone” and “Sunflowers” are all treasures of the Orsay Museum.. Orsay Museum is worth us to an afternoon of time to visit.
Cite Island and Notre Dame Cathedral. Cite Island is a small island located in the middle of the Seine River, covering an area of less than two hectares. At first, the city of Paris started from Cite Island. It can be said that Cite Island is the birthplace of Paris. On the east side of the island is the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was built in 1163. On the west side of the island are ancient buildings such as the Paris Police Station, the Paris Tribunal and its affiliated prisons. The Notre Dame Cathedral is located on the Cite Island in the center of Paris. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris. Notre Dame de Paris is no longer open due to the previous fire, but we can view it outside.
Day2 Taste the Art Feast
Louvre.
The Louvre is one of the world’s four major museums with a collection of as many as 400,000. The three treasures here are the well-known “Venus de Milo”, “Mona Lisa” and “Goddess of Victory”. At the same time, it is also the filming location for the movies “Phantom of the Louvre” and “The Da Vinci Code”. Here we can see famous pictures and classics that are not famous but not inferior in charm. There are so many exhibits in the Louvre collection, so it takes a lot of time to visit it, and it would be a pity if you pass by in a hurry.
Tuileries Garden. The Tuileries Garden is a courtyard designed by Queen Medici in 1564 for the construction of the Tuileries Palace. The Tuileries Garden was first opened to the public in 1667 and became a park after the French Revolution. The Tuileries Garden is connected to the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre, and there is also a small playground in summer. We can bring some simple meals and sit on the grass for a picnic to feel the leisurely afternoon. Of course, we can also go to the restaurant next to the Tuileries Garden to have a gourmet meal, or in the winter, we can have a cup of warm and rich hot chocolate recommended by Zhang Ailing to feel the elegant atmosphere of this romantic city.
Alexander III bridge. There are many bridges on the Seine. The most beautiful one is the Pont Alexandre III, which connects the Champs Elysees area on the right bank, the Grand Palace and the Les Invalides on the left bank. There are four gilded bronze statues on the four 17-meter-high columns on the left and right sides of the Alexander III Bridge. There are allegorical decorations symbolizing the Seine and Neva on the pillars at the two ends of the bridge. This magnificent bridge is a gem in bridge art. People can see the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides on the bridge.
The Arc de Triomphe. The Arc de Triomphe is located in the center of Charles de Gaulle Square in Paris. It is called the Arc de Triomphe of the Lion in full. It was built to commemorate Napoleon’s victory in the 1806 war. Just below it is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The building uses giant sculptures as the facade. On the facade, the four groups of giant sculptures with the theme of “Rebellion”, “Victory”, “War of Resistance” and “Peace” were all made by three French classical romantic sculptors.
As night fell, after finishing writing about staying in France and traveling, it made me feel like I was in that romantic city again. Fashion and art, history and modernity, countless characters have given it too many unique marks, but every person who has been to France has a French impression of his own in his heart, and also retains a French romance that belongs only to him. I hope we have more time and opportunities to see, experience and feel the beauty of this world.
