By Aadi Agarwal
As night fell, the stars emerged one by one, like diamonds scattered across a velvet tapestry.
I was experiencing marvellous Paris!
I was perched on an oakwood boat, rowing over the azure blue river, admiring the ancient architecture, roads and residents’ colonial homes in Paris. I could see the dainty houses lined up against each other and a few pâtissiers scattered along the roadside. I was surely mesmerised in this pearl-white city.
From the boat’s view, the Eiffel Tower was towering amidst other buildings in all its glory.
Next, passing by the Louvre Museum from the boat was indeed a glorious moment. It was
shimmering with its saffron orange and shiny white hues in the city of love. Romantic
couples were creating their moments of wonder. As they spotted me, it seemed they were
waving at me while I sailed along the serene river. By midnight, the ebony darkness had a
few fluorescent lights beaming on its river’s surface. It was unlike anything I had ever
experienced before. The great city of Paris, France, was overwhelming, yet it led me into
peace and tranquillity as I returned to my hotel room at the Paris Gambetta.
As dawn broke, Paris had quaint shops with doorbells ringing as they opened for breakfast
on the clean streets with noiseless traffic. It differed totally from the overcrowded and
congested streets of Mumbai. Yet, I could sense the culture and heritage of the Parisians,
which they adhered to like it was tradition for them. More so, they dressed elegantly. The
women adorned marvellous, fashionable, designer dresses and hats from renowned
designers. At the same time, the men wore either bow-ties or professional ties on their crisp
shirts, even for a casual meal at any French restaurant. These people were quiet and soft-
spoken – it seemed they were whispering to each other. They moved along the city calmly
without scurrying like rats!
I travelled around the city in ‘Paris’ double-decker tour bus, observing the ancient
government offices from the French Revolution. As the bus slowed to a crawl, gazing at the
great Notre Dame was marvellous as it looked over the city with its majestic gaze. It was a
little worn down but still was grand and elegant. That day, I visited the Louvre Museum,
which had a wide array of ancient artefacts, ranging from statues dating from the Roman era
to paintings of Napoleon’s court. Every piece was regal and glorious, with strokes of crimson
red, azure blue and multiple other vibrant colours elegantly brushed across the artist’s
canvas.
Later that evening, I strolled from my hotel to the Eiffel Tower, one of the tallest buildings in
the world! The view from atop the Eiffel Tower was like being in a world of tranquillity, looking
over the Paris skyline.
It was a picturesque scene with a vantage view of the entire city of Paris. All the buildings resembled little illuminated pearl white and sunflower yellow dots, shimmering elegantly like a string of lights.
The most wonderful moment I awaited the next day was visiting Euro Disney.
It was very large and vastly spread across miles of land.
Disney Euro was almost like a mini-city built exclusively for all the Disney characters and fans. Hordes of visitors bought Disney-themed food from the shops, and many also purchased the merchandise.
The tourists bought tickets for the theme-park rides, such as magnificent roller coasters, bungee jumping, and free falls. I attempted every ride, but each ride had queues which seemed as if I had to wait an eternity! Yet, patiently waiting for my turn on the roller coaster was worth it!
At incredible speed, the coaster turned-twirled-tossed me and all the passengers across nerve-
wrecking loops. It was a frightening moment but a pivotal and fantastic experience!
I can understand why Paris has been deemed a glorious city, filled with wonderful excursions, theme parks, and French delicacies served at fine-dine restaurants within Euro Disney. I experienced the best of all the three worlds in Paris: on land, water and sky. It is the most memorable vacation that I have ever ventured upon. I can say that every tourist who visits France will never forget Merveilleux Marvellous Paris.