Way to Paris

Km 38,138

caminoaparis

From Belgium, my road toward the south carried me to France another time; although now I was crossing the north, because my next destination would be Paris.

And that difficult it was to find the exits of the towns or cities that I crossed. Sometimes I asked myself if people give me the wrong information intentionally. It seems incredible, but I have never met two persons who agree their answers.

I cycled through the north of France, the famous area by their champagne. Then I crossed Valenciennes, Cambrai and Creil. The weather was better than Belgium and Holland, and at nights I always found backpackers to stay and to cook.

After three days of trip, I arrived in Paris, and the same than London, when I entered to the city I had the sensation that I was not in a European city. I crossed areas where the gypsies, Indian and Africans prevailed.

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Paris is a city with more than 2 million inhabitants and it has been the economic, political and artistic axis of France from the Romans age. But the city rejuvenated by the middle of the XIX century, when its suburbs were replaced by the elegant avenues and boulevards, and their coffees appeared, their restaurants and their elegant stores; transforming the modern Paris into a delightful place to go for a walk.

It was in this city where I sighted more than in any other side, dozens of couples in love as if they were enjoying their honeymoon. People say that Paris is a romantic city; with their bridges on the river Seine, with their big parks, with their majestic constructions and with the great Tower Eiffel. It is the perfect place for those that are passionate, and of course, for those that possess a swollen wallet.

On the evening, I stopped to sell in the “Des Champs Elysees Avenue”, and a guy told that the temperature was below zero, maybe one of the reasons because nobody stops.

But along the weekend I got the enough money to follow the trip, in the Pompidou centre and in the Garden “des Tuileries”, next to a dozen of immigrants, there were Indians, Algerians, Egyptians, Moroccans and Turks; and they took a long time in accepting me, although in the last day we ran all together when the police approached us.

During my days in Paris I also visited the museum of Louvre, where one of the most important art collections in the world is, and I loved it, mainly the section of European paintings that illustrates the daily of several countries among the XV and XIX century.

In the museum also exists other sections of European Sculpture and Oriental Antiques, Egyptian and Roman. After several hours walking the museum I got a big pain in my knees.

5- Notre Dame

Already with the bike I went to Notre Dame, the cathedral where architects and artisans worked for two centuries and then to the Tower Eiffel, which has 1665 steps and 324 mt of height; that until the year 1931 were the highest building in the world. From far, I didn’t find it so imposing, but under the tower, it impacted me; but more at night when it is all illuminated; then I knew that it has 10.100 tons of iron and 2,5 million rivets.

Finally I left to the route toward Orleans after saying goodbye to Nastia and Paul, the Russian and French who received me in their house. They decided to marry so that she doesn’t have to abandon France. They had known each other in the university, but both were graduated in laws and the visa of Nastia was concluding. But now they were married and they planned to travel to South America for some months and to live their honeymoon.

Without a doubt when I knew their history, I convinced myself that in Paris the love can make everything.

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