Enjoying My Cruise on River Seine

Undoubtedly, the most popular river in Paris and perhaps the whole of France is the Seine River, also known to be one of the top attractions of the city. Cruise on River Seine is not without passing by the charming Eiffel Tower and other beautiful and enchanting spots such as the Place de la Concorde. If you want to have a peak of the English Channel, it is found on the mouth of the river. You might wonder about the length of the river; it is actually more than 480 mile long or 776 km long and has an elevation of about 1,545 feet.

Cruises on the Seine River

When enjoying one of those romantic cruises on the Seine River, which I had during one of the cold wintry evening of November, of course any tourist should not look any farther as all the great landmarks and structures are ready for you to view and enjoy as you go down the river.




One of the city’s most famous landmarks is the Eiffel Tower, which you will certainly see on your river cruise. In fact, it is one of the first structures that you will lay your eyes on even before the cruise starts. We went up the barge at around 9PM, and it was exactly the time when the lights of the Eiffel Tower sparkled, rendering me in awe with the magnificent show of lights that I witnessed.

I had the chances to go aboard one of those Bateaux Mouche, which literally means fly boats. A typical boat is wide and two decked. It provides tourists and visitors a grand view of the city as it goes along the cruise on River Seine. One can even enjoy a romantic Seine dinner during the cruise. There is a notion that all boats that go along the Seine are called Bateaux Mouches; actually it is but one of the most well-known operators of the barges.

Cruise on River Seine via Bateaux Mouches

It was a cold Sunday evening when we rushed to the port where the Bateaux Mouches boats wait for passengers to come in and occupy all the seats in the barge before they can start cruising along the River. While waiting for more passengers, we decided to have our seats at the top deck of the barge. It was already cold - too cold for comfort. The temperature was 8 degrees, but I decided to brave the elements and insisted that the group moves to the top of the barge.




Actually, I wanted a better look of the sights and so I thought it is a must that we position ourselves at the top deck. In fact, I was very much enthralled by the view of the Eiffel Tower that brightly lit up in a blanket of orange illumination as whitish lights around it sparkled. Tour de Eiffel was the first structure that I saw in Paris straight from Charles de Gaulle Airport. It likewise captured my attention at the Seine River cruise. Definitely, it is one Parisian landmark that I will always remember.

What are bateaux boats? These are considered as popular means of enjoying attractions at the city of Paris. Actually they were originally steamers that were displayed in the 1867 Exhibition. Today, like the one that I rode when I was in the city, many of them can easily accommodate tens of tourists. All have open-air, upper decks where most wanted to stay for a much better view of the city.

Awesome Structures along the River Seine

Most barge cruises on River Seine include commentaries on the beautiful sights. However, it was confusing in my case since the commentary was not clear about which structures were being referred to as the barge coasts through the river. Anyway, our Bateaux Mouches cruise lasted for about an hour. While we didn’t eat while on board as we had a quick dinner; our boat, like any others, offered Seine dinner during the cruise.



Apart from the Eiffel Tower, other historical and famous structures, building and landmarks include Montaigne, Champs-Elysées, La Défense, Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Place de la Concorde and L ‘Opéra just to mention some in the long list of great places. The Seine River continues it stretch to the River Shannon and Yonne River. Further still down the stream, you will reach the Normandy beaches where a lot of recreational and river activities can be enjoyed.

Brightly-lit Saint-Michael Bridge

Along the river, you will also have the chance to enjoy seeing the brightly-lighted and decorated bridges. One of the most popular bridges in the stretch of the river is the Saint-Michael Bridge or the Pont Saint-Michel, named after the Saint-Michel Chapel. This beautiful bridge structure is near Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris. In fact, it is one of the most admired bridges along the Seine. When lit up during the evenings, it displays all the colors in the rainbow – blue, gold, green, orange, peach. Saint-Michael Bridge links Place Saint-Michel, which is situated on the river’s left side to the Île de la Cité.

Checking the Seine River Spots Online

Needless to say, the city of Paris has a great and awesome list of historical structures, building and landmarks to view and enjoy as you travel on a cruise on the Seine River. If you are a first-time traveler to Paris, it is helpful that you check the Internet and familiarized yourself with all the top spots along the river.

Likewise, you must get hold of Paris tourism pamphlets on Seine River cruise to better help you in planning your tour of the river.

The Louvre Museum

November 21, 2010 - It was a rainy day in Paris France. Extremely cold, the skies were gray like it was on our first day. Making matters worse was the drizzle. Despite the damp weather and all, I was still looking forward to visiting the Louvre Museum.



Destination: The Louvre Museum. We took Bus Number 72 and got off at the Palais Royale Louvre Station. It was an interesting route going to the Louvre as the bus runs by the Seine river, which means I got to see again the major attractions along the river, including the Eiffel Tower.



Grand Louvre - it is one of Paris France' most popular historic monuments. The Louvre Museum is also one of the largest in the world and most visited as well. It is home to the Mona Lisa, a painting masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

Trivia about this French historical piece of architecture. Originally, the museum was a royal palace built by different Kings. However, with the building of a new palace for the French Royalty, it was transformed into a museum in the 18th century. The Louvre Museum has early names such as Musee Central des Arts and the Musee Napoleon. However, most French locals and tourists affectionately call it as The Louvre.

It is said that if you visit the museum and check every artifact, painting, stone and clay figure, sculpture and historical piece for at least 30 seconds, you will end your visit in five months. I don't intend to do that as I have just two days more to go for my Paris tour.




From afar, the glass pyramid in the middle of the palace courtyard caught our full attention, away from the classical, even Gothic(for me at least) palace buildings of Louvre.



We were greeted with a long line. Definitely, people would want to miss everything else but not the most famous occupant of the museum - The Mona Lisa. The long queue was quite painful enough; however, it was aggravated by the drizzle. Finally, we got to the entrance.

Actually, we were in line not for Louvre Museum tickets as Francois already bought them weeks ago,but just to get into the museum. Inside, expect it not to be 100 percent museum as you can find commercial establishments, souvenir shops and boutiques, cafes and restaurants .

We proceeded down Denon hall as we entered the museum. Our primary target - the Mona Lisa. Luckily you would not get lost as plenty of arrows directing toward this famous painting are everywhere. The same can be said as true for the second most famous occupant - the Venus de Milo.





Just witnessing the beauty of these two paintings can be spellbinding. Apart from the Mona Lisa and Venus de Mila, I was also in awe with the gargantuan paintings, particularly the Italian(Roman) masterpieces, some of which are as large and wide as the whole gallery walls.





Admittedly, I am not a fan of art, but I truly enjoyed the short few hours that I spent The Louvre Museum. It doesn't just house world famous masterpieces, but also includes Roman and Egyptian artifacts as well. I was particularly impressed with huge Egyptian collection.







It is obvious that the Egyptian section of the Louvre has the largest collection of artifacts. They must have devoted an entire floor of the museum just for the Egyptian collection, as historical pieces occupy numerous rooms. Such collections include mummies, clay human and animal figures and forms and as well as ancient tools and implements of sorts.



If given the chance, I would definitely revisit the Louvre Museum. It is highly recommended to everyone as a family trip, as you can bring your kids to the books and children section of the museum, where their collection is simply voluminous. Indeed, the hassle of flying to Paris France and getting Louvre Museum tickets beforehand are all worthwhile as you are sure to enjoy the best museum in the world.

Eiffel Tower - Enjoying its Magnificence

November 20, 2010 was our first official tour date in Paris France. We would be having our first real taste of the City, according to Francois, our unofficial tour guide. I was raring to go, woked up at 5am but thought it was too early as it was still dark outside. Went back to sleep. I guess I overslept as I woke up at 7am. I was surprised to find out as I checked out from the window that everything was still dark. Francois was quick to explain that sun does not shine until after 8am.



A great Paris France city tour is not without a hearty breakfast. Good thing our host was just too willing to prepare for us fresh croissant, petit pain au chocolate (which is actually soft bread with chocolate filling) , pain au raisin ( bread with raisins) , some butter, jam and fruit yoghurt (I notice the yoghurt brand was Yoplait, same as what we buy in Tel Aviv) We enjoyed some nice hot coffee afterwards.

Eiffel Tower Tour



9 am, The sun was up, out and hot so instead of going first to the Phil Embassy as planned, we went straight to the bus station that would take us to the Eiffel tower site. We got off in front of the Trocadero and walked towards the Eiffel tower.



Surrounding and complimenting the tower are expanse of green grass, trees in autumn colors, buildings (including the Trocadero) with wonderful facade. Indeed, it becomes all the more imposing as you go near it. I asked about hotels near Eiffel Tower. Francois quickly suggests Hotel Pullman, Hotel Mercure and Derby Alma Hotel, few of the most popular hotels Eiffel Tower.

Finally I found myself beneath this great wonder of an iron structure - and it was simply unbelievable. Pictures. I have got to take pictures to prove to friends and family I was here.



While in line to buy our tickets, a street vendor caught our attention. In tow were Eiffel tower souvenirs of different forms, colors (lights!) and sizes. He must have noticed our interest in his goods so he displayed some tenacity in trying to sell to us. I asked the price of a glass miniature Eiffel tower with changing colors - 10 euros! I was about to hand to him the amount when Francois cautioned me that it was too expensive . But just as when we were almost at the caisse (cashier), the vendor must have realized that we have no time to haggle with him so he offered it with a much lesser price, down to 5 euros. Immediately, we took two.



We queued for quite some time and finally got our tickets in 20 minutes. I was told that we had a convenient time considering that during the summer season, it will probably take one hour to the whole morning at the most just to get tickets to tour the Eiffel Tower. I notice security is tight - there is one checking the line and another within the entrance of the tower. There are two ways to climb the Eiffel tower, via the elevator and by foot! Of course, you can correctly guess what we chose.



We climbed up to the second level and realized immediately the purpose of the tower - to see Paris in its entirety. Magnificent. One can marvel at all the amazing sights of the city. I saw the Sacred Heart church, the Arc de Triomphe, La Defense, Concorde and many more. Paris is simply magical when seen from the Eiffel Tower.



I could have stayed all day at the tower but we only had the morning to spend on the site and needed to proceed to our next city destination.



Reluctantly I followed them towards the descending elevator. Wait, did I have pictures? I got to have enough. Made sure I had for myself some video clips too. This visit of the tower might not happen again. But then I am praying otherwise.

Bateaux Mouches - Seine River Cruises

Bateaux Mouches, which literally means fly boats, is the French term for the most popular boat cruise line along the historic Seine River.From the apartment we had to rush to the Seine as it was almost 10 PM. The night was so cold it felt like the temperature was below 10 degrees celsius. My hands were freezing I hated myself for not remembering to bring my gloves. Nonetheless we still decided to stay at the upper deck to enjoy a better view of the sites. I myself was concerned about how to take advantage of the Seine River Cruises and see the Eiffel Tower the best way possible.



The Bateaux Mouches Seine River cruises start at the Trocadero and Alma Bridge. The Eiffel Tower, located at Champ de Mars, is clearly visible from our location, albeit a thick fog obscured the top part of the iron structure. At around 10:00 pm the yellow orange lights that decorate the Eiffel tower sparkled, all the more capturing everyone's attention.



The light spectacle occurs hourly at the start of the evening until 1 am. Frankly, just seeing the Eiffel tower was such an awesome experience; I was truly mesmerized - like I am in a dreamland. I have seen the tower countless number of times on photos, TV and films but there's nothing like seeing it in person and witnessing it in all its grandeur.

After we passed by the tower, we continued with the cruise on the Seine River. We stood pat in staying at the upper deck despite the freezing cold. But it was all worth it. The beauty of every historic and grand monument and edifice and every bridge that make Paris made me go though the freezing night. I simply do not want to miss anything, not a single landmark.



Musee d'Orsay, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre Museum, Concorde, Grand Palais, Hotel de Ville. The list that only speaks of splendid history and magnificense goes on and on. Apart from the buildings, we also marvelled at the bridges that spanned the river, numbering more than 30.



Each boasts of its own design and unique story to tell. Incidentally, our boat has an audio system that provides announcements and commentaries on every historic site that it passes by - in English, French and Chinese (or is it Japanese?).



What a city, I can only say. I was hoping it was not an anti-climax of sort as I am sure that in the next four days I would be witnessing other facets of greatness that is Paris France. But definitely the Bateaux Mouches cruise on the Seine River is one of the highlights of my trip. It is one stunning experience that I will never forget.

My First Night in Paris France

November 19, 2010 It was 2 PM when our El Al plane landed at the Charles de Gaulle Airport. The weather in Paris was cold and cloudy, further dampening my already messed-up spirits. Francois, a dear friend and three-time visitor of Tel Aviv, was there to welcome us. In an instant, he engaged me about all the possible wonderful things to do in Paris, France. However, fresh from a restless flight; knowing what to expect from our Parisian visit was the last thing on my mind.



I realized that getting inside Paris was much easier than going out of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport. At CDG, there were no questions coming from the officer at the booth; except his query on when our connection flight date would be. It was definitely a breeze, and for this I had a sigh of relief.



Francois Versele somewhat superfluously offered information on Charles de Gaulle, its gargantuan size, and unique sun rays shape. Even the airport workers' frequent strikes! However, I just couldn't seem to care less because my mind is still focused on Tel Aviv - I was missing Jaffa dearly.



We proceeded to take some snack at the CDG Airport's Mcdonald's Restaurant. I went with Francois at the counter and checked at the prices. Six euros for a Big Mac meal. Hmmm...around 30 shekels, so more or less the same price as in Israel.

After the snack, we rode the regional train to Paris. Francois urged me to look beyond the panoramic window for my first views of the French landscape. Chalets, clusters of buildings, a stadium, and farms. I begun to wonder where Eiffel tower is.



Patience, I was told as the imposing landmark is found at the city proper. Picturesque views and all, the train ride was unfortunately giving me discomfort because my left leg had been aching since my flight.

From the train station, we went straight to Francois' house located at the 16th district. It is one of the premier areas in Paris - I was told. His was a small apartment, yet the cost of having and maintaining it is expensive enough to afford two large ones outside the metro.

Woe is me. I am still wailing about how I miss Tel Aviv.



While waiting for our first Paris night out at 9 PM, we went to check on the vicinity. We passed by Rue de Passy, a popular shopping area, where we ate jambon fromage ham and cheese sandwich 4 euros in a boulangerie. We chanced upon the Philippine Embassy located just a few blocks from the apartment.

Somehow, despite this sickening (no other way to describe it) homesickness - home being Israel, I was actually looking forward to the things to do in Paris, France. I'd really like to make the most of my six-day stay here.