My Trip to Paris!
I was deeply moved by the film Moulin Rouge and subsequently developed a strong interest in the actual establishment. I also became fascinated with the city of Paris, and dreamed about visiting this remarkable city to explore the sights and visit the Moulin Rouge for myself. So, when a friend suggested a trip to Paris, I jumped at the opportunity to visit the city that started it all...
The skyline of Paris
My two friends and I set off for Paris early on Friday, 20th September 2002. At the time, I was living in Manchester, England, but this was my very first trip to mainland Europe. After a brief one hour flight, we arrived at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. I was amazed by the size of the airport, and we did become a little lost trying to find our way to the Rossybus, which would take us to the city centre. However, we soon found our way and were riding the bus along the freeway towards central Paris...
The Moulin Rouge!
As we entered the city centre, I marvelled at the beautiful buildings and quaint little shops that lined the roads. I tried to figure out what part of Paris we were driving through, and turned to my friend to ask if there was a possibility we might pass the Moulin Rouge! She said no, but just minutes later, I saw a familiar red building standing on a street to our left. I whacked my hand against the bus window and shouted, "There it is! The Moulin Rouge!" My friends looked at me like I was a bit crazy but, luckily, they were used to my unpredictable Aussie behaviour! We had stopped at traffic lights, and my nose was pressed against the glass as I peered at the Moulin Rouge establishment, trying to get a better look. Imagine my excitement when the bus turned left into the Boulevard! I stared out of the window as we passed the building, and felt a little overwhelmed at finally seeing the Moulin Rouge for real.
Opera House
The bus dropped us off right outside the Opera House, and I stood on the pavement gazing up at the magnificent structure. I longed to go inside, but we did not have time. We had plans for the day, and so we made our way to the tourist bureau to gather maps and information. I remember asking the pleasant mannered British employee about bookings for the Moulin Rouge. This was just out of curiosity, as we had already booked our tickets months in advance. He informed me that Saturday night's show was completely booked out, and had probably been so for some time. I smiled to myself as I realised it was true, the real Moulin Rouge is still as popular as ever.
Sacre Coer
After checking into our hotel room in the Place de Republique, we headed straight to the impressive Sacre Coer. We caught the underground tube, and then strolled through the cobbled streets of Montmartre towards the impressive monument. I quickly decided that Montmartre was most definitely my favourite part of Paris! I totally fell in love with its surreal atmosphere. Sacre Coer stands tall on top of a huge hill, and its steps are a popular place for Parisians and tourists alike to sit and gaze out over the beautiful gardens for spectacular views of the city. We sat there for a while, taking it all in, and it was here that it finally dawned on us that we'd made it to Paris!
The Carousel near Sacre Coer
After visiting the interior of Sacre Coer, we strolled down through the gardens. My friends and I were fans of the movie, Amelie, and we tried to retrace the character's steps through the grounds, even including a ride on the old carousel at the base of the gardens. Near the top of the gardens, just along from Sacre Coer itself, is an excellent souvenir shop. It was here that I bought a lot of Moulin Rouge merchandise relating to the history of the actual establishment. My purchases including magnets, postcards and a 2003 calendar with paintings by Toulouse Lautrec.
La Butte
On our way to Sacre Coer, we made sure we climbed the famous La Butte, which is the set of stairs leading up to the monument. We posed for photos on the stairs, and I personally couldn't resist singing Complainte de La Butte from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack! I finally knew what La Butte actually was, and why the steep staircase could indeed "make the wretched cry"! However, I can assure you that it's definitely worth every step.
After savouring the sights of Sacre Coer, we made our way down the hill and across Montmartre towards the actual Moulin Rouge establishment. As we strolled along the Boulevard de Clichy, we struggled to contain our amusement at all the seedy sex shops that lined the street. Indeed, one of my friends was quite fascinated with them and wanted to take a closer look! But my other friend and I convinced her to keep walking towards the Moulin Rouge...
Me outside the Moulin Rouge
When we finally came to the Moulin Rouge, I just stood there on the footpath staring at it in wonder. Even in broad daylight it looked amazing. We crossed the road and stood on a handy traffic island that is located directly opposite the establishment. I had the above photo taken of me, and then turned to marvelled at the red windmill that still stands atop the entrance to this day. I also couldn't contain my amusement at the Coca Cola sign that sits above a shop next to the Moulin Rouge, and wondered how Baz and CM must have felt when they first saw it there themselves! (CM 'borrowed' the Coca Cola signage to create the Bazmark signature image of 'L'Amour') :-)
Moulin Rouge entrance
The traffic island opposite the Moulin Rouge was a popular place for tourists, and so we soon moved forward to take a closer look. We were all in high spirits as we inspected the foyer of the Moulin Rouge and read the information that was provided on plaques around the entrance of the venue. There were also several large images of modern day Moulin Rouge dancers lining the foyer but, as far as I remember, no images of the establishment in its earlier days. After reading through a brief history of the Moulin Rouge, I discovered the information I was truly looking for - a plaque with a summary of Baz Luhrmann's production of Moulin Rouge!
The 'Baz' plaque
The plaque read: 2001 - '"Moulin Rouge" - An australian film by Baz Luhrmann starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.'
I stood staring at this plaque for a while, smiling to myself that the real establishment had actually made this acknowledgement and entered the film into the history of the Moulin Rouge. We had already booked tickets for the show the following night, and so I left content in the knowledge that I would be returning very soon.
Montmartre Cemetery
From the Moulin Rouge, we walked to the hauntingly beautiful Montmartre Cemetery, where we explored the rows of above ground tombs. Somehow, I found myself feeling like I was in a cemetery in New Orleans! After exploring the Montmartre Cemetery, we walked a short way from the main gate to a nearby French restaurant for dinner. It was at this quaint little establishment that I tried snails for the first time! The snails were covered in garlic sauce, and were served in their white shells. I got to use a little fork and clamp-like device to pry them out, and the experience made me think of Julia Roberts in the movie, Pretty Woman! I even muttered "slippery little suckers" as I struggled to hold the shells while I dug out the snails with my fork. Luckily, I was able to keep a relatively good hold of them and not cause too much of a scene!
View from our hotel window
After dinner, we returned to our hotel room to admire the night-time view from our own little balcony in the light of the full moon. Our hotel was located down a quiet side street, and I stood on the balcony wistfully gazing down at the empty street below. I decided that the style of the hotel balconies was similar to those featured in Moulin Rouge, and standing out on our balcony made me feel a bit like Satine! These thoughts gave me further ideas and, accompanied by my friend's personal CD player, I started to sing a collection of tunes from the movie!
Feeling like Satine...
I stood out on the balcony singing my own private rendition of One Day I'll Fly Away. A friend and I then paired together to perform some wonderful duets, including Elephant Love Medley and Come What May. My other friend sat in the room and laughed at our performances as we sang out into the night time sky. As our renditions got fully underway, we were thrilled when we started to receive claps and cheers from amused passers-by on the street below! Finally, caught up in the wonderful atmosphere of it all (and with the help of some great French wine), I suddenly felt the urge to grab our white curtain, wrap it around my head and shoulders, and imitate Zidler singing Like a Virgin! Yes, it was a wonderful night of Moulin Rouge medleys, and one Parisian experience I'll definitely never forget! :-)
Eiffel Tower
The following morning, we headed to our nearest tube station and caught our first double-decker underground train! We found sitting on the top floor of a high speed train a little daunting at first, but we soon got used to it. We arrived at our stop, a station on the bank of the River Seine, and headed towards our destination - the Eiffel Tower! The tube station was a short walk from the Tower, and the first time I gazed up at the structure, I declared, "Hey, it doesn't look as tall as I thought it would be." I even had the audacity to compare it to the infamous Blackpool Tower! It wasn't until we arrived at the base of the Eiffel Tower that I realised the immense scope of the structure.
Looking up the Eiffel Tower
Indeed, as my friends headed off to check out the ticket situation, I just stood on the gravel staring up at the huge Tower. I walked to the very middle of the gravelled area, stood still, and peered straight up the centre of its base - an awesome sight. Even the massive legs of the Tower amazed me, and my camera was working overtime as I took lots of happy snaps!
We picked a Tower leg, and patiently joined the queue. There were entrances at all four legs, and each was accompanied by a sizeable queue of tourists. We decided to go for the shortest queue, which happened to be the one that was walking only! Some Tower legs had elevators that moved diagonally up and down, and you could choose whether you walked or took the easy way up. Our leg (I think it was the south) was marked walking only, but we decided we were up for the challenge.
Base of the Eiffel Tower
The queue moved relatively quickly, and we were soon making our way up the stairs of the Tower towards the first level. The Eiffel Tower is divided into three levels. Unfortunately, you can't simply buy a ticket to go right to the top, but instead buy a ticket at each level of the Tower. As we made our way up the staircases, we paused at each landing to read the information provided about the building of the Tower, and also to admire the ever increasing view. I marvelled at how we were right in the middle of the Tower leg, and how you could see in all directions through gaps in the metal structure. Looking down was also an exhilarating sight, as you could see all the way to the ground below, with each staircase taking you higher and higher!
We reached the first level of the Eiffel Tower and peered out the glass windows at the view. There are some huge gardens spanning out from one side of the Tower which are amazing to look at. And, of course, you can see across the entire city of Paris. We checked out the gift shop, and inquired if there were any more on the second and third levels. We were told there was one on the second level, and I decided to wait until I reached this one before stocking up on mini Eiffel Tower statues to send back to my relatives in Australia.
Eiffel Tower - 2nd floor
We saw stairs leading up to the second level,
but decided that it would be getting a bit too high and chose to take the elevator, even
though we knew it would be jam packed with fellow tourists. However, buying a ticket for
the elevator proved to be a difficult task. We could only find one place to buy a ticket -
and that was one solitary machine that only accepted credit cards! We all frowned and
couldn't figure out why we had to use a credit card and incur costs when it was a such a
minimal fee. But since we couldn't really see a way around it and just used my
friend's card
to buy three tickets to the next level.
The second level had wire mesh and I was able to stick my camera lens through the gaps to
take some great photos. We took turns using a telescope to seek out notable landmarks,
particularly the Sacre Coer! We bought postcards at the souvenir shop and I was thrilled
to discover a post office next door so I could post a couple back to Australia from right
there on the Eiffel Tower!
Eiffel Tower - 3rd level
There was only one way to the third and final level - an elevator that travelled vertically up to the highest level. I found a person selling tickets in a booth, and bought three while my friends joined the lengthy queue for the elevator. I then jumped over the railing to join them as we waited to reach the front of the line. The elevator ride was a harrowing one - not only was it was jam packed with people, the glass elevator also had windows on both the roof and floor. Reaching the top was an even more harrowing experience, purely because of the sheer volume of people that were crammed up there. The third level is not only the most popular, but also the smallest. There are no shops here, just a small indoor room where you queue for the elevator and outside, a narrow viewing platform that runs all the way round in a circular fashion. The viewing platform was packed with tourists, and getting to the wire mesh at the front of the crowds meant being patient. We moved slowly, darting into gaps when we had the opportunity so we could enjoy the tremendous views. As the viewing platform was so crowded and also open air, we stayed briefly before joining the queue to begin our descent back to the bottom of the Tower. Overall, the entire Tower took us about 2 hours, but it was definitely time well spent.
Cruising the River Seine
As part of our holiday package, we had all received a free sightseeing boat trip along the River Seine. I had spied the port of our sightseeing company from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and so when we'd finished, we headed across to the river bank for some lunch, and then boarded a glass-topped ferry for a one hour tour of the many sights along the river. The ferry took us slowly along the river along to the Notre Dame, then turned around in a semi-circle and made its way back to port. It was crowded and a bit noisy, with a tour guide speaking to us over a loud microphone pointing out various landmarks and bridges. The stories of the landmarks were quite informative and, overall, it was worthwhile sightseeing experience.
Notre Dame
After the boat trip, we hopped on the tube and made our way to the magnificent Notre Dame. We stopped at a cafe across the road from the cathedral, and sat at an outside table with our beers to spend some time people-watching. We then approached Notre Dame, and it was amazing to finally see the famous landmark up close. I took plenty of photos and was surprised when I discovered that I could also take photos inside the cathedral (I'd visited many cathedrals throughout the UK which did not allow photography). Notre Dame was exquisite, and I immediately rated it as one of the most beautiful monuments I'd ever seen. When we emerged, we planned to join the queue to go to the very top of Notre Dame, but one of my friends informed me how it would probably take us at least 2 hours to just reach the front of the line. Due to the unstable structure of Notre Dame, they only allowed around 50 people to climb the tower at any one time, which made it a slow process. Instead, we decided to move to the nearby Concierge (an old prison) and spent time looking around there instead.
Ready for the Moulin Rouge
Later that afternoon, we returned to our hotel to get ready for the performance at the Moulin Rouge. This was the night I had truly been been waiting for. We talked excitedly about what we might expect from the venue as we got dressed up for our big night out. We took some pre-show photos on our hotel room balcony, and then headed off to the tube station to go to the Moulin Rouge... (My review of the Moulin Rouge performance can be found here. Be warned - I was less than impressed!!)
Me and the Louvre
On Sunday morning, we tackled the Louvre, and I congratulated my friends on their great navigation skills when we managed to cover about 80% of the museum in just one afternoon. The Louvre is the largest museum in the world, and I marvelled at the stunning paintings and sculptures, even the building itself, totally amazed at how beautiful everything was. I particularly enjoyed the Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Greek areas, and took photos of several famous works of art. Even the exterior of the Louvre is fascination and, when we first arrived, I stood in the courtyard taking in the detail of the building work, marvelling at the modern glass pyramid that now serves as an entrance to the the museum.
The Mona Lisa
The Louvre houses the most famous painting of them all, the Mona Lisa, and so we had to check it out. I had been warned that it was not much to behold, and but I still wandered down the long hallway with some anticipation. The hall leading to the Mona Lisa is filled with exquisite art work, and well worth time and consideration instead of hurrying towards what most tourists seemed to think was some kind of prize. I rounded the corner of the hall to find a large room with one lone painting enclosed in a glass security case on the far wall. The room was swarming with eager tourists, all staring at the tiny painting (the Mona Lisa was much smaller than I imagined it to be!) I frowned at the frenzy, but was still determined to see this painting for what it was through my own eyes. I slowly made my way to the front of the crowd and stood right in front of the painting, staring at it solidly for a couple of minutes. As I studied the painting, I tried to find some inspiration from it, something that moved me. However, after all the other magnificent works I'd already seen that day, the Mona Lisa seemed to me rather unimpressive in comparison.
Place de la Concorde
We left the Louvre in the late afternoon and wandered through the pretty gardens behind it towards the Place de la Concorde. When we arrived, I marvelled at the Egyptian monument that stands there called Cleopatra's Needle. I studied how its inscriptions told the story of how the monument was supposedly shipped from Egypt to France, with pictorial details of what methods they used to transport it there. We then sat on the rim of one of the huge fountains, and I admired the view up the Champs Elysees towards the famous Arc De Triomphe.
Me and frogs legs!
That night, we headed out into the Latin Quarter where we enjoyed the lively atmosphere and shopping. While exploring the Latin Quarter, we took time out to enjoy another lovely French meal, and this time I tried frogs legs. These were nowhere near as nice as snails, and I decided that they tasted like the blackened, not-so-tasty part of a chicken. The frogs legs came covered in lemon sauce, supposedly to try and give them a pleasant flavour, but that didn't work for me. However, picking the little white legs up by the base of the spine, then biting the meat off the thigh and calf with their little feet hanging off the end was an experience I doubt I'll ever forget!
Later that night, we went to a Parisian pub to buy ourselves some drinks, and I worked up the courage to ask for a glass of absinthe! I wanted to try and find the Green Fairy for myself right there in Paris, but alas, my order did not go as planned. When I asked for absinthe, the barmaid started preparing me a glass of Amstral (a type of beer)! Thoroughly embarrassed, I settled for a large cocktail instead.
Arc de Triomphe
On Monday morning, I was feeling a bit worse for wear, but it was to be our final day in Paris and we were all determined to make the most of it! We headed straight to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, which was larger than Montmartre and just as haunting. We bought a map and proceeded to hunt down such famous graves as those of Jim Morrison and Chopin. We also couldn't help paying our respects to Sarah Bernhardt, the actress whom Satine aspired to be in Moulin Rouge!
After the cemetery, we made our way to the amazing Arc de Triomphe where I marvelled at the giant structure. The Arc is actually located in the middle of a very busy roundabout which would surely be impossible to cross safely. Instead, pedestrians can walk out to the roundabout via an underground passageway that leads down from the Champs Elysees and under the road. I was very impressed by the huge monument created by Napoleon, and walked around its base several times inspecting the inscriptions and statues that adorned all its sides. I was too tired to climb the stairs that led to the top of the Arc, so I settled for admiring it from below.
Me on Champs Elysees
After visiting the Arc, we headed down the Champs Elysees, the most famous shopping district in Paris. We made time to visit the Virgin Megastore which was the biggest Virgin store I'd ever seen. Spread over about four levels, it was enormous, and was adorned with movie posters, including a giant banner advertising Ocean's 11. I spent my time perusing the DVD movie soundtrack section and other music merchandise.
Opera House
After a couple of hours of shopping, it was time
to head back to the hotel to collect our bags, return to the Opera House, and catch the
Rossybus back to the airport for our flight back to Manchester. As we drove away from
Paris, I felt a strong sense of sadness to be leaving such a fascinating place. My trip to
Paris was absolutely amazing and I would love to return there again some day. The
atmosphere is fantastic, and I had a brilliant time experiencing the Parisian way of life
in the short time I was there.
I have read that Baz and CM spent extensive time living in Paris to research their
productions of La Boheme and Moulin Rouge, and I can definitely see how
the city would have inspired them to achieve such fantastic imaginative creativity in
their works. I would strongly encourage anyone who is a fan of Baz Luhrmann and his
creative team to visit Paris and experience for yourself how truly inspiring the city can
be!
Gazing up Champs Elysees...
Paris is a truly inspirational city!
Compiled
by Vanessa
All images copyright Vanessa
(except Satine image)
Copyright