More Paris

Day 15
April 22, 2009
Paris

Fourth day in Paris and there were still a lot of sites to see. First stop of the day was Montmarte, to see the Moulin Rouge club and the Sacred Heart Basilica.

We initially planned to get into the Moulin Rouge at night to get a glimpse of the naughty Paris of yesteryear and watch a cabaret show. We did not get the time for it, plus it was expensive.





After a brief American lunch at the opposite side of the Moulin Rouge, we went to Basilique Sacré-Cœur or Sacred Heart Basilica, a Roman Catholic church located at the very top of Montmarte.





From Montmarte, we went to Ile de la Cite, one of the 2 islands in Paris.





At Ile de la Cite is the famous Notre-Dame de Paris. This is of course made even more famous by Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.















We went back to Louvre afterwards to have our photo-op at the Louvre pyramid, which we missed on our 2nd day at Paris. We also got to see the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at Jardin du Carrousel.











It was then time for Mitch to leave us and go back to Singapore as she did not get a longer vacation leave. Rissa, on the other hand, had a dinner date with a French friend.

Later that night, we met Rissa and her French date at Place de la Corcorde, one of the major squares in Paris, located at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.



At the center of the square is a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics.







For some unknown reason, we all went back to the hotel... by foot! Rissa's date thought we enjoyed walking as much as he did. It probably took an hour to get to the hotel, but along the way we got to see the Louve pyramid again and the 45-m high Colonne de la Grande Armee, which is decorated with reliefs commemorating Napoleon's glorious campaigns.

At the Top of Eiffel in Paris

Day 14
April 21, 2009
Paris

On April 21, we were back in Paris after an 11 hour overnight train ride from Munich. We chose the Freedom Class where, according to RailEurope.com, we would enjoy a 'couchette' in a shared compartment for up to 6. Couchette meant small bed and that was exactly what the cabin had - 2 triple decker beds cramped in a very tight space. The gap between the beds was unbelievably narrow, you cannot even sit on it, unless you are 3 feet tall. And there were barely space for our luggages.

We arrived in Paris at 9:30 AM and again, like the first time 2 weeks ago, had a grueling time using the metro system due to our heavy baggages, which after 2 weeks of travelling across Europe, were heavier. We arrived at hotel Saint-Honore way earlier than the very late check-in time. We used the time to rest in the lobby and eat lunch nearby. I also stupidly spent 22 euro to have my hair shaved.

Late in the afternoon, we went to Arc de Triomphe, built in 1806 by Napoleon I to glorify the Grande Armée. From the top there is a panoramic view of Paris and of the twelve major avenues leading to the arc.






We then walked through the Champs-Elysees avenue, known for its high-end store chains. This is where I bought a nice and pricey watch in Swatch store, but very cheap compared to what Mitch bought in Louis Vuitton store.




Later that night, Marlon treated us to a dinner near the Eiffel tower. We actually wanted to eat at Eiffel restaurant but apparently, you had to book a year in advance to get a reservation and get to eat their 200 USD dinner, which is more than what I spent for my meals in a month back in Manila.

The highlight of my whole trip was our last stop for the day - the Eiffel tower, the symbol of Paris. This was built for the World Exposition of 1889 and stood as the tallest building in the world until New York's Chrysler building in 1930. The way up to the top was exhilirating. Too bad, Rissa had to miss it and Marlon chickened out at the last minute and stayed at the lower level.

Neuschwanstein Castle tour at Munich

Day 13
April 20, 2009
Munich

It was past 10 PM on April 19 when we arrived at Munich, after a 2 hour train ride from Salzburg. The hotel we booked, A and O City Haupbahnhof, was a few blocks away on the other side of the train station exit. Our room was small and very plain, without any furnishings but the beds. It was cheap though.

We spent the next day on a tour of the Royal Castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein in Bavaria. Both castles were built by King Ludwig II during the 19th century.

Here are some pictures I took:

This is Linderhof, built as a hunting lodge by King Ludwig in the 19th century. Unfortunately, the very quick guided tour of the interior did not permit photography.




Shown here is the back side of Neuschwanstein castle, at the top of the mountain. We had to take the shuttle to get there. We got the 3 PM tickets so we had lunch first.

Here is a hanging bridge across the castle, which provides a side view of the castle.

Unfortunately, the castle was was covered with scaffolding. This was not a great day for shutterbugs.



Here is another view from the bridge:

Here's one on the way to the castle:



Here is the castle courtyard where we waited for our turn of the tour. Just like in Linderhof, photography was not allowed inside. The tour was also quick, given that only very few rooms in Neuschwanstein were completed. Apparently, funding for the castle was stopped and the King was mysteriously murdered.




Here is a view from the castle:

Here is a model of the magnificent neo-Romanesque style castle. It was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.




We also had a stopover at Oberammergau, world-famous for its woodcarvers. Here I enjoyed shopping for little wood-carved Christmas decorations, which I bought for my mother. I hope they look well in our Christmas tree.