Day 1 - Boarding the early morning EasyJet flight from Bristol to Paris.
The girls - unable to hide their excitement on landing at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris .......
......and someone who wasn't all that excited :)
The gang at Paris airport (Rama missing)
Bharat and I ....on the RER train from Charles de Gaulle airport to the city centre
The excitement still going strong :)
Transiting through the Chatelet metro station ......
First stop - Arc de Triomphe, at the end of the Champs-Elysees
This is one pic where there are more teeth than people ;)
Crossing the streets of Paris can be a nightmare....that's why this tunnel was built across to the Arc de Triomphe !
Anil and his brand new Nikon D80......that set him back by over 500 quid !
Thanks to someone's digital SLR :)
With too many Digital SLRs around, my Canon Ixus was suffering from a major inferiority complex :)
Admiring the intricate details of the Arc
Yummy !!! Now that's a very tasty photograph :)
Climbing 284 steps up to reach the top of the Arc was by no means child's-play - especially for Yathi !
...it would have been much easier to climb this miniature model instead :)
Yathi proves that though he carries around only a 10ml tube of toothpaste, it can do wonders to his teeth :)
That's Emperor Napolean Bonaparte himself ! The Arc had been built to commemorate his victories !
Some of the panoramic views from the top of the Arc de Triomphe - 1) The Champs-Elysees leading upto the Louvre !!!
2) La Defense - the financial quarter and Paris' answer to Canary Wharf
3) The Sacre-Coeur cathedral
All the major roads converge at the Arc ....which is why the area where it stands is known as Place de l'Etoile [ Place of the Star]
The most important sight from the Arc - the Eiffel Tower !
There were too many cameras that we literally had to queue up for our turns to pose :)
Crowding around to see Anil's brilliant photographs
Thats the whole gang ......No, not the guy in the violet shirt...we don't know him :)
No jail in the world can imprison Yathi...all he needs to do, is turn 90 degrees and slide through the gaps :)
Nothing seems to have changed since the last time we were here
It was Ramappa's and Akansha's birthdays on that day ...Ramappa being pulled for his Birthday bumps :)
Captain Curpad announces the rules .....
Return tickets to Paris - £130, 2-nights accommodation at Hotel Ibis - £75 ........getting birthday bumps on top of the Arc de Triomphe -- PRICELESS !!! :)
That done, its time to wish him many more happy returns of the day :)
Madam is just too relieved that she was spared from getting kicked :)
Catching up with our breaths, after climbing up and later descending the 284 steps.
Walking around Champs-Elysees looking for a place to eat !
Finally we stop at an open-air restaurant .......Rama can never keep his hands to his own plate :)
It had been a long and tiring morning ..and Yathi just couldn't believe the dish in front of his eyes !
Now you know why Anil loves 6 o'clock ;)
"Beauty is in the eyes of the Be(er)-holder " ;)
Rama realises that knowing just the sentence "Je m'appelle Rama" in French, cannot buy him a bottle of water in Paris :)
...hence the gang resorts to other unconventional sources of drinking water :)
One of the greener modes of transport in Paris !
Paris is so truly the Fashion Capital of the world, that even cycle-rickshaws here have so much Style :)
Another thing about Paris is that everyone ..including the 'Green Man' on the Pedestrian signals is slim :)
Champs-Elysees - one of the most beautiful avenues in the world, and costliest too !
The other end of the Champs-Elysees leads upto the Place de la Concorde - seen over the horizon !
The elegant tree-laden sidewalks along the avenue
Yathi finds his match :)
Sometimes in life, personal comfort becomes more important than fashion ;)
At the Place de la Concorde !
Someone hummed 'Shava shava Mahiya' ...that was enuf to get her into the grooves :)
Candid photography.....courtesy Anil !
Jardin de Tuileries
While the rest of the gang were exploring Champs-Elysees, Bharat and I were heading towards the Pantheon !
Passing through some typically Parisian neighbourhoods !
Modeling the Torry Harris bag in front of the Pantheon :)
The facade of the Pantheon
....and the marvelous interiors !
Absolutely impressive architecture !
The ceiling under the dome
A gigantic pendulum suspended from the Dome shows the precise time !
Amazing paintings on the walls
A section of one of the paintings !
Standing under the dome !
Bharat in action !
The tombs of Alexandre Dumas, Victor hugo and Emile Zola ...in the crypt, under the Pantheon
Cycles for rent..on the streets of Paris
You know you're in Paris when u see exit signs pointing downwards, but the only way out is upwards !
The shopping districts around the Opera !
Inside the Galleries LaFayette - can you believe this is a department store ?
7 floors of pure luxury !
On the terrace of the Galleries Lafayette !
The streets below !
Sometimes capturing a good photograph involves a lot of risk ;)
This is why one shouldn't visit Paris all alone ;)
Below the crowds start thickening as the sun begins to set !
Hows that for a lamp-post ?
In front of the Opera !
Thats the famous Paris Opera !
Truly majestic !
The 12 stars signify the symbol of the European Union
We took the stairs (rather than the elevator) to the first level of the Eiffel tower !
The view from the first level ....the Montparnasse Tower is seen in the background !
The crowds below looked like ants from up there !
Proof that Mobile coverage is available on top of the Eiffel as well !
Taking a moment to rest ....before climbing on to the second level !
Revitalising ourselves at a cafe on the first level of the Eiffel !
The man and his machine :)
A bottle of coke costed 5 euros ...where as the same would cost 2 euros at ground level :)
The birthday boy and the birthday girl :)
The City of Lights !!!
Someone had mispelt Yathi's name on the wall ;)
Streaks of light emanating from the Eiffel tower !
The river Seine
The tower - lit-up in blue with the 12 stars on the front ...to symbolise the EU flag !
Just after descending the Eiffel Tower
Street-side artists in action !
Day 2 - Early dawn at Gare de l'Est, Paris [Railway Station of the East]
First sights of the TGV - one of the fastest trains on the face of earth !!!
Germany's answer to the TGV - an ICE train !
French breakfast at the Railway station - Croissants, butter, Baguette, Nutella and Orange juice :)
That's our 1st class TGV tickets to Strasbourg .....we had managed to get them cheap as there was a First Class promo offer on booking early :)
Enjoying the comforts of First Class ....enroute to Strasbourg !
Zooming through the French countryside at records speeds !
Bharat relaxing on the wide, electronically controlled seats :)
Passing through some serene French villages
That's the TGV that took us from Paris to Strasbourg in 2.2 hours [..an ordinary train would have taken 4.5 hours ]
An Orange ad at Strasbourg station !!!
That's not a Spaceship .....but the all-new facade of the Strasbourg Train station [....behind the glass casing is the older, original structure ] !!!
Under the Sky-dome of the Strasbourg Train Station
Bharat in front of the Gare !
On one of the many lovely bridges in the city !
There's hardly any traffic on the beautiful streets of Strasbourg ....
......except for the occassional trams !!!
Beautiful Strasbourg !
Place Kleber - In the background is a statue of the French General Kleber himself - who was slaughtered in Cairo in 1800 AD. Under the statue is a vault containing his remains !!!
The most important landmark of the city - the Notre Dame Cathedral ....Its asymmetrical form is because the planned South tower was never completed !
When completed back in the 15th century, this Cathedral had dethroned the 'Great Pyramid of Giza' as the tallest man-made structure in the world - a title the latter had held for over 4000 years !!!
With some traditional Alsatian dancers outside the Cathedral !
Exploring around the Unesco World Heritage city !
About to board a boat on a guided tour
The boat ride was free as we had bought ourselves a Tourist-pass
The half-timbered houses of Petite-France !
There's plenty of history behind each of these buildings !
Stationed inside a lock ..waiting for the water to rise to take the boat to the next level ....the whole exercise took just under 5 mins !
The ancient Pont-Couvert ...or covered bridge !
One of the 3 identical towers
...and the second one !
The buildings of the European Parliament.....Strasbourg along with Brussels is the seat of the EU
That's the EU Parliament behind me
Some of our German co-passengers ;)
I just can't seem to understand the logic behind this :)
Another boat gets lifted inside the Lock !
People relaxing at the open air cafes !
50 % German, 50% French .....100% Alsatian !
The Cathedral is so tall that it can be spotted from almost anywhere in the city !
Inside Notre-Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral !
A giant Organ !
Bird's eye-view of Strasbourg
On top of the Strasbourg Cathedral ....It took over 300 steps to get us up here !!!
The famous Kamerzell house !
When we stopped for lunch at an open air restaurant !
In the courtyards of the Palais des Rohan
Bharat, amidst the blossoms !
That explains why the boats here don't have high roofs :)
The Grand Ile - a tributary of the Rhine river !
Typical Alsatian architecture !
The ancient and picturesque region of Petite France !
Bharat's perspective !
One of the 3 adjacent towers
Evening time ...along the river !
Listening to the Audio Guide !
Inside the Tram .....We were traveling towards the German border on the outskirts of the city !!!
Crossing over the bridge into Germany ! The river Rhine separates France and Germany !
My first steps on German soil [ ....or rather pavement ] ...This is the bus that took us across to the German town of Kehl !
Bharat on the high streets of Kehl, Germany !
Relishing some German ice-cream at Kehl :)
This was about the only interesting structure in Kehl !
German traffic ...across the road from the Kehl Bahnhof (Kehl railway station)
Bharat is glad he finally got to use his German skills on actual German soil !
The park near the river Rhine
2 idiots , 2 countries and 1 photograph !!! Sitting on German soil, while across the river, France can be seen !
On No-Man's Land (or rather 'bridge') ...The left bank of the river is Germany and the right bank is France !!!
Right at the base of the bridge on the French side was this huge Salsa gathering :)
Some of the dancers in action :) ......The French definitely ROCK, compared to the Germans :)
The German, EU and French flags in the background
Sheer Luxury !!! ...inside the bar of the First Class compartment of the TGV !!!
Bharat sipping on some authentic Bordeaux wine :)
Didn't realise time flying by, on the return journey to Paris ...thanks to the Bordeaux :)
The Sacre-Coeur [ .....or 'Sacred Heart', for the linguistically challenged :) ]
Everyone's busy clicking..whereas, as usual, one is only ready to pose ;)
Guess what happened next :)
The view from the Sacre-Coeur Cathedral !
More SLR photography !!! ...... [ btw, isn't that the same Chinky Yathi met-up on the Champs-Elysees (..refer photo 49) ] ?
The bold and the not-so-bold :)
Outside the Louvre !
Exquisite paintings on the ceiling of the Louvre !
The girls and their bodyguard :)
When comments become meaningless !!!
Admiring the beauty of Da Vinci's masterpiece .......whilst Rama and Pradeep are busy admiring other mortal masterpieces ;)
Photography is officially banned in the hall housing the Mona Lisa ..... Yeah, right !!!
The resemblance between the two is just too striking :)
"Stop staring into other's cameras, Anil !!! " ;)
Yathi strikes a deadly pose ....sadly for him, passers-by don't seem to notice at all :)
All those unsuccessful poses can be a bit of a 'pain in the neck' .... :)
.....and so Pradeep tries to rectify it for him ;)
The gang under the glass Pyramid of Louvre.... (Bharat and I missing, since we were cruising across in Strasbourg)
Re-united with his long lost twin...under the Inverted Pyramid !
Rama tries to shoot the granny in the green top ;)
......whereas in return, Akku gets her picture taken by another granny ;)
This was supposed to be a pic of just the girls...but Rama barged in ;)
Ruchi and the Arc de Triomphe du Caroussel - a smaller version of the main Arc
"Its easier if you jump across to the other side of the wall, mate !"
Can't believe they managed to do some shopping even at an Art Musuem !
One of the hundreds of exquisite sculptures adorning the city of Paris !
The river Seine and in the background - the Notre-Dame !!!
Notre-Dame on the island of Cite !
Along the Seine ...Cheers to Anil's photography !
Louvre by night !
30 more pics of Yathi from this series are available on special request :)
Lost in translation !
How we wish the one on the left was a mannequin and the one on the right, human !
Some kids refuse to grow up ;)
Very rarely do you find escalators in the Paris Metro network ......but even if you do, Anil would take the stairs instead :)
The view from my room at Hotel Ibis, Paris !
Day 3 - All 9 of us at the 'Charles de Gaulle de l'Etoile' station ...waiting for the train to Disneyland
Different people have different styles of sleeping :)
...And some never sleep at all
This RER train had double-decker compartments !
The entrance to the Disneyland Park !
Celebrating our arrival at Disneyland !!!
Donald Duck and family !!!
All roads led to the Sleeping Beauty's castle !
Us ....in front of the Castle ! The large '15' signboard signifies the 15th anniversary of the Paris Disneyland !
Bharat was missed out in the previous snap...so we decided to give him a clean solo !!! Boy, was he glad or wat ? :)
Entering the 'Adventureland' zone
The entrance to the 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' ride !
Giving directions on which way to head :)
Outside 'Space Mountain' - our first major Roller-Coaster ride at Disneyland and Yathi's last :)
A pirate ship !
The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' ride ! We don't try this 'cos it wasn't scary enuf for our tastes :)
More group photos ...
Rama introduces us to his ancestor :)
She wanted a pic with Donald Duck ..but sadly this was all she could manage :)
Second stop - Walt Disney Studios !
Ramappa's part-time profession :)
Inside the Walt Disney Studios ...far ahead, Hollywood can be seen (fake of course)
The Hollywood Hotel Tower ...one of the best rides at Disneyland, Paris ...where they take you up in an elevator and just drop you ....faster than gravity !!!
Waiting for the girls to catch up :)
Artificial rain at the studios !
No Bharat ....you can't pull the umbrella off the post !
Another unforgettable ride - The "Rock 'n'RollerCoaster with Aerosmith" !
Minnie Mouse :)
The much-awaited Parade at the end of the day !
Shot from the Metro while crossing over the Seine !
