Ok sambung.
Sun rise in Paris.
Started the day early. 8.30am macam tu baru cerah sebab winter kan. So kira bangun tidur terus siap-siap nak keluarlah. All refreshed, puas tidur semalam hehe. Tapi sebab perut ikut time Malaysia, which morning in Paris sama dengan tengah hari dekat Malaysia, bangun tidur terus cari nasik haha. Tak cari toast and milk dah, semua lapar nasi lauk.
Being a genius Mummy I am, zassss breakfast (ke lunch?) ready in 10 minutes. See? Berguna semua lauk frozen tu. Peace of mind. Aiman pulak bangun tidur je terus cakap, "Mummy bangun, cepat hari dah siang. Boleh makan nasik". Haha. Sebab tengah malam semalam dia terjaga mintak nasi, tapi Mummy bagi roti and hot choc je hehe.
From the house kita jalan sikit pergi pekan Bastille and from there kita nak naik cab to Paris City Centre. Dalam 10 minutes walking tapi tak rasa pun, sebab sejuk and kawasan aman damai. Kalau Jalan TAR lain hahah, keluar SOGO tu kalau boleh depan tu jugak nak cari cab, memang tak ingin nak jalan jauh-jauh cari cab hehe.
Plan asal kita nak guna Metro (train) but due to extra cold weather (-1 to 2 like that) where kids can easily get cranky from hunger and exhaustion, kita scrapped the plan. So no Metro but cab for a week plus there. EUR 10-15 for one taxi ride in Paris (within city areas), so do the Math kalau nak buat budget hehe. But considering the boys, we felt so much more at ease as we wouldn't need to scramble about getting into the right Metro.
So we started the morning by going on the giant wheel - PARIS EYE. Definitely one of the best ways to view the city from above (of course tak boleh lawan Eiffel Tower) but this one will do with the 360 view from above. Place de la Concorde, Champ-Elysees (shopping district), Jardin des Tuileries (public park), Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe all can be seen from above. No lines at all, probably weekdays and still too early haha so we had the pod all to ourselves. EUR 10 for adults, EUR 5 for kids for 4 spins which long enough for them to had nasi on air (yes again, nasi ehehe).
Done with that, terjebak dengan ni. Carousels were everywhere that time, Christmas season kan. Some free some kena bayar. This one next to Paris Eye, free. Tak sure memang free or sebab takda orang that time, but the guy let my kids rode for free. Otherwise it will be EUR2-4 for one ride for one kid. MENTAL NOTE: spare extra budget for this.
Then this. Super Car Joyride. Bahasa mudah dia sewa kereta canggih ni bawak pusing Paris. Exciting and unique opportunity to drive Ferrari or Lamborghini and thrill enough as you will drive on the main road of Paris. EUR 89 for 20 minutes drive.
Next, Christmas market; stretched as far from Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde. Arts, crafts, foods, toys, jewelries and macam-macam lah ada situ.
We wanted to make another visit to Champs-Elysees (straight je sebenarnya from the market) but somehow we took a wrong turn and ended up walking up to Galeries Lafayette. About 1km distance jugak haha. Ok lah, the kind of sesat that you definitely don't mind haha, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, why not? Heavenly spots for every shopper!
Very big, very busy and designer brands everywhere. Rasa nak pegang bag itu ini boleh lah, sebab dekat Malaysia boutiques tak friendly kan, nak masuk pun seram orang tengok atas bawah kalau tak kena gaya hehehe.
Paying for the toys. What elseeee. That guy boleh cakap Bahasa Melayu ok haha. Sebab dia pernah kerja dekat Indonesia.
Jaw-dropping Christmas tree. Very stunning! Trademark Galeries Lafayette lah macam tu.
Took the opportunity to solat here too. Dekat sini kita solat dekat mana yang rasa logik la haha. Fitting room and park most often. Either cari washroom untuk ambil wudhu or beli je mineral water besar. EUR2 per bottle hehe.
Done helping to generate France economic growth haha kita sambung jalan. Not sure which turn we took but passed by this. Opera Paris. About 2 blocks away from Lafayette. This Opera House is like a symbol of luxury and place of richness. Memandangkan tak sampai level tu hahahaha so kita layak sekadar snap photo dekat luar lah. Berehat pun level mencangkung tepi dinding je :P
Next, Eiffel Tower. Ok ni kita naik cab. Kids dah tunjuk tanda-tanda nak bad mood. So no more walking.
Eiffel Tower. I don't think I need to say much about this. Symbol of love. But in my opinion, tempat ni buruk je hahaha. Beautiful from afar but up close like a pile of iron, plus the beggars, pick-pockets, gypsies and aggressive vendors. Avoid eye contact or a firm no to keep them at bay. One more, please avoid anyone that approach and ask you to sign a petition or survey whatsoever. That's how the pickpocket works. One guy talking to you, the other doing the "work" with your personal belongings. Hati-hati okies?
NOTE: book your tickets online. Unfortunately we didn't and the lines were long. Crazy longgggggg -- long ques to the elevator, even the stairs were too packed with people. So we didn't get to go up and finally decided to let the kids play in the park for a little while. Cheap entertainment. senang haha. Tapi kesian Adam wish item tak kesampaian, maybe next time bila dah besar. Dah dua kali sampai Paris, tapi tak dapat naik lagi tower.
That's the end of today. Made another quick visit to the Franprix before heading back home. Franprix, Monoprix tu supermarkets la kat sana. :)
Summary for today's trip:
Paris Eye (giant ferries wheel) - Christmas Market - Galleries Lafayette - Opera Paris - Eiffel Tower.
Foods all tapau from home. Cuma beli bottled drinks and coffees masa jalan-jalan.
