Touring the West (Part 3)
Paris, France was our next destination city.
Had the unique opportunity to be on board the widely publised TGV railway network which has served France so efficiently for the past decade. For most of the journey though, it operated at snail's pace due to the numerous number of stops along the way. However, once it crossed the Swiss-French border into France, it started to pick up speed and eventually attained its maximum speed, bursting through the French countryside at over 200km/h. It was fascinating to be able to finally feel what it was like to be on board one of the world's fastest high speed trains and gaze upon men's ingenuity from within.
Noticed an old lady sitting nearby us in the TGV and watching us play cards. She was busy knitting a scarf and periodically shifted her gaze towards us. Felt kind of funny as if someone was watching over us. But seeing her reminded me of the life of the Swiss and French people. How nice if old Singaporeans can be like her, taking her time and enjoying life to the fullest. That would be magnificent! However, in our fast paced environment, that would be almost impossible. That could also be the reason why the Swiss live longer!
Anyway, we visited some of the famous and world renowed landmarks in Paris. Probably no surprise to some, we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the Lourve museum and the Notre Dame De Grace De Passy, all nothing short of marvellous. Obviously the Eiffel Tower was the highlight. Going up the tower, you would be able to have a bird's eye view of the entire Paris city and also get to experience men's accomplishment and share the glory with those brave construction workers who built this tower in the early 20th century. That in itself was a marvel! Of course, the winds were really strong, so strong that you had to hold on or be instantly knocked off your feet. That was also why we could not go all the way to the top.
The Lourve museum was fantastic as well. Full of paintings, sculptures and modern art. Perhaps the most famous of them all would be the critically acclaimed Mona Lisa or La Jaconde as it is known in French. It was painted in 1503 and brought to France in 1553. It was suppose to depict a young girl who lost her daughter when she was 4 years old as portrayed by the dark veil she wore. Other painitings were not as famous but perhaps had more depth to it than the Mona Lisa. For instance, a painting depicting St. John, a firm believer of Christ, tied to a pillar and being used as target practice was gruesome. It was definitely against human rights by today's standards. What a brutal way to torture a man! Some painitings like the Les Noces De Cana, on the other hand, were simply sensational. They were extremely huge! In fact, the painiting mentioned in the previous sentence is the biggest painting in the Lourve and probably the biggest in the world as some would dare suggest. It took 3 years to complete this marvellous peice of art.
Next up would be London, home of Arsenal and Chelsea football club, home of the London Eye and Big Ben.
Will try and upload pictures soon.
Had the unique opportunity to be on board the widely publised TGV railway network which has served France so efficiently for the past decade. For most of the journey though, it operated at snail's pace due to the numerous number of stops along the way. However, once it crossed the Swiss-French border into France, it started to pick up speed and eventually attained its maximum speed, bursting through the French countryside at over 200km/h. It was fascinating to be able to finally feel what it was like to be on board one of the world's fastest high speed trains and gaze upon men's ingenuity from within.
Noticed an old lady sitting nearby us in the TGV and watching us play cards. She was busy knitting a scarf and periodically shifted her gaze towards us. Felt kind of funny as if someone was watching over us. But seeing her reminded me of the life of the Swiss and French people. How nice if old Singaporeans can be like her, taking her time and enjoying life to the fullest. That would be magnificent! However, in our fast paced environment, that would be almost impossible. That could also be the reason why the Swiss live longer!
Anyway, we visited some of the famous and world renowed landmarks in Paris. Probably no surprise to some, we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomphe, the Lourve museum and the Notre Dame De Grace De Passy, all nothing short of marvellous. Obviously the Eiffel Tower was the highlight. Going up the tower, you would be able to have a bird's eye view of the entire Paris city and also get to experience men's accomplishment and share the glory with those brave construction workers who built this tower in the early 20th century. That in itself was a marvel! Of course, the winds were really strong, so strong that you had to hold on or be instantly knocked off your feet. That was also why we could not go all the way to the top.
The Lourve museum was fantastic as well. Full of paintings, sculptures and modern art. Perhaps the most famous of them all would be the critically acclaimed Mona Lisa or La Jaconde as it is known in French. It was painted in 1503 and brought to France in 1553. It was suppose to depict a young girl who lost her daughter when she was 4 years old as portrayed by the dark veil she wore. Other painitings were not as famous but perhaps had more depth to it than the Mona Lisa. For instance, a painting depicting St. John, a firm believer of Christ, tied to a pillar and being used as target practice was gruesome. It was definitely against human rights by today's standards. What a brutal way to torture a man! Some painitings like the Les Noces De Cana, on the other hand, were simply sensational. They were extremely huge! In fact, the painiting mentioned in the previous sentence is the biggest painting in the Lourve and probably the biggest in the world as some would dare suggest. It took 3 years to complete this marvellous peice of art.
Next up would be London, home of Arsenal and Chelsea football club, home of the London Eye and Big Ben.
Will try and upload pictures soon.
posted by Kenan at 11:31 PM
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