The romantic and dreamy cityscape of Paris is what makes this European destination on top of most travelers’ wish list. Why not? The capital city of France boasts a lot of attractions that serious travelers should see at least once in their lifetime.

There’s the Eiffel Tower of course, which is the most popular monument of France; the Louvre, a museum that houses the Mona Lisa and was made more famous by the book-turned-movie Da Vinci Code; Moulin Rouge, which is another place that was put in the limelight because of a similar-titled film; and plenty of museums, cathedrals, and other places that truly define Paris as the cultural center of France.

En Route to Paris

The Charles de Gaulle airport is about an hour away from the city proper. My mom and I took the train to get to our hotel since it is the most economical mode of transportation and such a time-saver too. Just a warning though, it can get a bit tough when you go up and down a flight of stairs when you’re lugging around a 20-kilo bag, but we managed anyway. I’m impressed that my mom was able to do so since she has over 30 years on me.

We booked a room at the Holiday Inn in Gare de L’est, which is located just across a main train station. It’s very convenient to stay near a train station because it makes it easy to get around the place. But before we headed out again, we grabbed a couple of city maps from our friendly receptionist and worked out our itinerary for our weekend in Paris. Imagine trying to fit all the main attractions in our weekend schedule... It’s really impossible to do, so you have to choose which ones you really want to visit and prioritize them. I suggest that first-time visitors should check out the major tourist attractions, while the seasoned travelers may go anywhere they please

French Open: Game, Set, Match

As for us, well, we came to Paris with one purpose in mind—to watch the French Open. I confess, I’m a big fan of Roger Federer and I was hoping that we would get to watch him play on the first day of the tournament, or at least just get a glimpse of the greatest tennis player ever. So on our first day in Paris, we took a train to the Roland Garros stadium to purchase our tickets. Imagine my surprise when we saw this long, snaking line to the ticket booth. I guess I should’ve expected that. It’s the French Open grand slam after all.

My bubble of excitement burst when we were told that the opening day tickets were sold out, although we can buy tickets for that day’s exhibition games. We settled for it since we were already there anyway. I got another wave of excitement as we entered the stadium grounds. I hate to sound trite but it’s really like a dream come true for me. A fellow tennis fan could probably relate to it... I could not believe that I was actually there.

We were about to head to the stadium when we got sidetracked by the souvenir shops we saw by the entrance. I just had to get something to remember this moment by. After purchasing a couple of overpriced shirts at 30 euro each and a keychain for 9 euro, we strolled towards the stadium and finally got a peek inside the main clay court where the action happens. Although the tournament hasn’t officially started yet, the bleachers were packed with tennis fans. We had to look for seats way up so my mom and I could sit together.

It’s different when you watch a tennis match live. You can really feel the enthusiasm and excitement of the people around you. And the summer heat made the experience more real for me. The only drawback is that there are no close-ups or replays of the point. But the fun thing about watching a tennis match in person is that you can interact with the fans and join them when they create a human wave.

The exhibition games featured tennis stars such as Mardy Fish, Gael Monfils, Sebastian Grosjean, Marion Bartoli, and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. Watching the exhibition matches was very entertaining, as the players showed off their funny side while they were on court. I guess it kind of made up for the fact that we weren’t able to see Federer or be there on opening day. But being inside Roland Garros is a treat in itself since my mom and I both haven’t seen it with our own eyes till then.

Where’s the ratatouille?

There’s no way we’re leaving Paris without trying out some fine French cuisine! Breakfast was pretty much basic—bread, butter, cheese, and coffee or tea. Their variety of cheeses is really impressive: there’s soft, semi soft, hard, goat’s cheese, and other kinds that I don’t want to even attempt to pronounce. We bought a box of pepper-flavored Boursin cheese for only 2 euro, which was so flavorful and creamy. It’s a perfect match for a freshly baked croissant.

For lunch, we would eat the baguette sandwiches that practically every bakery offers. I especially liked the tuna sandwich with fresh vegetables (5 euro) because it’s very delicious and filling. It fueled my body and kept me going for the rest of the day.

For our last dinner in Paris, we splurged and dined at a local restaurant. Since we were tired and famished from exploring the city, we just ate at the restaurant beside our hotel—Café de L’est.

Even though their servings were pretty big, we finished every morsel on our plate. The scallops were very tender and fresh, and the vegetables complemented the seafood very well. The pièce de résistance was the slices of lobster that were hidden under the humongous scallop shells. The steak was cooked just right—very juicy and tasty in every bite. We really savored our meal that night and the last evening that we spent in the City of Lights.

By Nikka Sarthou