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<\/a><\/p>\nWhy Paris? Well, why not?<\/strong> So, the destination was set \u2013 but how should I get there? By car, plane, or train? At 6 a.m., the world is far from being okay\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Nevertheless, there was no way around it \u2013 I had to get up at a painfully early hour on Saturday morning. At that point, even the most exciting destination and the amazing weekend ahead take a back seat. Waking up early is a battle in itself \u2013 one you have to win right at the start. After all, the Thalys was scheduled to leave D\u00fcsseldorf Central Station at 6:16 a.m.<\/p>\n Whenever I have nights like that, I sleep terribly and never manage to go to bed earlier than usual. It just doesn\u2019t work \u2013 my body clock refuses to cooperate. I always set two alarms, just to be sure I don\u2019t oversleep. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n Right on time, I woke up. And right on time at 5:40 a.m., Jaquelina \u2013 a good friend of mine who was joining me on this trip \u2013 showed up. Which meant, at the very least, there would be no shortage of laughter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The taxi was already waiting for me, so we headed straight to the train station. The ride was relatively quiet\u2014we both felt that we needed a bit more time to fully wake up. But once we stepped onto the open-air platform, the fresh breeze brought us back to life and slowly loosened our tongues again. The Thalys rolled into the station right on time, and we made ourselves comfortable in an almost empty first-class carriage. Legroom? More than enough. The seats were super comfy too. Side headrests like on long-haul flights practically invited us to doze off over the next four hours to Paris.<\/p>\n As soon as the train started moving, breakfast was served. Now, whether that had to happen quite so quickly is debatable\u2014we had plenty of time ahead of us and didn\u2019t need to rush. But hey, it was there. And I can\u2019t say a single bad word about the quality. Pretty comparable to what you get when flying, although I must say you wouldn\u2019t get a breakfast like this on a D\u00fcsseldorf to Paris flight. You could even choose between a sweet or a savory option. As we enjoyed our meal, the train picked up speed toward Aachen.<\/p>\n On the way to Paris, the train only stopped three times: in Aachen, Li\u00e8ge, and Brussels. That makes the Thalys the fastest connection to Paris if you\u2019re coming from the Ruhr area (it starts in Dortmund) or the Rhineland. After we left Aachen behind, the sun began to rise\u2014and as everyone knows, a sunrise in a clear sky is a beautiful symbol of a new beginning. A new day was dawning, and with that blue sky, we knew this would be a picture-perfect weekend in Paris. No one could\u2019ve predicted that, but I have to give a shoutout to Hurricane Ophelia, whose winds pulled that gorgeous warm weather up north. And sorry to our Irish friends who had to suffer through the hurricane\u2014life isn\u2019t always fair, as the saying goes, every coin has two sides.<\/p>\n Just before 10 a.m., we arrived at Gare du Nord\u2014Paris\u2019 North Station. The Paris adventure could begin.<\/p>\n Quick recap of our Thalys First Class (Comfort 1) experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n +<\/strong> Very comfortable and fast way to travel to Brussels and Paris Hey, we\u2019re in Paris!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sometimes it makes more sense to choose your hotel based on easy metro access. The lines directly at Gare du Nord weren\u2019t helpful, so we walked about 400 meters to connect to Line 7. That took us to the Op\u00e9ra station, from where we had to walk another 650 meters to the hotel. But honestly\u2014not a big deal, especially in weather this fantastic. If it had been raining, I\u2019d probably have cursed the entire way. *hehe<\/p>\n Since we arrived too early to check into our hotel (New Hotel Roblin, 6 Rue Chauveau Lagarde, 75008 Paris, France), we just dropped off our luggage, freshened up quickly, and launched straight into sightseeing mode.<\/p>\n Have I already mentioned how insanely awesome the weather was? Oh yes, sorry, but it just can’t be said enough. It was mid-October and felt like July or something. Incredible.<\/p>\n The Paris explorers are on the move.<\/strong><\/p>\n Via the Place de la Concorde, we reached the Seine and then strolled leisurely along the river toward the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to at least try to check out the situation and see if there was even the slightest chance that we might get up the Eiffel Tower with minimal waiting time. But forget it!!! Anyone who thinks that is probably the same person who still believes in Santa Claus and<\/em> the Easter Bunny. Just seeing the crowd on site made it pretty clear that we\u2019d be looking at a wait of several hours.<\/p>\n So imagine answering the question: Somehow, I found the idea of having to explain it like that later pretty embarrassing. So Jaquelina and I decided to skip the visit and head instead toward the Place du Trocad\u00e9ro to get some great shots of the Eiffel Tower. That sounded like a more reasonable plan.<\/p>\n Now before someone asks, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you just buy your tickets online while still in Germany?\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 I\u2019d like to say: of course I tried! But there were none left. The tickets to the top would have cost \u20ac17. The only option still available online was a guided tour (oops \u2013 somehow it always sounds awkward when a German says that in connection with Paris \ud83d\ude09 ), for \u20ac59 per person. And I have to admit, that just wasn\u2019t worth it to me.<\/p>\n Question to Paris experts:<\/strong> We noticed that the green phases for pedestrians at traffic lights seemed pretty short \u2013 even sporty for us to cross the street in time. How on earth are elderly people or those with mobility issues supposed to manage that?? Maybe it\u2019s a tactic\u2026 to actively influence the senior population quota, especially when cars, trucks, and buses immediately start rolling again as soon as the light turns green\u2026 bam<\/em>. Just a thought, not a claim. But the short green phases \u2013 that\u2019s definitely a fact.<\/p>\n But I have to admit: the atmosphere in Paris, with all the historic and beautifully restored buildings, is absolutely stunning \u2013 and even more so in this GORGEOUS weather. Oops, yes, I know, I\u2019ve mentioned it a few times already. There\u2019s something really special about the vibe here, and I\u2019m starting to understand why so many people love this city. The Parisians, aside from the hordes of tourists, also seem to have a very different take on fashion. They come across as very style-conscious, with that certain je ne sais quoi<\/em>.<\/p>\n Okay, they also show that \u201ccertain something\u201d when it comes to language. Openness to other cultures looks a little different \u2013 if you don\u2019t know at least basic French, you\u2019re totally lost when it comes to signs or warnings.<\/p>\n We then took the Metro from the Trocad\u00e9ro to the Arc de Triomphe. Again, we were greeted by hundreds of tourists. It\u2019s insane how many people are out and about in this city on just one day. Okay, maybe no surprise \u2013 we were also ticking off the city’s top landmarks, which naturally attract the most tourists. Not to mention the amazing weather. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n During a talk show, I once heard a story from a well-known German correspondent, Ulrich Wickert, reporting from Paris. He said you can cross a street in Paris without any danger\u2014as long as you don\u2019t<\/em> look left or right. Why? Because then the drivers feel responsible for watching you<\/em>. But the moment you glance sideways, drivers assume you\u2019re<\/em> the one paying attention to them<\/em>.<\/p>\n Naturally, we had to try this out. So we bravely tested the theory at the eight-lane roundabout of the Arc de Triomphe\u2014and we survived! (Check out the video from our Paris trip). Yeah.<\/em><\/p>\n By now, though, we were getting a little tired from the early wake-up call, so we started strolling back to our hotel via the Avenue des Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es. After all, we needed a bit of rest\u2014because a real highlight was still waiting for us that evening: a visit to one of France\u2019s most iconic institutions\u2014the Moulin Rouge!<\/strong><\/p>\n Things are about to get sexy… the legendary Moulin Rouge is calling!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n At 9 p.m., we slowly but surely made our way to the Moulin Rouge. We took the metro to Place Pigalle and treated ourselves to a quick dinner on this famous Parisian boulevard of sin and seduction before the 11 p.m. show. The Boulevard de Clichy reminded me a bit of Hamburg\u2019s Reeperbahn \u2014 flashy neon signs with erotic messages from various shops, restaurants, and bars, and nestled among them, the world-famous red windmill of the Moulin Rouge.<\/p>\n A heartfelt thank you to the Moulin Rouge and to Fanny Rabasse, the theater\u2019s press officer, for the invitation to this spectacular top-class revue.<\/p>\n After picking up our reserved tickets at the box office, we were escorted to the VIP waiting area at the entrance, where we enjoyed a glass of champagne.<\/p>\n When the moment finally arrived, all VIP guests were the first to be escorted to their tables. On the way, I had the chance to marvel extensively at the red-hued theatre. So this is the world-famous Moulin Rouge \u2013 a place I had only ever heard about since childhood. Now it was finally time for me to experience it live and in full color.<\/p>\n Some facts about the Moulin Rouge:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1,700 guests attend every evening<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 2 performances per day<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 120 waiters start preparations already in the early afternoon<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The revue cost 10 million euros<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 80 dancers perform on stage<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 1,000 costumes are used<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 240,000 liters of champagne are consumed here every year (making the Moulin Rouge the largest champagne consumer in all of France)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 25,000 bottles of wine and champagne are stored in the Moulin Rouge’s wine cellar<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 600 bottles are served every night<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The City of Love, shaped by its unique lifestyle and rich history, seemed like the perfect choice for a short getaway. On top of that, I\u2019ve always heard friends \u2013 mostly women \u2013 rave about how amazing Paris is. Naturally, that raises the question: Why is it that this city seems to captivate women in particular?<\/em> Feel free to leave your answers in the comments below. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
To keep it short: I decided to go by train, specifically with the Thalys. Driving didn\u2019t appeal to me because of the stress involved \u2013 after all, it\u2019s a 500 to 550-kilometer journey, depending on the route. I can\u2019t imagine starting a relaxing weekend that way. But of course, that\u2019s up to each person. Flying was another option, but given the great connection with the Thalys, the train seemed like the better choice.<\/p>\n\n
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+<\/strong> Spacious seats with generous legroom and cozy headrests
+<\/strong> A tasty meal depending on the time of day (on our return journey, we were served dinner)
\u2013<\/strong> Free Wi-Fi is offered, but in reality, barely functional. My mobile internet worked almost flawlessly 90% of the time
\u2013<\/strong> Tip for Thalys: It would be great if the lights in the carriage could be dimmed at night, and individual reading lights installed like on planes. The bright lighting on the outbound trip was honestly quite annoying
\u2013<\/strong> A bit of chaos when departing from Paris on Sunday: first they said there\u2019d be an airport-style security check before boarding, then they just let everyone get on the train without any control at all<\/p>\n\n
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\u201cAnd what did you do on your first day in Paris?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cOh, we went up the Eiffel Tower.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cOkay, and what else?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cWell\u2026 isn\u2019t that enough?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cSure, but the day was long, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cUnfortunately, not long enough for the Eiffel Tower. We spent half the day just waiting!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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