白色圣诞 Dec 2013 - Loving Paris Again

We revisited Paris again. This time around, we stayed at Jules Joffrin area - a totally different feel from our previous stay near Gard Du Nord. It is very near Montmartre - the area that I wanted to bring my wife to see. At hill top, the view was fantastic, I think it is nicer than the view at Eiffel? The whole area gives us a feel of "latin" - very very different and we liked it a lot.

This leg of journey was in a way inspired by the TVB show we watched and the previous official trip I went. I wanted to do a few things this round with my wife but I dun want it to be mission-based, no longer the excel spreadsheet itinerary and the SOP-type journey though. Of cos, coming to Paris needs us to be street smart and it is important to cover each other carefully.

There was also christmas market at the Montmartre area but my dear said it was "different" - but they still sold german beer and also similar snacks leh. As I was a bit hungry after passing through the food stalls, I managed to persuade my wife to try an onion soup to replenish our energy a bit - though I felt she was a bit reluctant to do so. We walked around the area and spotted the Eiffel at one corner and it was something different from the usual backdrop we saw on the postcards. I could see that my wife loved the area though it was very crowded. Actually, we were trying "hard" to enjoy Paris after our previous bad experience in Paris. 
They have fenced up the field which travellers could sit and enjoy the view. Not sure why. Something that I wanted to do with my wife though. But overall, the Montmartre trip was still nice and cozy.  We went to another place that was inspired by the TVB show. We heard of it before but didn't really go there during the previous trip. It was a walk along the river to Pont Des Arts.  "Pont" means bridge. There are many bridges in Paris and it is not hard to find this "Pont" cos it will be packed with locks. I did some research to make sure I got the right "Pont". According to guide, there are two bridges - one is Pont Des Arts - the lock is for committed love and the other is Pont De I'Archeveche which is for lover =).  Very interesting and the "Free Europe Tour" guide said that the local authority has to cut away the locks as they are adding load onto the bridge. We have prepared our lock and marker so we need not buy from the stalls or people there. 

Hee Hee. There were so many locks and it was difficult to find a slot. My wife managed to spot one and we hooked our lock on it. Got another couple to take picture for us, and we helped other couples too. As a fun tradition or thing-to-do, we grabbed and held our key together and threw it into the river. Our committed love together.  I can't help but think that the Parisians were so romantic in things they do... It is not hard to understand why Paris is the most visited country. 

Next time we come to Paris, I will ask my wife to visit the bridge and see the lock again. 

在巴黎这个浪漫的都市，我们学习浪漫，锁住爱情，不知不觉也变得比较浪漫吧？