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There is a world of things yet to explore less than five hours down the Autobahn, beyond the border of Germany into France.
But before hopping on that express tour to Paris, consider building a personal itinerary that allows for exploration at various points along the route at one’s leisure.
That was my plan during a trip to the city of romance, wine, crepes and museums in hopes of showing my visiting brother, a low-maintenance kind of guy, a good time in Europe.
After a good night’s rest, the decision was made to drive to Paris.
Previewing the route on the map influenced the decision to stay overnight in Châlons-en-Champagne — the capital of the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, a point about two hours outside of Paris and neighbor to the larger Reims.
Once there and stopped for the evening, we explored the town on foot and took in its quaint simplicity. The impromptu tour included a little stroll around the square in view of the half-timbered facades, a tranquil walk through the garden passage that rolled alongside a tributary of the La Marne River. Of course arriving after 7 p.m. limits the things one can do as the town practically shuts down at sunset.
The center square offered musical entertainment that went on into the evening. Sitting just off the square was the Notre-Dame-en-Vaux church, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site built between 1157 and 1217. Because night overtook us, we did not see the sights one may find when searching the Internet for information on the town.
After a night of rest, it was on to the city of light. In less than three hours we were cruising up the cobblestoned Avenue des Champs-Elysees toward the Arc de Triumph.
Well ahead of the traffic and the coming crowds, we parked in a garage just off the boulevard, snagged breakfast and a couple of tickets for a simple hop-on hop-off bus tour to see the highlights of the extravagant city.
Though many tend to rush for the big tourist attractions such as the Louvre, Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triumph, take a moment to breathe in the city’s ambiance.
The city offers an abundance of options to be explored. Leave yourself open to the spontaneity that tends to exist in such a large city. Our visit was interrupted by a Tropical Carnival that featured people from a number of tropical locations who paraded the Avenue des Champs-Elysees arrayed in vibrant, colorful and imaginative costumes.
If venturing off to one of its countless museums, make sure to have plenty of money and time to cover the admission price and see everything.
