TOWARDS PARIS

A view of the tunnel

The Highway from Geneva towards Paris

      
  So far we have completed our Swiss tour in addition to viewing a few places in Germany which are on our travel route. The last place  of visit in tour is Paris, the place famous for three "Fs"-- Food, Fashion and Fragrance. Latest trends in fashion and modelling emerge from this cosmopolitan city which is the prime center for many cosmetic industries and boutiques such as Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Jean Paul Gaultier, LouisVuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Loreal, Avon, Oriflame, Saint Laurent etc., which are located in shopping areas like Avenue Montaigne near Champs Elysees or Rue de la Paix. Classic branded jewellery and items of international standard like Cartier, Chanel,Dior, Fred etc., along with superb handbags from eminent brands like Louis Vuitton, Vanessa Bruno, Champ and Darel are available in these shops. During our college days our English Lecturer used to say that most of the names of the food items and delicacies in English are derived from French language such as pork,omelette, beef, venison, toast, salad, pastry etc., In France you can relish a variety of French dishes like crepes (a kind of pan cake), baguettes, truffles, French fries, Croissants, French toast, Fromage(cheese), pain au chocolat, tarte aux fruits, confits and drink Cafe au Lait (espresso with steamed milk).

View of Bellegarde

Fort at Bellegarde

   

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 We started from Geneva quite early as we had to travel nearly six hours to cover a distance of 540 kms with occasional halts in between to refresh ourselves and to avail the toilet facility gratis. on the way we passed by many villages and smaller towns, pubs and lakes. As we approached Bellegarde, a small town, our tour manager showed the dilapidated walls of a ruined structure and said that the Roman king, Nero, had visited that sport and stayed there for some time. But his statement may not be trusted as when I searched for information I came to know that the existing fort at Bellagarde had been built in 17th century by the French and that it was occupied by the Spanish army in 1674 , but later recovered by the French Duke of Schomberg in 1675. On the way our vehicle had to travel through many long tunnels as long as three to six kilometers with many lanes and bright illumination. They do not seem like dungeons as we find elsewhere. Due credit is to be given to these master architects of these fabulous highways.

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6th March, 2016                                              Somaseshu Gutala