If travel can be a muse, then the French capital certainly put santoor player Rahul Sharma and his wife Barkha under a spell. “Rahul and I went to Paris to shoot for his music album Confluence 2. It was my first video with him and the visit left us charmed. We saw Paris through all its beauty and felt it was completely captivating. We both love to travel to places steeped in beauty and history, as it is always inspirational to the senses, and here, we walked all over Paris and went to the most unusual places,” Barkha says.
A walk by the Seine
They stayed at a hotel which faced the Louvre, and later at one facing the River Seine. Sightseeing was part of a quick start to the day.
“The architecture of the various buildings all over Paris is magnificent. We also went to most unusual places like the cafe where the movie Amelie was shot, then just walked all over Montmartre and eating crepes by the Arc de Triomphe. At night, the Champs Elysées during the Fete time was almost magical — with all the beautiful lights on the trees. We took rides on the carousel by the Eiffel Tower — it was like being in fairyland,” she recalls.
The Louvre Museum was on top of the list too. “The place is so resplendent in every way — with beautiful paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from the Renaissance Period to viewing Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous paintings, as well as looking at Paris through the mystery of Dan Brown’s famous book — such fun,” she says.
Music and nightlife
After sunset the city presented a different charm. Informs Sharma, “Paris at night is enchanting. The
ancient architecture adds to an old world charm and the little cafes are buzzing with people sipping cappuccinos. We went to the Buddha Bar, to check out the music scene and found it had a sort of vintage feel to it. I have to say people were frank yet very hospitable. They also really love and respect music, arts and fashion.”
Food and shopping
With Rahul and Barkha being vegetarians, having the food of their choice was a slight problem. “We only ate Italian actually — lots of pasta, pizza and of course, enjoyed the ice-cream there, it was delicious. You have some of the best cafes and boulangeries by Champs de Elysees.” It was fun to check out the designer stores. “And the markets have beautiful boutiques,” she adds.
Are they keen to go back soon? “Yes, Paris will always be one of our favourite destinations in the world, mainly due to its old world charm...it’s almost timeless,” ends Sharma.
