HJ ZULHEIMY - DOWN MEMORY LANE: DOWN MEMORY LANE : 2017

HJ ZULHEIMY MAAMOR

23 APRIL 2024

My wife's trip to Europe was to visit three countries, namely France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

She departed from KLIA Airport on April 23, 2017, on an Etihad Airways flight and made a transit stop at Abu Dhabi International Airport before departing for Paris.

I, along with my two sons and also my mother-in-law, sent my wife to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Sepang on the evening of April 23, 2017.

23 APRIL 2017

KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SEPANG

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is the main airport in Malaysia, located in Sepang, Selangor. The distance is about 50 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.

It was opened on June 27, 1988. In 2007, KLIA was awarded as the best airport in the 15–25 million passenger category and third place for the Best Airport in Asia, the Pacificand the World.
This award is presented by the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality (ACI-ASQ).

FLIGHT DETAILS

FLIGHT DEPARTURE

23 April 2017: Departured at 7.35 p.m. from Kuala Lumpur to Abu Dhabi; boarded an Etihad Airways flight (EY 411) and arrived early in the in the morning at Abu Dhabi Airport.

Transit for 4 hours at Abu Dhabi Airport.

Left Abu Dhabi Airport at 2.35am (Abu Dhabi time) on an Etihad Airways flight (Ey 31) and arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris, at 7.50am (French time).

Return Flight:

28 April 2017: Departed from Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, at 9.25 p.m. (Amsterdam Time) on an Etihad Airways flight (EY 78) and arrived at Abu Dhabi Airport at 6.20 a.m. (Abu Dhabi Time).

29 April 2017: Departed from Abu Dhabi Airport at 10.50 a.m. (Abu Dhabi time) on an Etihad Airways flight (EY 416) and arrived at KLIA Airport at 10.30 p.m.

CURRENCY

The currency used in all three countries (France, Belgium and the Netherlands) is the EURO currency.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS

Etihad Airways is an airline owned by the United Arab Emirates Government that started operations since 2003 and until now has owned 92 aircraft.

This company has been operating from 96 countries around the world and has 1268 flight routes.

The company's slogan is "From Abu Dhabi to the World."

Transit for 4 hours at Abu Dhabi Airport.

Left Abu Dhabi Airport at 2.35am (Abu Dhabi time) on an Etihad Airways flight (Ey 31) and arrived at Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris, at 7.50am (French time).

The group arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport, located in Roissy-En-France, on the morning of April 24, 2017. Charles de Gaulle Airport is also known as Roissy Airport, named after Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), a leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. He is also the founder of the French Fifth Republic and served as the President of France from 1959 to 1969.

FRANCE - 24 APRIL 2017

France is located in Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel, between Belgium and Spain.

France has been the most popular tourist destination in the world for 20 years. It is said that 82 million people visited France in 2012.

While the city of Paris is the capital of France and also the Île-de-France region. Paris has the highest population in the European Union and is also the second largest metropolitan area in Europe.

Paris is also known as "La Ville Lumière" which means the City of Lights or the City of Light.

The city of Paris is famous as a tourist destination in the world with the nickname City of Fashion or City of Romance.

I remember a Hindustani song that was popular around the 60s called "AN EVENING IN PARIS" sung by Mohammed Rafi.

CITY TOUR IN PARIS

After completing the immigration process at Paris Airport, the group was taken on a tour around Paris.

One of the places to visit is the famous Louis Vuitton Paris boutique located at 101 Av. des Champs-Elysees, Paris.

Louis Vuitton (LV) is a world-famous brand for leather goods that was founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton, a renowned fashion designer in France at the time. Places like this are definitely an attraction for tourists, especially women.

LOUIS VUTTON

EIFFEL TOWER, PARIS

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world is the Eiffel Tower located at Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, Paris.

This 324-meter (1,063 ft) tower was built by Gustave Eiffel in 1887-89. The height of this tower is equal to the height of an 81-story building. It was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, which was to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution.

During the Second World War, Adolf Hitler from Germany once ordered a commander named General Dietrich von Choltitz to destroy the Eiffel Tower and the entire city of Paris. But Dietrich did not comply with the instructions; otherwise, of course, we wouldn't be able to see the Eiffel Tower today... Thank you, General Dietrich von Choltitz, because you are truly a person who appreciates historical artifacts...

ADOLF HITLER

ARC DE TRIOMPHE

The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic war, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Under the vault lies the Tomb of the unknown soldier from the First World War.

Napoleon I commissioned the triumphal arc in 1806 - after the great victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, to celebrate the military achievements of the French armies. The arc designed by Jean-Francois-Therese Chalgrin is 164 feet (50 meters) high and 148 feet (45 meters) wide. The distance between Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower is 3 km.

CATHEDRAL NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

Notre-Dame de Paris, referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic Cathedral on the lle de la Cite, in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. Dedicated to Virgin Mary, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.

It also houses numerous significant religious and historical artifacts, such as Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Jesus Christ during his crucifiction.

After exploring the city of Paris on the first day, the group was then taken to their accommodation to rest after spending the night traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Paris. The name of the hotel is Hotel Residhome Roissy Park located at 14 Allee du Verger, Roissy-En-France, Paris.

APRIL 25, 2017 - VISIT TO LA VALLEE VILLAGE, PARIS

After breakfast at the hotel, the group was then taken to visit another famous tourist destination in Paris, which is La Vallee Village located at 3 Cours de la Garonne, Serris, France.

La Vallee Village is a home to over 110 designer and luxury brands. Various types of famous brand items are sold here, including Ralph Lauren, Furla, Jimmy Choo (a Malaysian who succeeded in Paris), and others.

Remember Carrefour?

Carrefour entered Malaysia in 1994 and sold its 26 hypermarket to AEON Group in November 2012. However, Carrefour still in business at France. In 2023, 5,841 Carrefour stores existed in France.

Carrefour begin in 1959 with its founding father Marcel Fournier opening the first hypermarket in France.

Flowers are scattered in memory of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris in Januar 7, 2015 claiming the lives of 17 people, including 11 journalists and security personnel at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satiric Magazine in France.

Charlie Hebdo Office were targeted in a shooting attack by two French-born Algerian Muslims brothers, Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi with rifles and other weapons.

Louvre Museum is a national art museum in Paris, France. It is located on the right bank of the Seine in the city's first arrondissement and home to some canonical works of Western art, including Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

From La Vallee Village, the group was then taken on a bus to go to the second country in this tour session, which is Belgium.