We've been having good weather in Paris. It's been sunny/cloudy most days. A little short sprinkle one day is hardly worth mentioning. The temperature has been high teens to low 20's Celsius. The food has been good and the wine even better. There are a lot of Italian restaurants around...the pastries are delectable and quite frankly I could eat them all day long, but someone doesn't think that's the best idea. The crepes are spectacular; they have so many varieties it's hard to choose which one to order!!! There is outdoor seating with almost every restaurant in town....what a delight to enjoy a great meal outdoors, the only draw back is that Parisians like to smoke and the constant breathing of secondhand smoke got a little bothersome for me. I have to mention that we enjoyed a lovely crepe and cafe au lait on the Champs Élysées one morning and just people watched...it's quite fascinating!! One other thing to mention about eating in Paris....don't ever be in a rush when eating at a restaurant - service is at two speeds, slow and "I'll get to you when I feel like it". There is no rushing through a meal. Our last night in Paris Z and I had a lovely dinner at a restaurant a stone's throw from our apartment. It was nice to sit outdoors on the patio which spilled onto the walkway and just take it all in.
Z was very excited to see signs is for free Wifi thoroughout Paris but was equally frustrated that he could not access it. The sign up function didn't seem to work for him and his research into it suggested that perhaps you needed a subscription to a company called free wifi and that in fact it wasn't free afterall.
The vast Metro system has been fantastic to use and is so efficient in getting you
from point A to B with no difficulty. Whoever had the foresight to plan out this system is a genius....too bad back home we didn't have that same genius.
On Sunday as we were out and about on our hop on/hop off bus tour we came across what appeared to be a critical mass bike protest. There were thousands of bicyclists riding through the street of Paris in protest of something. I can only imagine it had to do with making the city more bike friendly. Our tour was slightly delayed at one point when the thousands of cyclists rode down one street causing a little traffic mayhem. The Big Bus tour was a nice way to see Paris and hear a little about the history and significance of the main attractions as well as some of the neighbourhoods we drove through. Sitting on the top deck and outdoors. Gives you the best vantage point.
Another museum we visited was the Rodin Museum. Here you can find a vast collection of Rodin's sculptures including "The Thinker"as well as other art pieces donated to him by his friends including a beautiful Monet. On the grounds is a rather large garden with other sculptures and plenty of places to sit, take in the scenery and think.
We also decided it would be neat to go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was included in our pass and it allowed us to bypass the ticket line. There was no wait to climb up the stairs and up top the views of Paris are absolutely stunning. You can even see Sacre Coeur in the distance.
The Eiffel Tower at night is a sight to see. Just after sunset the main lights start illuminating the tower and at 10pm there is a 5 minute twinkling light show...it goes on at 11pm again. Sitting in the Champs de Mars seems to be the thing to do....there were lots of people, locals and tourists alike. There were vendors walking around selling beer, champagne and wine. Drinking in public doesn't seem to be an issue.
When we arrived in Paris, our hosts told us about a market that takes place Sunday mornings in the neighbourhood. The market was fantastic, much larger than I would have guessed. It was fun walking through with all the locals. You could buy anything from books to fresh seafood, fruits, clothes, shoes, nail clippers, etc. I bought a new fashionable pairs of "ballet-like" leather shoes for 20 euro. They're great because they pack so easily in small leather bag. Something I noticed while travelling around was that people tend to wear dressier shoes than I might normally just wear around. I tend to go for comfort over style every time; it's more practical that way.
We also went back to Montmartre one afternoon because our first time over there we didn't have much time. This area is quite neat; very artsy. Moulin Rouge can be found here. Montmartre is very hilly and provides for some very great views. Lots of cafés and bars. We had a great sucre et citron crepe and tomato and mozzarella panini. We were there in the early evening and I'm pretty sure the area comes alive later on. Perhaps something to check out on another visit?
On our last day while Z's mom was visiting some of her childhood friends that now live in the surrounds of Paris, Z and I made our way out to an area called La Defence. This is a much more modern part of Paris with modern glass skyscraper buildings and a very large shopping mall. Seems like this is a commerce area. Coming out of the train station we came upon the Grand Arc, a modern arc perfectly aligned with the Arc de Triomphe. In fact when you looks towards the Arc de Triomphe it appears as thought the street extends all the way. It's quite ingenious how that was designed.
The visit to Paris was a fabulous experience and went by so quickly. We cramped a lot in and were quite tired at the end of each day, but it was worth it. We had a lovely apartment to base ourselves from and that helped make the experience feel more like we were living in Paris rather than just visiting which is probably what it would have felt like had we stayed in a hotel. I even went by myself to the bakery down the street and ordered some croissants and eclairs in French without problems. Now I'll be the first to admit that was a little basic, but it's a start!!
My wonderful hubby and travel companion is so resourceful! One we found out the French Open was on, both of us thought it would be fun to go. But how to get tickets? Well leave it to Z to find a way.....
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