So far the weekend has been lovely, but, unfortunatley, it's just a weekend. Friday - Sunday night is not enough time to spend with someone you love. However, the good news is that it's only temporary, we are organising to be back together (most likely in France) by mid-December, and then Australia in early January. I can't tell you how much I am dreaming of this moment.
Anyway - lets get down to the business of my first Parisian post. While I am (slowly) becoming Francophile I didn't always believe that Paris had as much to offer as it claimed to. In all honesty, I'm beginning to think I was wrong. Large, attractive monuments aside, it's not like London - which, as you integrate into the culture continues to charm you with it's markets, fields, clubs, and what not. For me, Paris was a bit.. 'Large monuments, museums, people that are just like Londoners but with a nicer language, amazing food'. Sweet, but it's not going to keep me keen forever. After all this, maybe I'm wrong. Here, is a list/details of things I can genuinely recommend you do in Paris (Eiffels and Louvre's aside, though I won't say that any of this is 'off the beaten track'). Any questions/comments - fire away. Pictures will follow - I just completely forgot about it today.
1. Canal St. Martin on a *sunny* day.
Cyril (le copain, I can't believe I've not mentioned that!) and I tried to be ultimate Parisians and head to Belleville (supposedly an up and coming arrondisement, we must have missed something), then take a leisurely walk along the canal. Don't. Take the Metro to somewhere like Jaurés or Republique and then walk leisurely like normal people. To top it off it rained a lot and was freezing, which kills the romance a bit when your shoes are waterlogged and your teeth are chattering. However, when the sun shone briefly, it was lovely and relaxing (and yes - it will recall the film Amelie for you - she skimmed stones from here).
2. Les Catacombes
Firstly, please don't go if you are (or suspect you may be) claustrophobic. I never thought I was but as you trundle deeper and deeper underground looking at skulls, the ground gets damp, you slide everywhere, the roof gets low - it can get pretty creepy (not so much because of the bones, rather the thick air, slight smell of decay and the vague feeling the walls are closing in). The bones themselves are in various states of ok to decay (woop! rhyme!) and it's not as scary as the ones in Rome for example, but personally I enjoyed it, it was interesting, pretty (in a gothic kind of way) and only costs €2 or so if you have student ID (mine was expired and Australian and they didn't bat an eyelid), I think it's €4 or so otherwise.
3. Le Mur des Je t'aime
Montmartre might just be one of my favourite areas of Paris. Steeped on the hilly 18th arrondisement, it has an old-fashioned charm. Take the Metro to Abbesses and Le Mur des Je T'aime should be in a park right in front of you. This sight only takes 10 minutes or so, but is a great stop for the lovers, and isn't too touristy (yet).
4. Parc de St. Cloud
Maybe I'm a bit biased on this one, because my boyfriends grandmother's house (where we stay most of the time) is strategically located to here (if you're staying in the very centre of Paris, or worse, the East, getting here might cause a few troubles - though it's a bearable walk from Boulogne - Pont de st. Cloud on Metro line 10). It's merely a park (for running primarily I suppose) but also has some lovely restaurants, a great view over Paris, and lots of nice little hideaways to discover. There used to be a Château on site but it was burnt down in 1870 (for memory, it was those bloody Prussians). If you've got a day to spare and don't want something too strenuous, you can let your troubles melt away here. I would also recommend Jardin du Luxmbourg in the centre or Parc Floral (near Vicennes, you could also take a quick trip to the Château there) in the East, just relax, the French are good at this.
5. Travel to outer Paris
I'm not sure if I can technically call St. Germain en-Laye 'outer Paris' (sorry), but it's a gorgeous town easily reachable by RER line A that I can really recommend visiting. When my family and I first ever went to Paris we stayed in a tiny little studio apartment here, it was lovely. Everything looks like it comes straight out of a picture book, there is a lovely little castle and lots of forests to explore not too far away. I also recommend St. Cloud in the West of Paris. Again, this may be primarily because I get to spend a fair bit of time here, but it feels like it's own little village that just happens to cling on to Paris. It also has frescoes of fake windows/people on some of the buildings. Why not have a look?
6. Have wine/coffee/tapas around Etienne Marcel
If Montmarte isn't my favourite Parisian area, Etienne Marcel (well, that's the Metro stop, I suppose it borders on the Marais? 2nd arrondisement?) may well be. It has a very cosmopolitan atmosphere, take a walk down Rue Montorgueil, my personal pick of bar/café is (currently) Drôle d'Endroit Pour Une Rencontre (meaning something like 'fancy meeting you here').
7. Brunch in Montmartre
This is what Cyril and I have planned for today, as a matter of fact. Taking the Metro to Abesses and brunching at Le Sancerre, on Rue des Abesses. It charges €15 (not including a drink) for a brunch. But oh lord do they take brunch seriously. Start with eggs Benedict on toast, a piece of bacon, mini sausages, move on to a tomato, Mozzarella and lettuce salad with vinigarette, then fromage blanc with rasberry coulis, a fruit salad, 1/2 a chocolate muffin, a donut, a mini croissant (plus slices of baguette should you not be stuffed to bursting already). Gosh! I can't be sure that this is the best place for brunch in Montmartre, (they will forget your water and they will insist you wait 30 minutes before they grace you with their presence to hand you l'addition, a further 20 minutes for them to locate the Visa machine), but it's still a thoroughly enjoyable way to begin a lazy Sunday.
So - that's about it from me. Before I go, I would just like to share this with you. The day before I went to Paris I excitedly facebooked 'Eurostar' to tell them how excited I was that they were taking me to see my lovely boyfriend. I was hoping for some 'aww's', but I was not expecting this!
And I thought it was a fairly innocent post!
Source: http://www.facebook.com/#!/eurostar?ref=ts
(Edit: Unfortunately I had to give up and write most of this on Monday morning back in similarly freezing London - but the idea was there!)
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