But it was a wonderful trip nonetheless. It was only 6 short days -- actually 5.5 days in Paris but it was enough for me to enjoy the place. Of course not everything was perfect -- the weather would get too cold for my liking at times, but still, every aspect of the trip made the experience so memorable :)
One of my most favorite Paris photos-- River Siene at dusk
Let me start with the people -- there is this notion that the Frenchies are rude, refusing to speak English. My experience is otherwise. I found them nice and helpful, although not overtly friendly like us Pinoys. They speak to you in English, if they see that you are struggling with their French (or if they are struggling to understand your version of French, hehe). I didn't have any experience wherein a local was completely rude. Too bad I didn't manage to get a good picture of my favorite Monsieur and Madame at Chocolat au Pain. They were the best!
The French are fashionable -- oh yes they are... but mostly wear black. So yes, they are fashionable in black, hehe. But then since it was also cold, most are in long coats which happens to be in black. Carrying Longchamp. Oh, and the French are thin! Not stick thin like most Singaporeans but slim thin. To go with being fashionable in black.
At street carousel by a metro exit. See how everyone is in black?
Look! Some outliers in blue and red
Next up, the food. When we went to UK couple of years back, i got tired of eating their food after a few days. I then concluded that I am an Asian food girl. So it was a surprise that I liked French food! It helped that we found this cafe a few blocks away from our hotel where food is so good (Chocolat Au Pain, with the best Monsieur and Madame!). I think I have never eaten that many carbs in a loooong while.
Our usual brakfast -- coffee,glass of orange, croissant
French bread, of course
I am not exactly a wine drinker but I liked the French aperitif called Kir. Its white wine with blackcurrant liqueur. Its sweet, maybe that's why I liked it. Locals normally have a drink before dinner (aperitifs), then would have wine with dinner, and maybe another round after but for me, my lone drink stretches from before until after dinner. hehehe.
Lastly, the place itself. Spring in Paris is beautiful. I heard in summer it smells of dog poo (dogs are everywhere and owners don’t pick up after their dogs), but in cold Spring, it wasn't like that at all. It’s not bright and shiny like Singapore, didn't see a lot of Asians as well, so Paris really felt like an alternate universe.
Tree-lined street where our hotel was
River Seine in redscale
The hotel that we stayed at was near the Eiffel tower, a short walk from a Metro station, conveniently beside a grocery store with cafes and restaurants nearby.
Metro station by our hotel
Fruit stand nearby
Paris cafés are really everywhere – with huge windows and seats at the al fresco section facing the streets, they are designed for enjoying meals or a cuppa while people watching.
Cafe by the corner of our hotel. Notice the chairs facing the street?
On our first day (a Sunday), we went to a couple of churches – the Notre Dame Cathedral and La basilique du Sacré-Coeur. Notre Dame's outdoor facade was just magnificent but the ceiling and stained glass windows inside was as spectacular.
Notre Dame Cathedral
visitors waiting to get in (us included)
A closeup- amazing isn,t?
La basilique du Sacré-Coeur sits on top of Montmarte, highest point of the city. I was already in awe of Notre Dame's ceiling but was Sacré-Coeur's was even more breathtaking.
The trek going up -- it was such an effort!
La basilique du Sacré-Coeur
View of Paris ontop of Montmarte
There are metro (train) stations almost everywhere but we mostly walked and walked above ground to see the place. After walking the streets and taking stairs in Metro stations (no lifts, few escalators) then you’d understand how they can stay thin even with their love for bread and wine drinking.
Paris is so artsy -- with the street arts, the churches, monuments, museums... even the buildings in the central business district looks creative!
Paintings for sale by the river
A street performer near Sacré-Coeur
Pretty old buildings
Monument by the St. George bridge?
The Business District
artwork in CBD
An interesting tidbit, Paris is so artsy that you would not see any gas stations in the city. Jonathan, our guide during our Versailles visit, said that gas stations are located just outside of Paris, or underground in parking garages. (Will talk about Versailles on another blog entry)
The city is likewise amazing at night. We took a night tour to see the museums and monuments lighted up and it was painfully cold!!!! But seeing the Eiffel Tower lighted up more than made up for it.
The Opera
Forgot the name of this building
Moulin Rouge -- we didn't watch the show though
The ultimate must-see in my opinion. Eiffel Tower at night.
There are so many museums but we managed to visit only two -- the Louvre, of course, and Musee de L'Orangerie. Musée du Louvre is HUGE! They said you would need around 3 months (or was it 6 months?) if you were to stand in front of each painting for a minute. That is if you have the stamina to last that long. We only managed more than half a day and maybe 1/3 of the collection and was already very tired after. We only manage to cover some Egyptian antiquities, some Near Eastern antiquities, some of the Greek and Roman collection, some French sculptures, and some of the Italian and Spanish paintings.
the crowd around Mona Lisa
Can you see her at the distance?
Musée de L'Orangerie was amazing with its huge collection of Monet's waterlilies.
Monet's waterlilies
Displayed under natural sunlight, just like how Monet wanted it to be
Of the 5.5 days that we were there, I have allotted 2 days for shopping . Not that I bought a lot for myself, but just to see stores were enough for me! Even before leaving, I planned on visiting Rue St Honore for Longchamp and Mulberry, Rue Cambon for Chanel, Champs Elsyees for Louis Vuitton and George V for Balenciaga.
Its like Orchard Road but waaaay better!
Louis Vuitton at Champs Elysees
Balenciaga at George V. Part of it was under renovation,though
Bob agreeably took me to those places because he was confidently guarding me "not to hurt myself" anyway, hehehe. So yes, I didn’t shop much in Paris. But with the Euro down and with the 12% tax rebate, it was a good time to buy. Friends asked me to buy Longchamp for them and after conversion, a sgd229 bag here in Singapore turned out to be only sgd106! Pretty great deal.
So in short, I LOVE Paris. Because I was able to do the things I like doing -- eat good food, people watch, take photos, and ogle at bags. :)
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