October 2013: good times in Paris

We jumped on the Eurostar and popped up on the other side of the channel for a four day stay in Paris.

We were staying in an airbnb studio apartment in Le Marais, near the Canal St. Martin. Overlooking a beautiful church and near to a lot of nice cafes and restaurants, it was nice to stay in a less touristy area of the city. To get in the spirit of things we started our trip with an apéritif of delicious red wine and Comté, bought for a bargain at the local supermarket.

That evening we went for a wander down to the canal itself, which was very picturesque. After much trip advisor consultation, walking around, and negotiation, we finally settled on a place for dinner full of French classics. We enjoyed foie gras, crème brûlée, duck, and snails.

To fuel up for the day of touristing, we visited the Richard Lenoir market, also known as the Marché Bastille, which was full of foodie delights.

Keeping with the market theme, we spent a good half a day visiting the nooks and crannies of the vast flea market Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen, apparently the biggest flea market in the world.

Heading up to visit the Sacré Cœur and explore the Montmartre area a fierce storm lashed us with rain and wind, breaking an umbrella and thoroughly drenching us. I still own the tacky purple ‘I love Paris’ umbrella we had to buy as a replacement.

In search of a good photo spot, we trekked across to Montparnasse Tower, a tall office building with a roof terrace open to the public which offers fantastic views across the city.

Although I had been to Paris a couple of times before I had sadly never quite had the time or stamina to visit the vast and daunting Louvre. Although I feel like we only skimmed the surface of all there is to see at the Louvre, what we did see we really enjoyed.

Exhausted, we took refuge in the neighbouring Tuileries gardens. Plonking ourselves on a nearby bench we enjoyed watching local children set model yachts afloat in the water fountains.

Taking advantage of the fine weather, a stroll along the Seine led us to the Notre Dame cathedral. Although I’ve seen it quite a number of times now I still find it impressive.

We queued for a couple of hours to visit the Paris catacombs. Admittedly the idea of the catacombs doesn’t sound particularly appealing, but the extent of the warren-like tunnels, the quantity of bones and the history of the site made for a really interesting visit. The city’s graveyards were proving a risk to public health, and the catacombs were built below the city streets, in former quarries, to provide a practical place to store these bones and corpses.

Before bidding ‘à la prochaine’ to Paris, we were sure to squeeze in another few French culinary classics, like these sumptuous macaroons, and a pistachio and chocolate swirl to enjoy beside the canal.