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“I can’t believe they’re sending me AGAIN to the US for business trip, and you know what – the Singapore Airlines tickets are sold out – so I had to take Air France. And the worst part of it – I have to transit in Paris overnight! That city is so dirty and the people are just so obnoxious. How annoying!” she rants while munching her lunch.
My jaw just dropped. For couple of seconds my mind just went blank and the only thing I can think of is WHAT A BITCH! Of course I can’t say it to her – she’s a colleague. It would be politically incorrect. Hold on, someone wants to give her FULLY PAID trip halfway across the world IN BUSINESS CLASS and FIVE STARS HOTELS and she’s… complaining?
For the record, she’s just going there to ATTEND training. It’s not even GIVING training. Just attending. You just sit there, look pretty and (pretend like you’re) paying attention. And what’s up with her rant about French people being arrogant? I remember just last year she took French lessons simply because she had a mad crush on one of the French expats in the office (which
Angel & Psyche
My absolute favorite piece of work at the Louvre. There's just something very fragile & romantic about it. I should highlight – that guy chose another girl, good for him). Gosh, some people are just so messed up that Kanye West should write a song about her. Like, seriously.
But what’s up with Paris anyway? Despite of its fame, I kept hearing negative things about it from my friends. Not clean. Unsafe. Snobbish people. Lots of beggars. Needless to say, I have very low expectation and slightly nervous to spend 5 nights in Paris. But you know what – I don’t think it was that bad. In general, I don’t find people overly mean and snobbish. People still hold the door for the person behind them. When a bakery mixed up our orders – they gladly fix it without any drama.
And even though I don’t speak a lick of French, they are still willing to make an effort to help. One lady even taught us how to open the antique French metro door (not the modern one you can just press, it was the one that you have to… roll) when we almost missed the train. There are scammers particularly near Sacre Coeur & Montmartre area – but if you pre-educate yourself you can still
be careful & avoid falling to their trap. Indeed the streets are not squeaky clean, but I just look up to the gorgeous buildings & landscapes – problem solved! And I’d rather spend my week vacationing in Paris rather than another week behind the office desk. Amen to that.
I never realized how huge Paris is until I saw their metro network map. There are sooooo many lines; one of the most complicated underground metro I’ve seen. Perhaps only London, Shanghai & Moscow can compete with that. To roam around, there are many types of passes, but after some calculations we ended up buying Carnet for metro combined with 2-Days Museum Pass (which saved us each ~100 euro). Read more about Paris Museum Pass
HERE As we don’t have much time here, I had to be very selective and fast. Just after we arrived from Brussels, that night we went to Eiffel Tower. We walked from the Trocadero side so we can take pictures of the fountains too. If you’re keen to go up to the platforms, you can choose between the elevator or the stairs. For the elevator, you can buy your ticket online
HERE. It would
not be cheaper – but it will save you from the long queue. If you do want to buy online ticket – do it in advance. Like, way in advance. I couldn’t get my hands on the date & time that I wanted. The best times are already taken for the next 3 months. As we went there at night, the queue was actually not that bad. But my husband and I felt it was sufficient just to admire from outside. If you climb up to the Eiffel – then you can’t see the Eiffel itself.
Although we didn’t climb Eiffel – but we climbed bunch of other places such as the Notre Dame Cathedral tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur and Pompidou Museum. From all of those – I can take picture of the city skyline with Eiffel in it. Best view? From Notre Dame (although the queue can be painful). Most effortless? From Pompidou Museum (you just take elevators, no need to climb manual stairs). The climbs are manageable. There were even 2 toddlers climbed Notre Dame with us and a very pregnant woman (like 7+ months) climbed Arc de Triomphe.
Speaking about museums – we
went on with full force and try to hop to as many as museums & cathedrals as we can. Louvre, Cluny, d’Orsay, Pompidou, Versailles, St Chapelle, Notre Dame Tower – you name it. What caught my eyes? In Louvre what caught my eyes is not Mona Lisa painting (which is small in real life) – but this sculpture 'Cupid and Psyche'
by the Italian artist Antonio Canova. There’s just something very romantic & touching about it. In Musee d’Orsay you can see the mini replica of Liberty statue (although you can also see it in Havel stop in the Seine river) and the sculptures there are also amazing – you can even see the veins in the sculptures. Breathtaking. I’m just annoyed Musee d’Orsay is not allowing photography although other fellow museum (i.e. Louvre) is allowing it. I can still understand “no flash” regulation – but no picture at all is… interesting. As for Pompidou? Gosh, I really didn’t get it. At all. But they do have superb view of the city – you can see Eiffel, Sacre Couer and all. When I was there, I was more fascinated with the giant drawings at the sidewalk outside Pompidou instead of
things inside it. Yes, I’m guilty for not being artsy.
While you have your Paris Museum Pass, make sure you visit Versailles palace too. It’s kinda touristy, but indeed it was pretty. Definitely more grandeur than
the humble Rosenborg Slot in Copenhagen . Make sure you wear your walking shoes because the palace and the courtyard are HUGE. They even rented out golf cart for you to roam around the courtyard. When I was there, the fountains were under maintenance – but my favorite was the curly garden (you really need to see from the top to fully admire it). Just make sure you come early before the tour buses started to pour in.
But of course in Paris, you can’t ignore the food. Ahhh, the food. Instead of paying the 9 euro American buffet breakfast at the hotel – we just hopped across the street and buy bread & sweets from local bakery (only 1 euro for a long fresh warm baguette!). It’s so local they don’t even speak English. My husband happily eats this giant Palmier pastry (as big as his head!) we bought from Hure bakery (near Notre Dame Cathedral) and I gobbled on Macaron Pistache wherever I can find
them. On macarons, surprisingly I like Paul’s the most even though I tried Laduree and Pierre Herme before. And yes, it’s macaron and not macaroon. Now on ice cream – I tried the famous Berthillon and Amorino. For me, I’m team Amorino. Taste better, lighter, cheaper, prettier (they shape it as rose petals). But hey, that’s just personal taste. Unfortunately due to our dietary restrictions, we can't do
restaurant tour as we did in Istanbul - but I would highly recommend take advantage of the opportunity and visit some of famous Michelin stars restaurants (make sure you make reservation first!)
When we were in Paris, I was also lucky enough to snatch one of Beyonce's concert ticket. Initially I thought the media was just exaggerating when they said this and that artist sold out the tickets in 1 hour. I thought - how could it be? The dome can hold up to 50,000 people. There's no way... But then - I couldn't get the ticket in Amsterdam (ran out in 1.5 hours - and the queue at the website is crazy). So I felt very lucky to be able to get one ticket in Paris. Emphasize in "ONE". Unfortunately I couldn't get ticket for my
Versailles Garden
Love that pattern! husband so I ended up going alone. He assured me it was fine. I thought it's a good opportunity for him to get some rest too considering our very tight itinerary. But I was very touched when I got back to the hotel - he wasn't sleeping at all. He was waiting, with his phone by his side, just in case I called and needed to be rescued (although he's not familiar with Paris either). But still, I'm very touched... 😊
Among all of the experiences we have in Paris, what stood out to me is this one moment at the Sacre Coeur. We somehow manage to find a quiet & safe nook on the base, away from the huskers & scammers. Facing the Paris city skyline, with my husband arms wrapped around me, suddenly I heard a street performing playing harp. It’s a wedding song but I don’t know the title though. It was just so… romantic… I wish I could bottle up the wonderful feelings I’ve collected throughout my journey. Unfortunately there’s no such “emotional bottle” but I did capture it in video with my SLR camera (just knew the video feature got fixed too after
my camera went dead in Hungary ).
So to my dear bitchy colleague – I really don’t know what you are complaining about. Paris CAN BE wonderful if you look at it from its bright side. I believe life will taste sweeter if all of us just learn to count our blessings and not taking things for granted.
TIPS: • Definitely buy
Paris Museum Passif you are planning to visit key attractions including places like Versailles palace, climb Arc de Triomphe, Chateau de Fountainblue, Louvre, etc. It doesn’t cover Eiffel Tower though. The key is to determine how many days do you need it (it comes in 2-4-6 days version). Apparently when they say “2-days” it’s actually 3 days. For example, if you activate it on 18-May, you can actually still use it until 20-May.
• The x-ray queue at St Chapelle can be a pain (almost 1 hour for us) – but you can actually just line up for the x-ray machine going to Palais de Justice; it actually goes out to the same door. They don’t officially allow this – but technically, it can be done.
• The famous Berthillon ice cream parlor for couple of months in summer and the queue can be crazy,
but there are bunch of other cafes selling their ice cream for a slightly higher price. But after tasting it – I personally preferred Amorino gelato instead. Cheaper, tastier, prettier (they shape it like rose petals).
• There are lots of bakeries and cafes in Paris; but I usually go where the locals go. If you see many locals queuing and they don’t have English menu – that’s a good sign. Of course, it would be better if you perform your due diligence & look first in tripadvisor or some Michelin guide book. Near Notre Dame Cathedral – Hure is a local bakery with the longest line (mostly local buyers); very tasty with reasonable price.
• X-ray queue to enter Louvre can be long, but you can take special line if you have Paris Museum Pass. Alternatively, take the alternative door near the metro.
• Be careful on street scammers tactics, especially near Sacre Coeur and Montmartre area. Many black guys offering (almost forcing) “friendship bracelet” which they will tie to your hand and then you have to pay substantial amount of money. They will even actively approach and kinda “hunt” you so just keep your distance and walk very fast. Never give
Amorino Gelato
My absolute favorite away your hands. Also don’t do the “Guess Where’s the Ball” game. They worked in groups and some of them pretend like they've won so you will be encouraged to play thinking there’s a chance to win. There’s none. It’s always empty wherever you points.Attractions typically have closure days (usually Monday or Tuesday), so make sure you check before you leave. Summary is
HERE but do double check with the attraction’s official website to ensure its closure validity.
To see more of my awesome pics, click
HERE.
To read my hotel reviews, click
HERE
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JayExiomo
Jay Exiomo
Hahaha
It's funny how you started your story. Your colleague acted like how many people stereotype French. I agree that while the French and Paris have a negative side, for the most part I found them enchanting. And by the way, I really love your pictures.