Paris and beyond - week 1

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This is the first ‘episode’ of another of 'our' travel experiences.

The collective ‘episodes’ (this merely being the first) describe our journey from our arrival in Paris, France (from the 2nd week of May) for the first week of our extended holiday. The second week begins at Bordeaux where we collect a hire car. After that, our destination is unplanned - we'll sort of follow our noses to where the scenery and experiences seem worthwhile. Eventually, we'll find our way back to Paris to depart.



We've attached a few pics that give you a flavour of our journey, and some 'flow over' past the dialogue. You may need to manually go to the 'spillover' page to see them. As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture, click it to enlarge.

Tuesday 19th May - Departure

We're a weird bunch aren't we? We're so fixated on time, structure and schedules that we get annoyed when our (supposedly) organised itinerary goes awry. When things go wrong we bleat - but really, when things go wrong we ought congratulate ourselves that mostly things go right.



We departed in the early am to arrive @ KL at 3:15pm local time and departure for Paris @ 11:15pm. We'd planned to store our bags for the few hours and head into KL city. After being mucked about a bit, we took the bus for the (usual) one hour trip. For whatever reason, the bus driver took a route quite different to our expectations and we found ourselves caught up in a massive traffic jam. Instead of the one hour, it took us 1 1/2 to get to KL Sentral. Rather than head into (say) Bukit Bintang for a meal, we stayed at Sentral and plumped for a Chinese restaurant - the only choice as we were hot and thirsty and wanted a beer.



When we returned to KLIA, we learned our flight was delayed by 30 minutes. We filled in time awaiting departure - and eventually boarded. On take-off, the pilot shut the engines down and we ground to a halt. A few minutes passed before we were told that a malfunction meant a return to the apron and our jetbridge exit. It wasn't the delay that annoyed - rather, at midnight much was closed and we really wanted to sleep. Nearly 5 hours later, we (successfully) departed.

Wednesday 20th

The plane was a newish A380 (double deck). With such a huge mass, getting airborne appeared a challenge. What amazed us most was the relative quiet of the plane. On landing, there was no engine thrust sound, no hydraulics, etc., just quiet. Amazing.





Paris turned on a frigid welcome - 8C at midday. After 26C at home and 33C at KL, we shivered. Then again - we imagined - what would it have been like had we landed as scheduled at 6:30am? We'd heard that the Roissybus was a more pleasant entrance than the RER (train), so we gave it a go. True! The journey through leafy highways and into the Opera region via Montmarte was much nicer than expected. The 'landing' at Opera was an added bonus. A quick jaunt via a Metro to Republique was a breeze.



We'd prebooked a 1 bedder at Republique via airbnb. Turned out to be good and so, so central. As with most Parisian apartments, it is accessed via a big double door (small car entry) into a courtyard. Thence a 'front' door gains entry to the building (proper). 'Our' unit is on the first floor - so quite 'accessible'.



The centre of Republique (the urban area) is a large square (Place de la Republique) dominated by a statue to the various republics. From the square several boulevards radiate - which reflects the urban renewal designer Baron Haussman undertaken in the mid-19th century for more go here . Under the square is a Metro, so, it is not only central, it is accessible. You may have seen Place de la Republique on your tele when it became the focus of Je Suis Charlie.



While Judy crashed, Bruce foraged for supplies; baguette, multiple cheeses, tasty brown beer, lovely red wine as well as brekky food and dinner. Being used to an 'about' 6:30pm time for dinner, we continued the 'tradition' - more to accustom ourselves to local time. We both love French food - or should we better say 'the food of France'. Ahhhh, we may live to regret our enjoyment as our waistlines expand.



An early night for both.

Thursday 21st

The weather remained 'challenging', with a morning temperature of 6C. We had a cereal brekkie and descended to the street for a coffee and croissant. There is much to be said in favour of this Parisian tradition.



Judy discovered she needed a "couple of things" - meaning a trip to the supermarket hair management aisle!!! In so doing, Judy also found the "Oh so comfortable" shoes she'd purchased prior to departing didn't allow for walking comfort. So, hobbling along, we went in pursuit of a 'comfortable' replacement. After hours of searching for a 'fashion' shoe that was also comfortable (is there such a beast?), Judy settled for a 'basic' comfort shoe. The 'exercise' also re-acquainted us with the many shopping precincts of the inner right bank; Belleville, Montmartre, Pletzl and Les Halles.



Metro in Paris offer a two zone all day ticket for 7 Euro (which is about the same as 4 single trips). We'd found this suited our needs really well. So, getting around merely meant finding the nearest Metro (usually within a few minutes walk), finding the right lines for the chosen destination and inserting the ticket to begin the journey. Some line changes require a bit of leg work, others close - but all underground. Very easy.



We returned to our digs to repeat the food indulgences of the evening prior. A difference being that shopping ended at 6:30pm, and dinner 'arrived' around 9. Being a temperate clime, in May the light 'goes down' at about 10:30pm.

Friday 22nd

We'd read that the best coffee in Paris is at 10 Belles - which is located quite close to our 'digs'. Perhaps it was the US blues &/or the banana bread that appealed to the reviewers. For us, it was what we'd expect for a coffee. That said, Parisians like a weak brew, so maybe the reviewers never bothered to ask for a double shot (as we do). But, the bolt hole that is 10 Belles was quirky.



Upon departure, the sun was beginning to be felt and we began to relax somewhat. Near to our 'digs' and between that and 10 Belles is the Canal St Martin - an original and still working canal. We noticed a boat in one of the locks and followed it downstream. We discovered that the canal joins the seine at both ends, and was built to both relieve barge pressure on central Paris and provide access to barges coming from the (river) la Marne. Due to topography, there are several lock sites, and in part (from near Republique to Bastille) the canal travels under the streetscape in a tunnel.



We'd read of the '10 of the best pâtisseries in Paris and top of the list was the macaroon 'king' Pierre Hermé. We'd visited his store on our last visit and chose to visit others on the list. Locally, in upper Marais was the 'restaurant' of chef Jacques Genin. The outlet is really a chocolate retail space, but included is a place to enjoy tea (or coffee) and his wares. Go look here . We opted for a mille-feuille and tarte fraise. The teas were chinois, and quite potent. Accompanying the feast were a selection of chocolates. We can only say sensational. The mille-feuille looked like a heap of fine puff pastry glued with a creme. For us, the notion of a mille-feuille being predominantly pastry was confronting - we're used the huge slabs of cream sandwiched between a couple of layers of thin pastry. This was the reverse! It only took a taste to see why. In fact the pastry was so light it melted in the mouth. And, the creme was praline and oh, so light. The tarte fraise consisted of wild strawberries on a vanilla creme on the thinnest pastry. Mmmmmm!!!! The chocolate pieces stunned us - on one, soft but dark chocolate flavoured with thyme. Another was a light coloured chocolate that looked like toffee fudge but tasted like caramelised chocolate. We won't bore you any more!!!



Given all the calories, we decided to do a self-walking tour from north of Republique in the La Villette district from Pyrenees at Belleville. This is a decided working class area. The route was described as a 'round the world' tour because it travelled through the many ethnic 'enclaves' housing immigrants from various parts of the world. Pyrenees is also the birthplace of Edith Piaf. Not far from our start we entered the Parc de Belleville - a beautiful oasis of trees and shrubs, blossom aromas, and bird calls. After the busyness that is Paris (any dense urban precinct for that matter), this was bliss. It wasn't that it was a great park, rather, that it offered a place to withdraw into nature. After a prolonged interlude we continued onwards into the maelstrom of multiculturalism.



We ended back at our digs to recuperate before heading off to Bvd Haussman (Opera) and the department stores of Printemps and Galerie LaFayette. Alighting from the station, we noticed a huge 'monument' along one of the boulevards. it wasn't apparent what it was so we went for a look. It was the Church of Saint-Marie Madelaine - erected in the mid-19th century in the neo-Classical style (ie. looking like a Greek Temple) by the Catholic Church as a monument to Napoleon's army!!! Made of limestone, it is blackened and dark due to inadequate maintenance. With the squillions the Catholics have taken from the public, the least they could do is maintain the building in a clean state.



We made our way back to Bvd Haussman and the retail stores. For us, these make Myer look so like a provincial backwater store (which, sadly, on the world stage is what it is). The garments were stunning - as were the prices. After looking at Japanese and European fashion, we concluded that Australians are mugs for accepting the crap that is mainstream US fashion (despite it being cheap). What stood out the most was the clarity of colour - even in prints. Also surprising were the vases of flowers in Printemps; they'd have to cost a fortune to maintain each day.



We returned to the apartment for a late food indulgence and bed. What a full day!!!

Saturday 23rd

Would you believe we awoke at 10:30am? We thought something was wrong with our watches.



Looking online, we 'discovered' that this time was Paris Craft Beer week - a festival of craft beers across various venues look here . Wheeeeeeeeeee, we HAD to partake!!!!!



Given the time, rather than croissant, we had a coffee with a sandwich. Parisian sandwiches are quite different. First, they use a baguette. Second, they use real food - not artificial slices of meat / cheese / salad /etc. as in Oz. For us, today was a pastrami, goats cheese, chargrilled vegetables, and salad greens - all in a multigrain baguette.



Despite any desires, early afternoon wasn't beer-oclock! Our solution was to meander the streets of Marais. The Marais is one of Paris' main localities for art galleries and has become a fashionable district, home to many trendy restaurants, fashion houses, and 'out there' galleries. We noticed so many electric car 'refuelling' stations. Last time we were in Paris, we only noticed a couple. clearly, the concept has caught on. We're not sure of the process, but all the vehicles are of the same type and coloured like bare metal (being aluminium there's no need to paint). we're thinking one hires them like one hires a bike.



We'd read that a brewery in a northern area was doing some good stuff, so we headed for the quite Muslim area of La Goutte d'Or (beside Montmartre). There, amongst the slumminess of the Muslim enclave was a little microbrewery making some wonderful beers. How do we know? We sampled the range! Sadly, it was just a brewery, with not a seat in sight, nor a bar for purchase. They were bottlers and were offering samples to the public for the 'festival'. Not ones to look a gifthorse....



We headed across to another suburb - Clignancourt - to a small pub offering a quite different fare (mainly Czech style pilseners). Most enjoyable, but only 3 taps. Next we ventured back south towards Montmartre to another bar to try smoked beers and porters. Sadly, they ran out of beer after we sampled, so we joined another couple to walk to Pigalle (over the Montmartre hill) for an odd experience. The barman had devised a 'mocktail' to match a craft beer. The 'mocktail' was a fruit and tea concoction and surprisingly each married with the selected ale.



The time 'flew' and it was necessary to eat - so we took our leave and returned to the unit.



The day prior at Place de la Republique, a large stage was being erected. A free concert was to occur the following day (today) in the evening. So, when we emerged from Republique Metro, we became entangled in the large outdoor concert. The concert was a 'festival of brotherhood and reconciliation' featuring a West Indian band "Limye Ba Yo". Great music

Photos

Paris poster
Wish Australians used posters like this more often

paris metro north
This is the area we've 'operated'

Canal St Martin
Note the swing bridge to the right of this English barge.

Forum of Galerie LaFayette
The store surrounds this domed forum, providing a wonderful light to the floorspace.

Citroen car
Citroen decided to call it's mini 4WD 'CACTUS'.... hahahahaha

Arcade window
Flowers are so important to Parisians - naturally, given the lack of green in the urban.

In a shop window
This shop of Japanese goods sold nick-nacks. We were struck by the display.