Oui oui Paris!

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We love the fact that everywhere is so close to London, and we particularly love the Eurostar which will quickly and efficiently take you right into the heart of the city of love, Paris.

All hail the Eurostar!
It is amazing that you can be at work at 5:30pm on a Friday and a mere few hours later, find yourself in Gare du Nord, ready to break into the cancan.

I have been to Paris once before, but it is by no means a chore to return to this magical city. Merely walking through the streets is enough to keep you entertained for days, but there are also a bucketload of amazing museums and galleries to awe and inspire.

This visit we went to the Rodin Museum which I would highly recommend. I never realised just how much work he produced during his lifetime, nor how diverse the subject matter.

The mansion full of his work was captivating, but the best part of the museum is the large sculpture garden with classics such as the (original) Thinker. The museum is very close to some famous Paris landmarks, so it is very pretty walking around the garden, observing the sculptures and seeing the Eiffel Tower or other buildings in the distance.

We revisited places we had been previously like the Eiffel Tower, the Tuilerie Gardens, Notre Dame, Sacre Couer, the Moulin Rouge, the Champs Elysee and the Louvre.

We also went to places that I had not seen before like the funky Marais district where we gobbled crepes, and the stunning Sainte Chappelle with the enormous all-encompassing stained glass windows. It was amazing when the sun shone out from behind the clouds and illuminated one side of the chapel. The rays of light really brought the stained glass images and colours to life.

One of the best parts about Paris was the FOOD.

Some friends of ours took us to lunch on the first day at an authentic French bistro. It was helpful having locals to decipher the menu and charm the waiters for us. Delicious. I have already mentioned the creperie in the Marais, but there were other little gems we stumbled upon in the back alleys like the cheese shop where Troy bought some edible souvenirs to take home. I even found a shop that sold decent looking gluten free French sticks! No cheese for me though.

The best meal we had in Paris was amazingly enough Japanese.

There were a large number of Japanese restaurants in the area where we were staying and I was surprised to find that there were quite a few Japanese restaurants in Paris generally. I am not sure why there are so many Japanese restaurants in Paris, but my stomach certainly benefitted after being deprived in London (Itsu does NOT count!). We indulged in a massive sushi and sashimi platter accompanied by teriyaki skewers. It was an enormous meal, but it was so delicious that I could not leave any of it behind. Mmmmmm....yum.

Ahhhh Paris, we will return very soon. You are only a Eurostar ride away and will we have to come back and have some more sushi and crepes in the warmer weather.

We also have to return to visit the Orangerie. It reopened fairly recently, but the queue to get in was too long to contemplate on a cold, rainy day. Not that we need another reason to come back to Paris!

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Comments

[MaMA BAt]

Paris, sister city to.....ADELAIDE???
Wow, who'd have thought that an elegant and culture-filled city like Paris would have something in common with dear, old Adelaide?! I refer, of course, the the rather surprising decision of the French to copy those famous Rundle Mall silver balls! I also like the beaded Metro station entrance. It almost begs me to break out into another rendition of calisthenics tunes about gay Paris...." I love Paris in the springtime, I love Paris in the fall, I love Paris in the summer, when it sizzles, I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles. I love Paarriiissss....." Are you hiding yet, Rhiannon????