A week in Paris

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BANGKOK - Anzac Day in Bangkok.

Pretty quiet day today as I feel as though I have been mauled by one of those Tigers I drank last night. We do some shopping and prepare for our Midnight departure.

PARIS…. 26th April 2007

We arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport, which was tired and dark when we were here in 1995 - it is now tireder and darker. The Customs and Immigration process here is painful as it is almost everywhere. There are no lines or ordered queues just a press of humanity moving in dolly steps towards a race where you are then channelled to a booth/desk. The usual bored to death officials found the world over staff these desks - they must all do the same course in sternness followed up by a Diploma in “How to maintain disinterest at all costs!” Those that really wish to excel in this chosen career can top off their education with a Degree in “How to take as long as possible to put a stamp upside down halfway through a passport”.

We make our way to the arrivals hall and at this point discover that we have no transfer from here to the City. Bummer. Oh well as an employee of a Major Sydney Public Transport provider it is time to walk the walk.

We catch a monorail to Poissy Parc 3 and after a short wait jump onto a Train on the RER that we trust is heading into Paris. We soon learn that indeed this train is heading into town and of course it is peak hour! Our luggage is taking up the space in an adjacent set of reversible seats - that is until one newly arrived passenger decides to move it all into the aisle (just make your own arrangements mate). So we sit under and around our bags as the train fills up.

The RER (which is the Regional Train Network) blends seamlessly into the Metro, which of course is the famous underground network that services Paris. We jump off at Port Royal and after bluffing our way out ‘sans’ ticket we emerge into the mild spring sunshine on a beautiful Parisian street.

After several false starts we find the way to our Hotel (we ask a Gendarme) and we embark on what we are assured is a 10 minute walk. They were close - it was more like 30 minutes - maybe the French share the Australian sense of ‘just 5 minutes up the road mate, you can’t miss it’. Which means that 100% of the time it will be at least 45 minutes and you will miss it for sure!

La Demeure is a charming Hotel on Boulevarde St Marcel in the 13th Arrondissements. It is run by a Father and Son team whose names escape me right now. We have a room on the third floor looking out over the Boulevarde de St Marcel. I amused at the size of the elevators in Paris and most other major European Cities - the one in the Demeure has to be sent up on autopilot because once our luggage is loaded into the lift there is no room for a human to accompany it. In fact the largest of our bags is only marginally smaller than said elevator.

After checking in we wander in the direction of Rue de Mouffetard, which is a wonderful little cobblestone street lined on both sides with fresh produce vendors. Bakers, Fishmongers, Butchers, Patisseries and Chocolatiers and in between a variety of Restaurants, Bars and Brasseries.

We stop for a coffee in Place de La Contrescarpe and this is when we learn the lesson that all Frenchman and seasoned visitors already know. The lesson is that when you decide to stop and have coffee make sure you are going to STOP. This is not the place for a quick cuppa because at 4.50 Euros each this comes in at a fairly steep $15 for two coffees. So the idea is to sit on that coffee and café seat for as long as you can so as to extract your $15 worth of pleasure. Watch the world go by for once you have finished and step onto the pavement you become the watched by all those nursing their expensive java.

That evening we dined at Margen’s Pub on rue Mouffetard. We ate traditional French fare. Lasagne washed down with Fosters beer. Vive la France! There was soccer on the TV and everyone smoked three cigarettes at once (or so it seemed to moi et ma cherie).

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Photos

Hotel La Demeure
A wonderful place to stay. Five minutes from Les Gobelins Metro and handy to the shops and restaurants of rue Mouffetard.

Margen's Pub
Several of the full time smokers encountered at Margen's Pub.