We had an amazing time in Paris. So many sights, smells and tastes, too many to take in in one short trip. The metro is especially interesting. We managed to nail it within a day. It’s easy, fast and cheap once you understand the lines, stations and how to get to each platform. It can get a little hot, smelly and crowded but it’s so easy to get where you needs to go (as long as you have Google maps.) I think the only downside of taking the Metro is that you are underground therefore don’t get to see your journey from place to place.
Everything in the city is expensive, but we knew that before we arrived and we prepared for the prices. We had one night where I paid 25 Euro for three beers, I almost fell over. It was 2am and as well as ‘Happy Hour’ (usually from around 5pm-10pm) in some bars they also have ‘Club Hour’ (2am until 5am), where they hike the prices up.
One thing I will miss in Paris is the price for really amazing cheese and wine. You can but a great bottle of vin rouge (red wine) and delicious fromage (cheese) for under 3 euro each. That was many of my evenings sorted!
I got very good at ordering our breakfast at the Boulangerie just down from our apartment – “trois croissant et un pain et chocolat, si vou plait.” I am a little sick of croissants if i’m honest… Marmite on toast wouldn’t go a stray right now!
I turned 23 in Paris. It was a brilliantly sunny day with a perfect temperature high of around 25. We started with a huge breakfast with Bertrand at a creperie around the corner from the apartment. When I say huge, I mean a three course breakfast… you start with bread, cheeses and orange juice, then crepes with ham and eggs with a hot drink and then sweet crepes to finish off. That did us until well after lunch!
We said goodbye to Bert as he had to head to work and met up with Josh’s friend Van, who has been living in Paris for almost five months. We wandered around the area he lives in which is by the canals and then went for coffee. Afterward we caught the metro to Montmartre and meet up with Lola.
Van and Lola were our tour guides for the afternoon. We walked right up to the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre and looked out over the city. A spectacular view. By the time we walked back down, Josh and I were peckish and ordered a burger at Quick, a Belgian fast-food joint very similar to McDonalds or Burger King (not great, but filled the gap.) We then just wandered the streets for hours. Van left us and we found a bar and had a cocktail and waited for a few other friends to join us.
Dinner was my favourite part of my day. We went to a place called Chartier which is known for good, authentic french cuisine that is very affordable. The whole experience was just great. I had foie-gras and bread as a starter, duck and potatoes as my main and what was like a giant profiterole with cream from dessert. Three bottles of vin rouge later (between seven) we were very satisfied!
Our last day and night in Paris was great. We got to visit Van one last time as his work (a coffee shop called Cafe Kitsune) then headed over to where Lola was staying. She made us lunch and we caught the Metro to a rad bar called La Javelle which sits on the Seine. It had an amazing vibe, all outside with fairy lights and missed matched furniture. We ordered beers, sat down and a guy called Kevin Davy White started playing covers. AMAZING. Soulful, deep voice like Ray Charles.
Before I left I was told by maybe people that seven days was too long to stay in Paris, but I couldn’t disagree more. I could have stayed for another few weeks. The city is so large and so dense that after seven days we hadn’t even scratched the surface. I look forward to heading back in the next few years and spending more time there.
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