pogoism

Well, got back from Paris last Thursday, but I’ve only just got the photos up on Flickr, so I thought I’d blog about it!

Had a wonderful time, was kind of a last trip with my S before I head to the US in August, so it was tinged with a bit of sadness… but it was fantastic time nonetheless!

Left on the Saturday, and met S at King’s Cross/St. Pancras where we waited for the Eurostar. Compared to flying, the Eurostar is a dream. It’s so much more relaxed and civilised, and the same price as flying, if not cheaper. The other benefit is that you arrive in the middle of Paris, at Gare du Nord, so most hostels and hotels are within a short Metro ride away.

We arrived on Saturday night and found out hostel, near one of the ‘villages’ in Eastern Paris called Belleville (home to blogger better known as “Petite Anglaise“). We stayed in St. Christopher’s Inn, which was nice enough – clean, great location next to Canal St. Martin, cheap. 

First on our list of things to do was to go up the Eiffel Tower. So, we queued for about an half an hour before it opened, so we wouldn’t have to wait much. Opting for the lazy elevator to the top, we crammed in, and enjoyed the ride to the 2nd floor. From there we went headed straight for the lift to the top floor. Unfortunately, we managed to choose the cloudiest day to go up, but the views were superb.

Then, after lunch we headed to the sewers. An unlikely tourist attraction, you might think, but still highly enjoyable. It follows the development of the Parisian sewer system throughout the last 800 years. Well worth a visit!

So then, we set off for the two Islands - Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis. On Île de la Cité sits the magnificent Notre Dame cathedral, as well as the pretty Place Dauphine, Place Lepin and the Palais de Justice.

Monday was S’s 21st birthday, so after breakfast we went to find our hotel, on Rue de Dunkirque, near Gare du Nord. Then it was off to the Arc du Triomphe.

We ambled down Avenue des Champs-Élysées, and, after stopping for lunch and a crêpe, we ended up at Place de la Concorde. 

In the evening, we went to Montmartre for dinner, and, aided by the trusty Rough Guide, we found a little place called Le Restaurant (not the most original name, admittedly, but still great food). Then, up to the steps of the Sacré-Cœur to watch the sun set over Paris.

We began our third day in Paris by going to the Lourve. We didn’t go in, though we did spend quite a bit of time in the courtyard admiring the spectacular glass pyramid, one of Francois Mitterand’s grand projects.

The rest of the day was spent around the south of the city, beginning with the Latin Quarter, where to went to another of the “Grand Projects”, La Insitut de Monde Arabe, and to have a mint tea at the Paris Mosque.

After a rather expensive lunch at the Jardin du Luxembourg we went to see the Pompidou Centre in Beaubourg. Then, back to the hotel for a much deserved rest…

Our final day commenced with a visit to the Catacombs in Montparnasse. A truly fascinating, but creepy, experience involving 500m of underground, eerily lit tunnels, with a large portion of it containing human skeletal remains. Of slight amusement was that we were searched on our way out…

Our penultimate stop was to La Défense, which we had initially scrubbed from the itinerary, but decided to do last minute. It’s not until you get to see La Grande Arch up close that you can appreciate its glorious size.

And finally, we went back to Montmartre for a mint tea before our Eurostar, and to get one more look at the city from the steps of the Sacré-Cœur.