Paris dreaming…

My fascination for everything French started in my early 20’s. I applauded their passion and flair accompanied with their reverence of food, art and literature. They radiated attitude, like perfectly groomed cats: their supposed indifference of foreigners giving them an air of nonchalance and their innate sense of style imbuing an effortless chic. Subliminally, I had tried to garner a little “french-like” culture: by learning their language at school, studying French and English literature at University and segueing into the wine industry to pursue my love of French wine and Champagne. The “effortless chic” still had me mystified but I adopted a cat and enjoyed her feline “nonchalance” on a daily basis.

So any opportunity to travel to France, especially Paris, was not to be ignored and when our names fortuitously appeared on a wedding invitation in Valencia, Spain (so close to France!) I was not going to miss this chance…

Mr M and I started saving intensely towards the trip (it’s a long way from New Zealand to Europe). To maximise the trip we planned to visit other friends who had moved away to Singapore, Amsterdam, Barcelona; partake in a wine tasting through Bordeaux and go on a quick pilgrimage to see Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao before the wedding.

But my dream destinations of Champagne and Paris were not included in our already-too-long six week trip for various reasons:

a) because we had already been to Champagne and Paris twice already

b) because we had a nonchalant cat to come home to… and

c) because we can’t always get what we want.

Mr. M, my tall, contemporary architect had good points. But I’m never one to give up easily so I put my powers of French persuasion to the test.

Paris Bound…

It’s amazing how a little subliminal marketing can work; an inflatable Eiffel Tower appeared in our hallway, croissants became a regular weekend breakfast choice and Champagne tastings a must on our wine-tasting calendar…Books on Coco Chanel and Champagne sat by my bedside and tickets to La Vie En Rose - a documentary on Edith Piaf - appeared ‘out of the blue’….

Before he knew it, I had secured us a week in Reims, Epernay and Paris at the end of our tour. Quelle surprise! (We’ll see who is surprised at the end of this post)…

Cue forward to 6 weeks of travel over four countries, six cities and we arrive full of wonder (and Champagne) in the City of Light.

Paris!

La tour Eiffel (taken on a Canon EOS 100 film camera no tripod).jpg

So much has been written about the City of Light that I’ll keep this ordered and charming, just like the French themselves.

Here are my secrets for enjoying Paris like a Parisian,

plus the little surprise I mentioned at the end…

Channel your inner Flâneur…

One of the first things to do when in Paris is channel your inner “flâneur” and wander along the Seine, cross the beautiful bridges and just enjoy the city as if you live there.

There are so many breathtaking arrondissements to visit: from the royal gardens and buildings of the 1st & 2nd (Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, Palais Royal, Place Vendôme), the hip & historic Marais (4th), the Medieval Latin Quartier (5th), Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th) with its arts and cultural history, shopping and eateries, Champs-Elysées (7th) which features the Grand & Petit Palais, Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concord all the way over to Opéra (9th) home of the beautiful Palais Garnier and the hip Pigalle area up to the bohemian hill Montmarte (18th) with its landmark Sacre-Coeur.

Just remember to keep that inner flâneur in check: try not to do too much each day otherwise you’ll be exhausted every evening and the shine of being there will wear off… You can always go back (even if it takes 15 years between visits!)

2. Sit inside a café, rather than looking (and being charged) like a tourist out the front…

If you are a lover of literature, then you will find your flâneur-self in Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th arrondissement) where you can take a cup of coffee in Café de Flore or Les Deux Magots and revel in the the intellectual genius and artistic talent of former patrons Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Satre, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso & James Joyce.

Sitting inside these old establishments allows you to soak up the ambiance, enjoy the aloofness of the waiters and listen to la langue française.

(see my Post Script below for some extra tips on dining in France)

Café de Flore: 172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006, Paris. cafedeflore.fr

Les Deux Magots: 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 75006, Paris. lesdeuxmagots.fr

3. Spend an afternoon at the Rodin Museum (Musée Rodin)

There are plenty of beautiful museums, galleries and churches to visit in Paris, but the Musée Rodin is one which offers you a quiet respite from all the queues and tourists (even though you are one).

Rodin’s sculptures are showcased in ornamental gardens spanning over 7.5 acres around an 18th Century mansion called Hôtel Biron. Rodin rented four rooms here in the early 1900’s to use as his studio and shared this building with other artists such as painter Henri Matisse, writer Jean Cocteau & dancer Isadora Duncan. His entire body of work is housed in the mansion and gardens.

77 rue de Varenne, 75007, Paris

www.musee-rodin.fr

4. Visit Sainte-Chapelle

With so many competing monuments to visit (Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Les Invalides, Sacré Coeur, Musée D’Orsay, Palais Garnier, Panthéon and Palace of Versailles to name but a few) its easy to miss this outstanding example of French Gothic architecture (Constructed from 1242-1248).

It is easy to find - situated on the Île de la Cité - but also easy to go inside and see some beautiful ceilings and stained glass windows but not see the side stairwells which lead you up 33 steps to the main chapel where all is revealed in full gem-like splendour! 15 metre high windows of stained glass surrounding the chapel - mind blowingly gorgeous.

Sainte-Chapelle Île de la Cité, Paris

www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en/

Stained glass windows upstairs inside the Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

5. Spend a morning at the Panthéon

A visit to the vaulted domed Panthéon will shine some light on French history from monarchy to the Republic. Originally built as the Church for Sainte-Geneviève it later fell to the Republic and became a monument to the great people and history of France. The interior is incredible: there is Foucault’s extraordinary Pendulum which shows the passage of time using gravity and the movement of the earth; beautiful statues carved to commemorate France’s great moments in history and large paintings which fill the spaces where the church windows used to be depicting Sainte-Geneviève. The crypt - which houses figures of France’s elite: playwrights, artists and visionaries such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, Emile Zola, Alexandre Dumas, Rousseau and the Architect of the Panthéon, Soufflot - is nothing but illuminating. It is an honour to be in the presence of such great thinkers, artists and history makers and well worth a visit.

6. View the Eiffel Tower at night

It’s quite a sight after dark as la tour Eiffel glows golden in the dark sky. But something you shouldn’t miss is when it begins to twinkle and a ray beams out from the top. You can see this on the hour, every hour after dark, so aim to be in or around the 7th arrondissement one night while you are there!

It was our final night in Paris before we had to head back to NZ. Amidst the packing mahem back in our hotel room I had a sudden realisation that it was our last evening in my favourite city and I couldn’t spend it one minute longer without channelling my inner flâneur one last time!

We headed out for one final glimpse at La tour Eiffel….

And this is where the surprise happened.

On this beautiful evening, after gazing at the Eiffel Tower with its golden glow, we walked along the Seine and stepped onto the Pont Neuf bridge (Paris’ oldest bridge).

Mr. M turned to me and asked if I would marry him!

Of course I said yes!

We turned around to take one last look at Paris by night and the Eiffel Tower started twinkling with thousands of tiny lights. It seemed that even Paris was celebrating our special moment…

(Apologies for the fuzzy photo - marriage proposals get the heart rate up!)

Sparkly lights of the Eiffel Tower over the Pont Neuf

On this Paris evening I had everything I could ever dream of…

Post Script:
When in Paris (or any country for that matter) don’t forget your manners.
Remember you are a guest in their country so learning a few simple customs can make the difference to your stay, wherever you are in the world.

In Paris:

Don’t forget to say “Bonjour” to waitstaff, ticket booth operators, sales assistants and hotel staff. The French stand on formality and this simple greeting can get things off on the correct footing.
Even if you don’t speak French a simple “Bonjour” (hello), “Merci” (thank you) and “Au Revoir” (goodbye) will go a long way with the French.
When in a restaurant, once you are ready to order, close your menu - when the waiter comes over you can re-open it to order. Waiters also leave you to spend time during your meal service so you will have to catch their eye or call them over if you wish to order another drink etc. They are not being rude, they are just allowing you the space to enjoy your meal.
And go on, enjoy your meal. While in France, do what the French do and take the time to savour your courses, conversation and coffee. You’re on holiday after all!