Taking Dad to Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Christmas market stalls on the Champs-Élysées

Going back to Avenue des Champs-Élysées was high on Dad's list of things to do, so we dedicated our whole day to it today.

We started at the Christmas market stalls at the end of the avenue, selling everything from carousel rides and barbe à papa (candy floss, literally 'papa's beard') to Russian dolls and quality hats (one of which we bought for Dad, a hat, not a beard).

I wish my new headpiece were from Tiffanys!!

We have sussed out the trick to eating out in Paris, you must be seated before 12.30pm, otherwise the cues go on for ages and cafés tend to be completely full. Knowing this, we hunted for somewhere warm but relaxed. We found a great family pizza place with the friendliest waiters. Two pizzas fed the three of us, and Dad had the biggest glass of beer I've ever seen! We didn't realise that 'une grande bière pression' was going to be so grande!! 

We continued shopping after lunch and I finally found a dress for my 21st, yay! Surprisingly there are still deals to be had on the Champs-Élysées, if you avoid the big brands. I was expecting exorbitant prices but managed to tick a few purchases off my list today, including that dress and some French perfume.

We slowly made our way up the avenue, past buskers break dancing to the Arc de Triomphe, where a clown decided to jump into our photos and then ask for money for doing so. Strange culture here in regards to getting money off people, the range of scams is ridiculous...

Arc de Triomphe feat. Dad, Mum, and Clown

Back to the metro and home for hot drinks before doing our grocery shopping at le boucherie (butchers, for fresh steak), le marchand des fruits et légumes (fruit and vege store), le magazine de vin (wine store), et le monoprix (mini supermarket). The streets, as always, started coming alive at about 4pm, and Dad was fascinated watching the atmosphere. I think he loves it here as much as we do.

Dad has arrived!

Dad arrived first thing this morning, after a long 30 plus hour trip. It's so good to share Paris with him.

We decided to take him out for a big walk this morning, around our area, down to the Seine and across to the islands for a hot chocolate and croissant. I went home while mum and dad bought wine, and started preparing a stir fry for lunch. Dad then had a nap while mum and I did puzzles, then we all went shopping at Forum des Halles to keep Dad awake. An early start though calls for an early night! Can't wait.

Les Passages de Paris

Today we went to the covered passages in Paris, including Galerie Vivienne, Passage du Grand Cerf, et Passage du Choiseul. 

Galerie Vivienne

I am yet to grasp opening days/hours in Paris, and when we walked into Passage du Grand Cerf (11am) almost all of the stores were shut because it was Monday. It was a beautiful sight, nonetheless. I could almost see the women (for whom these galeries were designed in the 1800s), in their long dresses with wide skirts, gracefully gliding along the passage gossiping amongst themselves, gazing through the shop windows at tasteful displays, while their chaperones in carriages waited patiently at the end. We were luckier at Galerie Vivienne, where the most gorgeous old librairie was, absolutely jammed full of beautiful leather-bound novels. Of course, as is the Paris way, the shop advertised opening hours from 11am on Mondays and at 11.30 there was no sign of the owner. We wandered around the gallery until 12pm when he arrived and began bringing out his displays so that you could actually get into the store. Malheuresement, he didn't have Les Mis, but he was so sweet and apologetic. He was an exact replica of the elderly French bookstore owner that you imagine when you think of Paris. Parfait! 

We then went to Ultramod, a gorgeous set of merceries across the road from each other, one selling old fashioned lace, threads, and a few fabrics, and the other focusing on older materials to make hats. The old man who owns both stores hates to sell his precious collection, and will often try to talk people out of buying anything. We sadly didn't get to meet this well-known owner, but the ladies we did converse with were just the sweetest. Adorable store! I bought some (expensive) lace there that is just beautiful, I can't wait to find an excuse to use it! There were many a lace there that would be perfect for a wedding dress...

We then realised if we didn't nab a table at a café soon (12.30pm), we wouldn't have a show. After 12.30/1pm tables are harder to find in Paris than an ugly street. We quickly entered the nearest crêperie, and managed to get the last table in a very full restaurant. The tables are so pushed together in cafés here that we literally had to move ours and the neighbour's out so that I could get into my seat. I wasn't fussed with the savoury crêpe, but loved the sweet one. 10/10.

Across the road we spotted Passage du Choiseul, and decided to use it as a shortcut to the Jardin des Tuileries. It turned out to be another beautiful passage, and we found a great inexpensive store where we purchased scarves and earrings. It's great being here before Christmas, as all the stores offer to wrap your purchases for you. Plus all the decorations and lights add to the romantic-ness that is Paris.

Le Jardin des Tuileries

Eventually we ended up at the gardens, although I'm sure we got there through a very round-about way. The views of perfectly trimmed rows of orange leaved trees was beautiful, enhanced by the carousel light up by fairylights, and the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in the background. Across le jardin to the Seine and down to Pont des Arts, the famous padlock bridge. One day I will put a padlock on it with my husband =)







I found a gorgeous old map of Paris at one of the bouqinistes along the Seine on the way home, which is another thing ticked off my list. A chocolat chaud et café au lait later, and after more than 10km of walking, we finally arrived back at our apartment. I had a long relaxing soak in the bath while mum wrote her blog, and now we're watching a Friends marathon. What could be more perfect than this?

Un Véritable Marché Parisien

The Parisian lady who lives above my bedroom has many pairs of high heeled shoes. She loves to parade them to her boyfriend, up and down the apartment back and forth, until 1 or 2am. She then gets up at 6am, with the same shoes on, to parade a little more before going to work, click-clacking down the stairs. (I have no idea how much of this is true; it's what I imagine when her marching is keeping me awake at 1am for the third night in a row).

We got up reasonably early this morning anyway as I was determined to revisit our old market (le Marché Saxe-Breteuil) from our trip in 2006, which is on the opposite side of town. The 7th is what all my memories of Paris are shaped by, which contrast so heavily with the more urban Marais where we currently reside, making it difficult for me to join the two pictures I have of Paris together. I was hoping that visiting this market would help connect them both.

Wandering at le marché

It was certainly a lot quieter in the 7th, with less tourists and more families. The marché too was less touristy, with an array of fruits, légumes, fromages, viande, poisson, pâtisseries, as well as an eclectic collection of scarves, hats, jackets, gloves, DVDs, cell phone cases (of which I bought one), books, antiques, and articles from around the world. There were some very enthusiastic vendors with great sales pitches, all eager to sell you something, anything, from their stall. I noted how relaxed it was, and how vendors didn't take offence if you chose not to purchase anything. It added to the very friendly atmosphere which was appealing and welcoming. Of course we stumbled upon an Irishman's stall, selling beautifully crafted wooden boards and bowls. He was excited to hear his own language as we passed, and stopped us to chat. We were won over when he said in his lovely Irish lilt that he had no interest in Australia, but very much wanted to come to New Zealand as he'd heard all about it's beautiful landscapes (sorry, Oz).

Lunch and dessert :)

On the way home I decided to buy a couple gorgeous little desserts for us to have after lunch. We stood for ages looking at all the pretty cakes and tarts, and ended up deciding on a tartelette framboise (raspberry tart) and a tartelette citron verte meringuée (lime meringue tart). They were slipped carefully into a little box, and then wrapped delicately in paper like un cadeau (a present). I stared at them for ages before mum was interested in dessert, my mouth watering and tummy crying for a nibble. First we had a yummy pasta dish, with fresh bread of course, and then I could finally devour my share of the tarts. Yum.



We decided to wander around our local area for the afternoon. There's this lovely store, Acquarêves, which has some gorgeous dresses. I was excited to try on a few (I'm looking for one to wear to my 21st dinner), but was again disappointed with the outcome. The search continues. Tomorrow we've decided on a lazy day with a few walks interspersed. I'm still trying to rest my ankle, and with noisy shoe lady above I'm very tired. Luckily, Sunday is the day when all of Paris sleeps in. The streets are eerily empty, the traffic noise strangely stilled. I look forward to it.

Paris, je t'aime.

The Louvre

Our Internet has been down for the last few days, so we've felt a bit disconnected. The technician (who spoke very little English) came and fixed it early this morning so we were up and ready to go by 9am. Me in my new Paris coat!

Hey, Mona

I was super excited to go to the Louvre; last time I was here we didn't go in so there were lots of things I wanted to see. First off was the token Mona Lisa (Jaconda in French) photo before the crowds and tours arrived. I'd heard from heaps of people that it was small, so I was surprised to see it's bigger than I expected. Amazing detail, but hard to see well as the barrier keeps you far away from it.





We then walked down the corridors of the grand masters, in particular looking at the amazing interpretations of different events in Christ's life. The passion in those paintings was truly impressive, and it was interesting to note the different points of view taken of the same events. I was astounded at the sheer size of some of the paintings, some nearly 5x20m big. Seriously, how can a painter get the overall impression while still maintaining such minute detail. The ornateness of all the walls and ceilings rendered me speechless, save for a few 'wow's. Photos cannot do justice to the vivid colours.

Off to fulfill our Napoleon cravings, we walked through salles filled with pictures of his coronation, the impératrice (Josephine), and many portraits of the man himself in his military regalia. Through to his apartments, the grandeur of which in some rooms was astounding, and lacking in others. My favourite was the grande salon, with its multiple chandeliers and oddly shaped chairs. The bedroom was so ridiculously huge, I don't see how anyone could sleep comfortably there, especially with so many chairs facing the bed. I have a feeling it must be a representation of his receiving bedroom, rather than the room in which he actually slept. The salle de famille (family room) was small yet not at all comfortable. Only high-backed chairs in the corners and a few tables too nice to put your feet up on. A sharp contrast with the big squishy sofas in ours! Although I could get on-board with the chandelier.

La Grande Salon

Lunchtime (early) before the crowds lined up for theirs, we bought baguettes at a cafeteria. It was nice to be off our feet for awhile! My ankle is still giving me trouble, although it is getting better. We spread our map of the musée on the table to plan out our afternoon. Pour moi, it was the medieval Louvre and the history of the Louvre. Pour maman, it was the grand Italian and Greek sculptures.



The history stuff was closer so we went there first. I loved the models of the museum in all its stages, from the château to the museum today, as well as the development of the Tuileries gardens. However, the part on the medieval château Louvre was fascinating. We were able to actually walk through the foundations of the old castle, and see were the towers had once stood and the keep in the middle, all underneath the current museum. The craftsmanship on the stones was beautiful, even though they were almost instantly covered with earth, not to be seen again for hundreds of years.





Off to the sculptures, easier said than done in the maze-like museum (think of the Auckland Museum, double it, and that's one of the three wings of the Louvre). Many are situated in an internal covered courtyard, and were just spectacular. Like the paintings, the details and skill with which they have been crafted is outstanding. My ankle was rather sore by then so I sat on some marble steps and read about all the pieces, while mum went up to explore some more. After reading their histories, I could appreciate the stories the artists were telling much more.




By then our cameras were dying, as were our feet, so we decided to head off for a café somewhere. It had become rather stuffy in the museum, so it was nice to hit the fresh air, biting cold though it may be at 3pm (our 'high' today was 5, this morning's high was 2). Off to a small bistro for un chocolat chaud et un café au lait to re-energise ourselves for the walk home. I bought a gorgeous painting on Rue de Rivoli of a Paris scene at sunrise (because let's face it, that's the only way I'm going to see Paris at sunrise, ha!) We slowly got colder and colder, and my ankle got sorer and sorer, so we were grateful to spot a metro with a direct link home. I called in for some fruits et légumes while mum went to the monoprix, and then up those flipping three flights of stairs into the nice, warm apartment with my big, squishy sofa.

Le Louvre, vous êtes magnifique!

Musée Carnavalet and l'Open Bus Tour

I hurt my ankle the other day, so walking has been very painful the last couple of days. We decided to spend the morning at Musée Carnavalet, figuring that I would be able to walk slowly and stop often. We also weren't too fussed walking outside with all the talk of the gunman at large in Paris.

The layout of the museum was very confusing, constantly up and down different sets of stairs and in and out of no exit rooms and narrow corridors. I found the Revolution displays fascinating, especially the collection of things Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI and family took into Le Temple (their prison). These included the dauphine's tiny toy soldiers, and locks of each person's hair within rings and lockets. It brought back to me the reality that these weren't fictitious characters in a history book, they were true human beings. The painting of Louis' destraught family saying goodbye before he was taken to the guillotine was another sombre reminder of the fate of these people.

We picked up some fresh food for lunch and headed home to put my aching ankle up.

The Open Bus Tour in Paris is a fantastic way to see a lot of Paris easily, and being able to hop on and off at any stop is great for getting photos (I may have taken 250 in 4 hours...). We hopped on to the green route at the Notre Dame, and nabbed the front seats up the top for brilliant views - but boy was it freezing! There is no roof on the top, or sides, so we were vulnerable to the biting wind. Luckily we were prepared; I was wearing long johns under my jeans, and two woolen layers under my puffer jacket, and a beanie and big scarf. Even so, I was cold by the end! The sites we saw were text book Paris: La Tour Eiffel, Les Champs Élysée, Printemps, Palais Garnier, L'Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, le Louvre, le Musée d'Orsay, L'École Militaire, Les Invalides etc. I got very excited and very touristy, snapping away with my camera and grinning from ear to ear. PARIS! The Paris I remember from our week-long stay in 2006. The only place we got off was at Trocadéro, the stop just before la Tour Eiffel for premium tower views - a little secret mum has learnt from her many trips here.
And wow, what a view!

We were asked for directions in French, which I managed to reply to in French, yay! (A French person asked me for directions the other day, and I had two reactions: 1. thrilled that she thought I was a local who knew their way around Paris, and 2. disappointed that I had to spoil the illusion and plead ignorance).

That sea of cars is supposed to be a clear intersection
- note our green light and inability to move!

We stayed on the bus for the rest of the route, and had a great view of the atrocious Paris traffic. We were stopped at one intersection for a good ten minutes, because cars from all directions were sitting in the middle of it, all yelling at each other, each refusing to let the other go first. It took a van full of police to break the traffic up and we finally squeezed through, with some daredevil motorcyclists dashing across the front of us and behind another bus, in a gap no more than 1m and a half wide! A smart Ka even attempted it. I swear, I will never drive in Paris.

Printemps

A bonus of finishing at that time was we got to fully appreciate the lovely Christmas lights lining the streets, shops, and sprinkled through the perfectly
manicured trees.

Finally back to Notre Dame, by now lit up in the deep blue night sky. We walked (I hobbled) as fast as possible to try and thaw our feet and warm up our bodies.

Hot chocolate has never tasted so good.  

A wander through the 5th and 6th

Sundays in Paris are my favourite.

We left the apartment this morning and the streets were empty, sauf the street cleaners and a couple of gendarmes. In the freezing autumnal morning, we wound our way through les rues, across la Seine, to the Flower and Bird Market near the Notre Dame. There were so many birds of a wide range of colours - bright orange, blue, red, multicoloured... - as well as fish, les lapins (rabbits), and pet mice.

Across the other side into the 5th and 6th, we stood in awe of yet more beautiful buildings. Here, there were more people, but the further we walked from the Seine the less crowded it became. We wandered aimlessly for awhile, or as the French call it, flâner. We fell upon La Sorbonne, the gorgeous Paris University, and then turned around to see le Musée de Cluny, the medieval history museum within a gorgeous old monastery that looks like another castle, which I definitely want to explore. We noted to come back when I had my EU passport so it would be free. By then we were freezing, so found a café and ordered hot drinks to thaw our hands.  





Off again in the general direction of the Jardins du Luxembourg, we got lost, but - as in Palmy all roads lead to Feilding - in the 6th it appears all roads lead to the Luxembourg gardens. The gardens were so immaculate, and there were boys and men racing toy boats in one of the huge fountains. The palace, like all here, was massive and beautiful. We saw a group of people dressed in red tops dancing and filming themselves, with one guy dressed as a red pepper until the gendarmes asked them to leave. On our way out of the gardens, we saw a group of girl scouts playing a cross between tag and duck-duck-goose.

Le Palais du Luxembourg

Exhausted, we started the long walk home, planning our déjeuner, home-cooked pasta with ham and veges.


We've spent the last hour or two with our feet up resting, and we're about to head back downstairs to wander the streets. They come alive at night, all the shops are open late and families seem to take their kids out in the evenings.

We've walked around 10k today! My legs are tired.