Paris le 2eme
Sorry for the delay but trying to track down time to get on the internet is proving difficult (I´m 2 full days into Rome as I write this).
Day 2 in Paris, I wake up at about 10am, miss the free ´breakfast´ and nurse my hangover instead. I pick up a baguette and some ementhal swiss, and head out to a nearby park for breakfast. The sun´s shining, and there are just a few marshmallowy clouds in the sky, so I make my way to Montmartre.
I don´t have a map of the area on me, and spend my time jostling with the tourists through the zig-zagging elevated streets. I head for the least crowded road and start to climb, not entirely sure of my destination. Once I can´t climb further, I follow the tourists and end up in front of the basillique sacre cour.
Its gorgeous, with spectacular panaromic views of the city below. I walk down the to the little park out front of it, and have an Amelie moment (the pointing and blinking green statue is nowhere to be found though). I perch myself halfway down the elevated park, and watch the pickpockets and scam artists go to work on the unsuspecting foreigners below. They´re extremely pushy and try and tie a bracelet around your wrist really quickly then demand an outrageous sum of money for the cheap piece of string looking back at you. If you´re really unlucky, one of their accomplices steals your wallet while you´re distracted. Needless to say, I exited the park in a hurry, avoiding any contact with these ´park employees´, and ensured my belongings were still with me once I got to the street.
From there I make my way over to the moulin rouge. Its nothing too spectacular and located in a seedy neighbourhood. I wasn´t about to cough up 80 euros, so there would be no can-can kicking in my near future. I read online that the cafe featured in Amelie was just up Rue Lepic a bit, so I make my way up there, and sure enough its there. I peak my head in and take a few pics, but its way too crowded to sit, so I just make my way back to the metro. The tobacconist part actually doesn´t exist in the real cafe.
I then make my way over to the outdoor terraces and literary cool of st. germain. I find the cafe deux magots where Hemmingway, Sartre, F. Scott Fitzgerald and other geniuses were known to hang out. Again I´m frustrated with the lack of a place to sit, and the 4 euro price tag for juice or coffee, so I walk up the street a bit to another cafe, park myself down on the patio, and watch Paris pass in front of me for a few hours. I could definitely get used to this lifestyle, but it would probably be nicer if it weren´t for all the tourists (like me), with camera bags draped round their necks, and sandals draped round their feet.
From there I make my way back up to the river, and enroute to the cathedral Notre Dame. I´m awestruck by the ornate detail, and can definitely see why it took 200 years to complete. The original purpose of the scenes and images depicted on the front was to illustrate the bible to the poor Perisians who couldn´t afford their own paper copy. My feet are feeling pretty tired, and I must have covered about 15km on foot so far that day, so I make my way over to the jardin du carousel and soak up some rays for a bit.
I see boats cruise down the Siene and on the advice of a co-traveller, I decide to take the trip in the evening. Trying to find the place where the boats depart becomes a bit of a walking nightmare, and I end up sauntering all way back to the eiffel tower before I find where I can board. It´s now dark outside and the eiffel tower looks amazing in its yellowy evening glow. I board the last boat of the evening and settle into my hour long cruise.
Seeing all the sights at night is amazing, and easily the best thing I´ve seen on the trip thus far. The bridges are aglow in blues and reds, and all along the banks of the Siene, are local couples sharing late night picnic meals, and wine, all complete with candles. There are a couple of places where crowds are gathered to watch people tango dance and juggle sticks of fire. The locals all wave and shout as we pass, and we return the favour from our seated positions. I´d love to come back and experience the same trip from the other side, but my feet are too tired to walk all the way back.
The boat cruise ends, and I pass through the eiffel tower. It´s packed with people young and old alike, just chatting, playing cards, or enjoying la vie en rose. When I´m almost through Champ De Mars, the crowd lets out a big cheer, and I turn around to see the Eiffel Tower in a dazzling, sparkling silver light display (it supposedly does this on the hour for a few minutes).
I stop for a yummy chocolate and banana crape on my way back to the hostel, and retire to my noisy room, feeling fully satiated by the ´moveable feast´ that is Paris. Absolutely amazing!
Day 2 in Paris, I wake up at about 10am, miss the free ´breakfast´ and nurse my hangover instead. I pick up a baguette and some ementhal swiss, and head out to a nearby park for breakfast. The sun´s shining, and there are just a few marshmallowy clouds in the sky, so I make my way to Montmartre.
I don´t have a map of the area on me, and spend my time jostling with the tourists through the zig-zagging elevated streets. I head for the least crowded road and start to climb, not entirely sure of my destination. Once I can´t climb further, I follow the tourists and end up in front of the basillique sacre cour.
Its gorgeous, with spectacular panaromic views of the city below. I walk down the to the little park out front of it, and have an Amelie moment (the pointing and blinking green statue is nowhere to be found though). I perch myself halfway down the elevated park, and watch the pickpockets and scam artists go to work on the unsuspecting foreigners below. They´re extremely pushy and try and tie a bracelet around your wrist really quickly then demand an outrageous sum of money for the cheap piece of string looking back at you. If you´re really unlucky, one of their accomplices steals your wallet while you´re distracted. Needless to say, I exited the park in a hurry, avoiding any contact with these ´park employees´, and ensured my belongings were still with me once I got to the street.
From there I make my way over to the moulin rouge. Its nothing too spectacular and located in a seedy neighbourhood. I wasn´t about to cough up 80 euros, so there would be no can-can kicking in my near future. I read online that the cafe featured in Amelie was just up Rue Lepic a bit, so I make my way up there, and sure enough its there. I peak my head in and take a few pics, but its way too crowded to sit, so I just make my way back to the metro. The tobacconist part actually doesn´t exist in the real cafe.
I then make my way over to the outdoor terraces and literary cool of st. germain. I find the cafe deux magots where Hemmingway, Sartre, F. Scott Fitzgerald and other geniuses were known to hang out. Again I´m frustrated with the lack of a place to sit, and the 4 euro price tag for juice or coffee, so I walk up the street a bit to another cafe, park myself down on the patio, and watch Paris pass in front of me for a few hours. I could definitely get used to this lifestyle, but it would probably be nicer if it weren´t for all the tourists (like me), with camera bags draped round their necks, and sandals draped round their feet.
From there I make my way back up to the river, and enroute to the cathedral Notre Dame. I´m awestruck by the ornate detail, and can definitely see why it took 200 years to complete. The original purpose of the scenes and images depicted on the front was to illustrate the bible to the poor Perisians who couldn´t afford their own paper copy. My feet are feeling pretty tired, and I must have covered about 15km on foot so far that day, so I make my way over to the jardin du carousel and soak up some rays for a bit.
I see boats cruise down the Siene and on the advice of a co-traveller, I decide to take the trip in the evening. Trying to find the place where the boats depart becomes a bit of a walking nightmare, and I end up sauntering all way back to the eiffel tower before I find where I can board. It´s now dark outside and the eiffel tower looks amazing in its yellowy evening glow. I board the last boat of the evening and settle into my hour long cruise.
Seeing all the sights at night is amazing, and easily the best thing I´ve seen on the trip thus far. The bridges are aglow in blues and reds, and all along the banks of the Siene, are local couples sharing late night picnic meals, and wine, all complete with candles. There are a couple of places where crowds are gathered to watch people tango dance and juggle sticks of fire. The locals all wave and shout as we pass, and we return the favour from our seated positions. I´d love to come back and experience the same trip from the other side, but my feet are too tired to walk all the way back.
The boat cruise ends, and I pass through the eiffel tower. It´s packed with people young and old alike, just chatting, playing cards, or enjoying la vie en rose. When I´m almost through Champ De Mars, the crowd lets out a big cheer, and I turn around to see the Eiffel Tower in a dazzling, sparkling silver light display (it supposedly does this on the hour for a few minutes).
I stop for a yummy chocolate and banana crape on my way back to the hostel, and retire to my noisy room, feeling fully satiated by the ´moveable feast´ that is Paris. Absolutely amazing!
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