Paris

It was lovely to go back to Paris after my very brief visit earlier this year. Having seen all the major sights on previous visits, and thanks to the whirlwind Contiki tour I did when I was 19, I didn’t feel obliged to rush around the city so Mattias and I took our time wandering.

On Friday night we went out with friends of his, Mathieu & Helene, to a Spanish restaurant for some paella and sangria in the Latin Quarter and then on to a bar or two for drinks.

Saturday saw us take several cups of coffee in the Marais district (a personal favourite); visit some of the grand masterpieces at the Musée D’Orsay (we had an extravagant lunch in the restaurant rapide mid-viewing where they serve wine in individual cups to take away!); wander through the Jardin des Tuileries and over to the Louvre (just in case I forgot I was in Paris); and on to meet Mathieu and Helene for an eve of mojitos and Japanese in Bastille.







Sunday meant a sleep in after two fairly big nights out. But once we ventured out, we went to St Germain for lunch and a walk. We headed towards Les Ile de la Cite and Ile St Louis – areas that are typically Parisian – making two stops for religious experiences 1) Ste-Chapelle with its impressive stain glass windows and richly painted ceilings, and 2) Berthillon for the best ice-cream in Paris.



In case you doubted it, Paris is just as lovely in Autumn as in Summer & Winter. I can’t be sure about Spring but I have plenty of excuses to go back then as I resisted the temptation to shop in the Marias this time around, didn’t eat any French food (including chocolate eclairs!), and there are a few galleries I’ve yet to see.