Aahhh...Paris in the spring time!
Our experience of Paris actually began while we were still in Spain. On our last afternoon in San Sebastian, we went to the movie theater to see the new Woody Allen film, "Midnight in Paris." The film was amazing! It perfectly captured that feeling of falling in love with a city--its streets, its history, its cafes, its sidewalks, its trees, its culture. Walking out of the theater, we couldn't stop talking about all our favorite scenes and how excellent the film was and I kept thinking about how all I wanted to do right then was go to Paris. My mind and heart were already there! It was such a treat to know that we'd really be in Paris the next morning.
After the worst overnight bus ride of the entire trip (during which the guy sitting across the aisle from me vomited all over the place) we arrived in Paris for the beginning of a week-long adventure in that grand city of history and romance. We stayed in a small budget hotel in walking distance from Montmartre.
Every time we walked through the lobby, we were greeted by this absurd creature who did nothing but sleep. This cat was a daily part of our Paris experience:
Our neighborhood was awesome. Like most of Paris, it's totally pedestrian-friendly and anywhere you walk you run into interesting spots, bars, cafes, etc. We were far from the Seine River and the main tourist attractions of the city, which made it feel like a more real Parisian neighborhood. It was really awesome to get so familiar with our area, our subway stop, and all the small shops and bistros of our streets. Indeed, they began to feel like they were "ours".
Not far from our hotel is the Pigalle area, which is basically the pretty tame red light district, where the famous Moulin Rouge is located.
There was really awesome street art all over the place. This was what we walked by every day on the same block as our hotel:
And there were so many cool local spots, where one has to fight for a seat outside in the evening hours. All these cafes near our hotel were a joy to pass by again and again, to see that kind of cafe culture thriving.
Because our neighborhood felt so real and so awesome, we ended up spending a lot of time wandering around there. But every day we made an outing to a different part of town to explore a different neighborhood. By this point in our trip (with only one week until our return home after 10 months of traveling), we had zero interest in doing the typical touristy things. We did wander around the touristy areas and we thoroughly enjoyed looking at those magnificent buildings, structures, museums, etc. But we felt no desire to stand in lines, buy tickets, be surrounded by crowds. Our experience of Paris was one of wandering. We walked, we talked, we observed, we took photos. It was very simple. It was exactly what we wanted.
So many walks in green spaces:
Walking on a cold, gray day:
Getting lost:
Walking along the Seine, so beautiful:
Looking up at the Arc de Triomphe:
Looking back at the Arc de Triomphe after strolling down the Champs Elysees (which Ryan adorably called "the champs", pronounced like champions):
One of the things that I loved so much about Paris was that there were so many places designed for a pause, a reflection, a break. These spots offer lovely views and peace and quiet. It's amazing that this kind of quiet can be achieved and maintained in a city that is so active and full of moving people.
Taking a break:
It's just crazy how you don't even need to have a destination in Paris. Every street has something beautiful. The whole city has this remarkable vibe that for me surely has been enriched by all the French movies I've seen. Maybe it's like what non-Americans feel when they go to New York or Los Angeles. Every street in Paris carried a piece of Parisian culture.
There is art everywhere! Aside from the great street art, so many buildings are works of art. There are sculptures everywhere and beautifully landscaped gardens. It is a feast for the eyes.
There was one place I knew I absolutely
had to see. I should begin by admitting that the whole time we were in Paris, I had scenes from the film "Before Sunset" (the sequel to "Before Sunrise") playing in my head. If you've seen the film, and enjoyed it, then you can imagine how fun it was to be in Paris. The film makes Paris look like the most gorgeous city on the planet. The characters in the film spend hours just wandering around Paris...after they bump into each other at Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookstore. The bookstore looked so neat and I really wanted to see it! It was also briefly shown in the Woody Allen film about Paris we'd just seen. I knew a stop at Shakespeare was a must. So, we went there, and it was awesome. It contains only books in English, and the displays were great, and they have regular readings by the most amazing writers. It was very cool to see it. Ryan got a couple books.
There was huge variation in weather during our week in Paris. Some days were very cold and gray. Other days were extremely sunny...so sunny that it felt like we were baking in the sun.
Too much sun at the Luxembourg Gardens:
Something we saw in all the parks, which absolutely baffled and thrilled me, was how everyone reading or talking or studying or observing or relaxing in the park was sitting in a chair. I wanted so badly to lie down on the grass and roll around. The grass was so perfect and inviting. While we didn't see any signs indicating that the grass is off limits, I guess it's just known that you are supposed to look at the grass, but you can't touch it. I was routinely disappointed by this until Ryan explained to me that I wouldn't want to lie down on a bunch of nice flowers. I would want only to look at them. So, I had to think of the grass as flowers.
About ten years ago, I went to Paris with my sister and my dad. The thing I remember most is being treated very poorly by waiters (we didn't know any French). I also remember that I didn't really appreciate the Eiffel Tower then. Well, this time, my experience of the tower was very different. I was very impressed by it. The structure soaring up into the sky was so beautiful, so incredible, such a great achievement. I loved it!
We did go inside the Notre Dame. Beautiful stained glass inside:
Looking back on Notre Dame after crossing the river:
We spent a day wandering around Montmartre, an area famous for its typical cafes and squares full of artists. It's also where Hemingway, Fitzgerald, other writers, and many artists once lived and wrote or painted or composed.
Super cool cafe in Montmartre:
Montmartre is hilly and full of great views of the city:
My view:
Ryan's view:
So many neat galleries and cafes!
The heart of the hilly neighborhood is Sacre Coeur:
From the steps leading up to Sacre Coeur, there is an awesome city view:
There's also a great hilly park with more nice views:
We really enjoyed wandering around the Bastille neighborhood, which is where we decided we'll stay next time we go to Paris. It's not too touristy, and it's lots of fun to wander around there for hours, with so many great choices for coffee and beer breaks. It's also where there's lots of good ethnic food. We went to a Moroccan restaurant that was delicious! It was the only time in Paris that our waiter didn't speak English. I had to pull from the back of my brain all the French I could remember and try not to blush. It was pretty fun actually. Overall, I did enjoy using bits of French here and there. It's definitely a language I hope to study again some day....
Bastille:
Awesome lady, awesome bike, awesome puppy in basket:
On our last night in Paris, we went to see a Bill Callahan show at a cool venue in Bastille. We'd purchased tickets for this show months earlier, so we'd been looking forward to it for a long time. Finally the night arrived. Ryan had seen Bill Callahan perform twice before, but it was going to be my first time to see one of my favorite musicians on earth play live. Well...it turned out to be one of the greatest shows I have ever seen! We were right up front, and the music just couldn't have been any better. He played all my favorite songs! And during the encore he asked for requests, and I yelled out the one remaining song he hadn't yet played that is among my favorites. It's actually the first song of his that I ever heard, which made me fall in love with his music. And guess what? He played my song! Ryan and I were so, so happy. It was a great night of the best kind of music: music that is from the heart, music that is poetry, meant to be given and shared.
Paris was amazing. It's one of those cities I know I will return to several times. It's not a place you feel finished with, even after staying put for a week. We had so much fun, drank a lot of wine, explored the streets, talked about French culture and the Parisian lifestyle while seeing it all before us and living it too.
After a week in Paris, we hopped on a flight to London: our final stop before the completion of our trip.
On the tube:
We really enjoyed just walking around Olga's neighborhood too. It was an incredibly diverse area, with every ethnicity you can imagine, as well as religious Jews and Muslims. It's an area that is undergoing gentrification. So, while it still feels like an old community, there are also tons of cute coffee shops and cool pubs.
Behind Olga's building, this street:
Our train stop:
Waiting for the train to go into the city:
Just three or so blocks from Olga's apartment there is an incredible old cemetery that functions as a park. On the old trails we saw people jogging and families with their kids enjoying the nice weather. It was unlike any other cemetery I'd ever seen. It felt like a set of a movie, like a forest growing over old tombstones from the 19th century. It was an extremely beautiful place, and very peaceful.
One of the things Ryan wanted to do was get fish and chips. So we met up with two of Olga's friends and went to their favorite fish and chips spot. We ended up spending the whole afternoon with them! They were awesome guys.
Fish and chips:
We walked around Covent Garden:
We spent hours walking alongside the Thames River. There was such a neat mixture of old, impressive buildings and very new, modern ones. It was so pleasant to be outside, with so much great space for pedestrians.
Hours of walking and talking with Olga:
Admiring the Palace of Westminster:
Park beside the Palace of Westminster:
In the evening, it was nice to unwind at this really cool pub in Olga's neighborhood that had tons of local beers and ciders:
Ryan discussing the local brews with a nice old man:
Enjoying the local ale, served warm:
On our last night in London, and the last night of our trip, Olga took us to her favorite restaurant in London, a Pakistani place that had food quite similar to Indian food. It was delicious!
