paris

paris

• 18 Sept 2023

Paris, what can I say about you that hasn't been said before? It's equal parts sublime and frustrating.

I stayed in Goncourt, an area I'd not stayed in before, and visited some new to me places as well as old favourites. One thing for sure, 3 full days in Paris was never going to be long enough. I hared around as quickly as my feet and the Metro would allow, not helped by my complete inability to follow phone directions. Guaranteed, I ended up walking in the wrong direction every single time. Call me a fossil, but I need an old fashioned paper map that I can turn upside down.

I vowed I would consume a pastry a day and that I did. They were of varying quality and price and the best of the lot was this pain aux raisin from The French Bastards.

No place is at its best when it rains and on my first day in Paris it absolutely bucketed down. Unfortunately that was the day I spent in the Marais, one of my favourite places in Paris, and with such limited time, I wasn't able to return.

After my pastry run, I made my way to Merci, a store I photographed many years ago. Since then it's popularity has grown and the place was packed. It was then a toss up between Museums, either the Musee Carnavalet or the Musee Picasso.

I chose the recently renovated Musee Carnavalet but in retrospect I wish I'd chosen the Musee Picasso. The history of Paris was less engaging to me than the works of Picasso.

Air conditioning isn't much of a thing in Paris so the museum was pretty hot and stuffy. I was quite happy to be outside in the rain photographing the pretty gardens.

I then walked down Rue des Roisiers but by this time the rain was so heavy and my jeans and shoes were wet, so I gave up and went home for the day.

The next day although there wasn't too much sun, at least it didn't rain. I started my day with a market, the new to me Marche Monge, which was charming.

As you can see despite the heat, autumn had come to Paris.

I wish you could had smelt these strawberries. The perfume was so intense and best of all, they tasted like strawberries.

I visited the Arab World Institute for the rooftop view over Notre Dame.

As I was on the left bank I walked to the Odette, a pastry shop housed in an extremely old building. As you can imagine Odette is an instagram magnet and I had to wait a very long time for the crowds to part.

I visited the Jeu de Paume, to see a black and white photographic exhibition then walked through the Tuileries.

I kept walking until I reached the Galeries Vivienne, one of the many covered passages of Paris, where I photographed this pooch.

I then crossed the street to the recently reopened Bibliothèque Nationale de France - Richelieu to see the fabulous Oval reading room.

The next day, my final day in Paris was meant to be low-key but in the end I spent the whole day running around. I started the day with a visit to Musée de la Vie Romantique a small museum near Pigalle.

It has a pretty little garden and I sat writing postcards under these heavily scented blooms.

I planned a bit of light shopping around the Rue Montorgueil area where all the kitchen shops are located. I somehow managed to turn a 2 minute walk between shops into a 45 minute escapade.

Eventually I found the shop and left with my goodies but walked past many an eatery en route.

Do you think these customers knew I was taking their photo?

 

I stopped by the Galeries Lafayette for a final view of Paris. Nowhere near as good as the view from Printemps but their terrace is now reserved for restaurant customers only.

Such a pity the sun only came out on my final day but then again, I'll always have Paris!

See you all again soonish with some photos from my time in Slovenia. 

Bye for now, 

Jillian