In Paris

I was lucky enough to be taken to Paris recently and enjoyed a relaxing few days, which included visits to all the sites and some off the beaten track adventures too. Imogen and I travelled on the Eurostar from St Pancras, which takes no time at all, and is very comfortable. When we arrived at our apartment block we were told that we couldn't actually stay in that particular building as some of the staff were on strike. A little disgruntled as we had been travelling all morning, we waited for a taxi to take us to another apartment hotel. This turned out to be closer to the centre of town and quite a bit nicer. It is safe to say we weren't complaining.

We got settled and did a bit of food shopping to last us the trip, mainly bread and wine. The main street, Boulevard des Capucines, was lined with shops, restaurants and the nearest Metro stop was Opera, so it was easy enough to find things to do that afternoon. For dinner I was craving a chicken caesar salad and we found a lovely little place not too far away, and spent the first evening sipping wine and watching the world pass by.

We planned to do as much as we could the next day. So to start off we visited the Eiffel Tower. The queues are huge, even early in the morning, so we decided not to climb up, but to take some photos and move on to the next stop. Anyway, you can't take pictures of the Eiffel Tower when you're actually up it.

I think I have a thing for blossom trees. We hopped back on the Metro to the Isle de la Cite, home of Notre Dame de Paris. Having been to the city before, I have seen both the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, and I stand by my thoughts first time round; Notre Dame is far more impressive, knowing it is built from stone and without new machinery. It is beautiful. Many thanks to Maurice de Sully and Victor Hugo. The square is a great place to indulge in a little people-watching, and this we did for quite some time. From here, we walked along the Seine a short way to the Louvre and Jardin les Tuileries. We decided to visit the museum later that evening, as it is open late on Wednesdays. We walked through the gardens, eating ice cream and dodging the souvenir sellers, then onto the Champs Elysees and up to the Arc de Triomphe. By this time we were a little tired, so returned to our apartment for a cup of tea and a rest before our night at the museum.

The Louvre is an amazing place; the sheer scale of the art and history contained inside it's walls is breathtaking. After a particularly good bit of French conversation at the ticket booth, we enjoyed a leisurely wander around the galleries, and of course visiting La Joconde and Venus de Milo.

We woke up reasonably early again the next day, with the anticipation of the Basilique du Sacre Coeur and Montmarte. The church is again a beautiful addition to the Paris skyline and, although not as old as Notre Dame, it is still a brilliant feat of stone masonry. Here we encountered more street sellers and felt a bit uncomfortable with the attention, so headed into the nearest restaurant for some lunch.

I can't deny that I am still a sucker for anything Art Nouveau. We had a quiet afternoon, wandering around various places in Paris, doing a little shopping and still trying to get to grips with the Metro. I was looking for a French magazine I quite like called Citizen K, it is only €1 and I picked it up among other French publications; maybe they would come in useful when I got back home.

The next day was our last, and still with some space in our suitcases we took a trip to the Marais, where a little background research had told me we would find some rather nice vintage and second-hand boutiques. And boy did we! Fripes Star, located on Rue de Verrerie was our first stop, and it really was a brilliant place. Packed full of dresses, shirts, denim, bags and any other item you could wish for, we managed to get a few things between us and came out very happy. Free P Star on Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, the sister store of Fripes Star was also lovely, and Coiffeur Vintage on Rue de Verrerie. We left the Marais our purses a little lighter, and as it was the sunniest day decided to visit Notre Dame again to sit in the square and catch some rays.

As the nice people we are, we took photos of other tourists in front of the Western Facade for them, we obviously looked approachable enough and were happy to do so. We ventured inside the cathedral, and it is just as beautiful. The hushed voices and cool air feels like another world, one of tranquility away from the bustling crowds outside the doors. We took a few calm moments on our last day with Our Lady of Paris.

We left ourselves enough time to get back to the Gare du Nord to get the train home, and as traffic is pretty bad in Paris, this was a sensible idea. We arrived at the station with a bit of time to spare, and had a last meal and an ice cream. We boarded the train and waved adieu to a lovely few days spent in the city. It certainly wasn't goodbye, as we will surely be back soon.