The Tourist Trail: Left Bank & Sacré Coeur

From the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, we had already notched up a good few sights and it had only been one day of visiting! In the Latin Quarter we encountered some sartorially experimental statues, before taking a stroll round the Luxembourg Gardens. 

Theatre de la Huchette, where Ionesco's famous "Bald Prima Donna" or "La Cantatrice Chauve" was played for the first time, and hasn't stopped playing since 1957.

The Shakespeare & Company

A statue of Charlemagne by Notre Dame

Notre-Dame de Paris; (French for "Our Lady of Paris"), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a historic Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cite in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. [Source]. 

After a tour of Notre-Dame, we hightailed it to Pigalle to take a peek at the Moulin Rouge and start the climb to Montmartre's summit. On our way past Amelie's cafe, "Les Deux Moulins" [see here], we encountered the second windmill for which the cafe is named, which used to be an old dance hall but is now privately owned. The romance of old swinging Paris in the 10s and 20s still hangs around Montmartre, as does the smell of waffles and chocolate syrup from the cafes perched on its hill. 

 

I didn't end up getting as many photos as I would have liked - but be sure to make the climb for yourself as the view is well worth the effort. Artists draw likenesses and accordionists busk in the artists' quarter, and inside Sacre-Coeur's sanctuary the peace and hushed reverence seem to reach out and embrace you, as do the mosaic arms of Christ, whose likeness watches down from the domed ceiling. I'll return soon with photos soon, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words!

À Bientôt !

x

Les Feux d'Artifice et Un Fabuleux Destin

On Saturday evening, some friend and I took ourselves along to Blanche metro station, past the neon lights of the Moulin Rouge and to the 'Cafe des Deux Moulins', made famous by the French classic 'Le Fableux Destin d'Amelie Poulain', or more commonly 'Amelie' in England. 

 

The two famous windmills for which the café is named.

The bar is named for the 'two windmills' located to its left and right - Le Moulin Rouge and Le Moulin de la Galette. It was happy hour until 10 o'clock so cocktails were €6.00 instead of €10.00 (outrageous, but cheap for Paris!)

I sipped on a Cosmopolitan and admired the kitsch Amelie themed decor. The bar had a nice atmosphere and was quite buzzy, plus, the waiters were smiley and efficient and didn't mind me playing tourist with the camera too much. 

Screen shot of Amelie in her café: Photo Credits to http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/amelie/quiz/show/35680/employees-customers-cafe-where-amelie-works-what-name-occupation-not-match

Next, we climbed to the top of Montmartre for the 'Fete des Vendanges' (Celebration of the Vineyards), where stallholders offered wine tasting, saucisson and the smell of freshly baked crepes filled the air. We got there just in time to see the fireworks end -they were spectacular. It was super busy, so we had to link arms and force our way through the crowds, before breaking free into the courtyard beside Sacre-Coeur where a Scottish ceilidh troupe played bagpipe music. It felt like New Year's Eve!

I'll have to make a return visit to Montmartre when there's more room to breathe - I want to explore a little more this area where bohemian music halls, cabarets and artists' workshops flourished. 'Moulin Rouge', directed by Baz Lurhmann, 'Amelie' starring Audrey Tautou and 'La Vie en Rose', a biopic of the life of Edith Piaf were all set here so there's a lot of trivia and history to soak up - not to mention the painters (Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Pisarro, The Nabis) who drew inspiration from the hallowed hill. 

The area is probably a little dilapidated now, as the Charles Aznavour song suggests, and Pigalle at night isn't very lovely: Je ne reconnais plus/Ni les murs, ni les rues/Qui ont vu ma jeunesse/En haut d'un escalier/Je cherche l'atelier/Dont plus rien ne subsiste/Dans son nouveau décor/Montmartre semble triste/Et les lilas sont morts.

However, I'm willing to give it a chance if someone can suggest some nice hang-outs!
After a lovely weekend, it's back to Alfred de Vigny, Guillaume Apollinaire and Hugo for me!

À Bientôt !

x

Week Two Fun

I have now been in Paris for two weeks and three days, & thought it was high time for an update on the optimistic list of goals I set myself. Somehow without trying too much, I had managed to check off more than I had realised! It must be living in this amazing city where there are treasures to discover on the coin de chaque rue !

A Cultural Festival / Event - Check!

Last weekend, on the 14th and 15th September, Paris held a brilliant event called the 'Journee du Patrimoine'. Paris' offices, embassies, museums and government buildings are opened to the public, for free or a reduced rate. I eagerly sent off a list to my friends - including The Elysee Palace and the Observatoire. At 3pm, waiting outside a Metro station & engaged in a chat with a friendly policeman, he told me that the queue to see Monsieur Le President's office was 4 hours long & we should have begun queueing at 6.00am! Instead, we aimlessly wandered up the Champs-Elysees & joined the queue for The Lido, Paris' famous Cabaret. Not knowing what to expect, The Lido was slightly insalubrious, very glitzy & glamorous. A show with dinner is several hundred euros, so this was the only time I'd set foot inside.

It was not the most culturally inspiring moment I'll admit, and I would have rather gone to the Elysee Palace. But seeing the costumes was fun & it was very Moulin Rouge. An experience to be sure!

Church, cinema & swimming pool - check! 

If you are looking for a church, I can't recommend enough 'Paris-Nation' and 'Paris-Villiers'. I spoke lots of French & had the warmest welcome! I've already spoken about the swimming pool - check out my post 'Dipping my Toes'. The less said the better about 'Tirez la langue, mademoiselle', a thoroughly underwhelming film...nonetheless if you're interested, here's the trailer:

Still to achieve are the more profound goals like feeling right at home. Sadly I seem to be more often the brunt of jokes rather than cracking them myself! I still feel like this (all credit to the brilliant Humans of New York Blog):

New goals to set & achieve soon, classes start on Monday - lots to do!

À Bientôt !

x