PARIS

When we discovered that not only had EasyJet started a direct flight from Ajaccio to Paris, but that the prices started at 35 euros including tax, there really wasn’t any doubt that Paris had to be our next excursion. We could only spare 48 hours, but I knew we’d manage to pack in a huge amount of sightseeing in that time.



From the airport, we’d decided to go straight to the Musée Rodin as the guide book had said it would close at 17h45 and we wanted to make sure we had enough time to explore properly. Unfortunately in our excitement, we managed to get off at the wrong tube station and ended up at the Tuilerie Gardens instead of Les Invalides, but as with all our trips, this turned out to be a very fortunate mistake.



The grounds were full of Parisiens taking in the afternoon sun, and as well as the gardens and beautiful views of the Louvre just next door, there was an old fashioned fun fair with a huge Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and even candyfloss sellers on bicycles.



We wandered through and stopped at the boating lake where children had hired little brightly coloured sailing boats that looked like they dates back to the 19th century. The effect was amazing as I could almost imagine that it really was still the 1800’s.



We decided that wandering around without a map (or a sense of direction) probably wasn’t a good plan, so in the end we asked a policeman who told us Les Invalides was at least 20 minutes by foot. As we were running a bit short of time, we hopped back on the metro – this time on the right line but in the wrong direction. No one would ever guess we are experienced travel professionals!! We finally arrived to find that the Museum was already closed, but that the gardens were still open so we decided to take a look anyway.



The actual Musée Rodin is housed within the old Hotel Biron, which in itself is a beautiful building of the stately home variety, surrounded by landscaped grounds filled with some of Rodin’s best known works. We saw ‘The Thinker’ amongst others, but I was more impressed with the bronze sculptures tucked away amongst the trees.



For me, ‘The Gates of Hell’ was the most intriguing piece, and I could have happily studied it for hours and probably never seen the same thing twice. The detail and work involved to produce something like is just incredible and I couldn’t help thinking of the doors in the film ‘The Haunting’ – this is obviously where they got their inspiration…



All too soon it was time to make out way to the hotel and check out the restaurant possibilities for dinner. We’d chosen a hotel in the Latin quarter as we wanted to be able to explore on foot as much as possible (probably a good idea given our metro experiences so far), so we headed up in the direction of Montparnasse and found so many that we realised we’d find it difficult to choose! We’d been hankering for a Chinese (Chintok in French slang), but when we came across Le Bar à Huîtres – The Oyster Bar – we both knew that there was no point in looking any further.



What a stunning place! Inside was really stylish and decorated with shells and what looked like drawings and explanations of various fishes from an ancient biology book. The food was excellent, and we had oysters (yuk) and a smoked salmon salad (yum) to start, followed by two different main courses so we could share and see what they were both like.



We choose the baked salmon and pasta which was cooked perfectly and delicately flavoured, but could have done with a bit of salt or lemon to pep it up a bit, and filets of Grondin Rouge which was a delicious little fish served with rice and a tomato and vegetable sauce. Dessert was out of the question as we’d stuffed ourselves silly with dinner, but it was washed down with a delicious white wine, and I’m sure the walk back to the hotel did us good! On the way, we discovered a really quaint, old fashioned station so of course we just had to stop for a photo. I am sure the commuters thought we were mad…

The next morning we were up and about nice an early to pack in as much sightseeing as possible. The plan was to do the Panthéon first, but after a delicious café breakfast of tartine with jam, croissant and a few espressos between us, we discovered that the guide book had led us astray and it didn’t open until 10am. As it was still before 9am, we decided to head down to the Jardin du Luxembourg first.



The gardens at that time of the morning were really peaceful with only a handful of people and the odd office worker catching a few rays. The gardens are again packed with statues, this time mostly of former queens, which are arranged in the gardens surrounding the Palais du Luxembourg. Apparently, this is largest public park in Paris and covers a whopping 22.5 hectares or grounds.



We didn’t have time to explore properly, so we just did the formal gardens in front of the palace, but apparently there is a puppet theatre, duck ponds where children can sail model boats, fountains, enclosed childrens play area, café, open air music and even an orchard! What really struck me about both the Tuilerie Gardens and the Jardins du Luxembourg were the amounts of chairs provided which is enormous. Not only that, but they are not fixed benches, so people can move them round to enjoy their preferred view or even to do a spot of impromptu sunbathing.



We made our way back to the Panthéon and were treated to the perfect blue sky background without a cloud to be seen in our photos – hurrah! We wandered around the outside admiring the pretty flowered window boxes of the neighbouring hours before heading inside. Once again, I was amazed that you are allowed to take photographs inside – even of the paintings and tapestries. We saw some stunning statues and tableaux of Jean of Arc amongst others, as well as the famous Faucoult Pendulum which was used in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth.



Below the Panthéon is the crypt which is absolutely enormous, and the burial place for a number of intellectuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and Louis Braile.



The tombs themselves are much simpler than others I have visited and seemed almost an anticlimax given their historical importance, but it was a fascinating visit nonetheless.



Just next door to the Panthéon is the Eglise de Saint Etienne du Mont. Small by comparison with the Panthéon, this little church is an absolute must. We’d seen it in the guide Michelin where it’s ‘Jube’ was rated as 2*, but as neither of us had any idea what a Jube was, we weren’t sure if we’d find it! This turned out to be the intricately carved staircase and passageway above the congregation. The detail was incredible and from a distance it looked almost like lace.



We took a moment to sit and read the guide book, and I was glad we did because we discovered that there was also some beautiful stained glass windows in the cloister. This was in itself a curiosity as it was an indoor cloister leading onto what looked like (and smelt like) and old fashioned school hall.



Astonishingly, we still had plenty of time before lunchtime, so our plan of campaign was to wander up to the church of Saint Severin where there was some interesting twisted looking stone masonry and modern stained glass windows which we weren’t keen on, and then on to the Place Saint-Michel where there is a huge fountain with two dragons.



Unfortunately, it had started to cloud over, so after a quick and expensive Guinness in the Irish pub where they didn’t speak French, we decided it was time to find our Chinese restaurant that we’d been fancying since we arrived. We’d seen one listed in the guide Michelin called the Mirama, but sadly we realised that our sense of direction was no better on foot than it was on the metro, so it took a bit of time to locate it. It did indeed look delicious, but very pricey, so we wandered a bit further through the Quartier Latin (bum pinching territory).



This is a fascinating area of Paris and worth wandering through the narrow streets just for the atmosphere. There were huge numbers of themed restaurants; Mexican, Thai, Japonese, Italian and so many Greek restaurants and kebab shops that I lost count! We also saw souvenir shops and a delicious looking bakery before stumbling across the ‘Petit Hongkong’. This was a bizarre restaurant but we had a lovely table overlooking the square below and the famous ‘Chez Clement’ restaurant.



Lunch consisted of nems, special fried rice, chicken and mushrooms in a scrummy sauce, a selection of steamed delicacies, all for the princely sum of 15.50€ including drinks – for 2!! What a feast. I know it seems strange to go to Paris and eat Chinese, but when you live in Corsica you rarely get the opportunity to try foreign foods as they just aren’t available here, so it was a real treat.



After lunch we decided to do a boat trip along the Seine. My comfy flippy shoes turned out to be no match for my trusty old flipflops (RIP) and I already have two blisters so it seemed like a plan. Within 10 minutes, we’d bought tickets and managed to push our way to the seats we wanted despite them already having occupants! It’s a good job I am not easily embarrassed.



We picked a BATOBUS as opposed to a Bateau Mouche as the Batobus work on the same principle as the hop-on, hop-off bus, so your ticket is valid all day and it’s a great way to see the city. We’d jumped on at Notre Dame, and within an hour we’d seen the Hotel de Ville, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Musée d’Orsay to name just a few.



One of the strangest sights was the ‘Paris Plage’. Apparently, every year since 2002, roadways on the right bank are blocked off in July and August, and host various activities, including sandy beaches and palm trees – did someone really think this through? We saw people sunbathing on imported sand, old fashioned ice cream sellers and brightly coloured beach huts. It was the most bizarre experience until Micheal Jackson got on the batobus and sat opposite us. Yes, complete with red ‘Thriller’ Jacket, tight black trousers, glove and Michael Jackson haircut it is clear that Michael lives on…



As we still had a few hours to spare, we decided to pop into the Conciergerie. This was something I’d wanted to do since our last visit to Paris but we ran out of time. This also had a star in the Guide Michelin, but whereas the other places exceeded our expectations, this disappointed a little.



OK, so the medieval halls were impressive, but it was difficult to really appreciate them as a temporary exhibition had been set up between the columns. We weren’t expecting to see baubles and opulent decorations because, after all, this was a prison in times gone by, but we did expect a little more for our money.



Three prison cells had been arranged to show how life would have been for the those incarcerated here, and also the difference. Paupers were expected to sleep on straw on the floor, whilst the rich could pay for a bed. Famous people could ‘buy’ a private room with a desk and camp bed where they would work or read. Although the building is enormous, it is still difficult to imagine that up to 1200 people at a time were imprisoned here.



One of the star attractions – OK, I’m pushing it a bit there – is the cell of Marie-Antoinette where she spent 76 days before being taken to the Guillotine. Between 1793 & 1795, nearly 2600 people were tried at La Conciergerie and subsequently Guillotined. Trials during ‘The Terror’ (French Revolution had only two outcomes – a declaration of innocence or a death sentence – very few were found innocent. After a quick walk down rue Rivoli for a spot of last minute bargain hunting, and we were on our way back to the airport.



As we set foot in the terminal building, the heavens opened and we watched as the torrential rain was joined by lightning. As we were on such a short stopover, we had no choice but to return by the last flight back to Ajaccio which happened to be Air France. What a difference to our EasyJet experience – miserable and unhelpful ground staff that looked like trout, delayed arrival, delayed departure and incorrect information. We were sitting just next to the desk and the bloke who announced the delay felt obliged to come and apologise personally – do you think he’d noticed the tight-lipped, daggers-drawn glare he’d been given…