One of the things I love about Paris is that it's a great city for walking. Even in this cold weather - and today is truly icy, the sort of penetrating chill that seeps through clothing and makes legs feel like ice cubes (and yes, I am wearing my thermals!!) - it's still a great walking city. So this morning I "Google map" the walk from my apartment to Montmartre - Basilique du Sacre Coeur to be precise - and decide it's definitely "do-able", an easy walk in fact, and by that I mean straightforward. And it is. I only get a tiny bit lost once, when I miss a turn and keep going straight - I get suspicious when, after steadily climbing the whole way, I reach the crest of a hill and the street starts to head downhill again. It doesn't take me long to realise this isn't right - I should still be going up as Sacre Coeur is on the top of a hill. Luckily I haven't gone too far out of my way and it isn't hard to retrace my steps and find the street I've missed. All up it takes me about an hour to walk the 4.9km, including the final steep hike up the steps of Rue Maurice Utrillo. The amazing sight of this majestic church that greets me at the top makes the climb worth it.
Unfortunately, the grey foggy day means that the view, usually magnificent, is almost non-existent. No Eiffel Tower in the distance today. Oh well, another visit on another day, one of the advantages of being in Paris for so long.
Inside the basilica mass is being celebrated, so I sit and listen for a while and try to follow - sit when everyone sits, stand when they stand. I'm able to pick the odd familiar word, but know that I don't need to understand because my God knows :-) The acoustics are lovely - there are two nuns who sing a couple of times and their voices sound angelic - I'm tempted to try and record on my phone but the people in the pew behind have just been reprimanded for taking a photo with theirs, so I decide not to risk it!!!
After the mass, I choose to trust my directional instincts and go back a different way (ie. follow my nose!!) so I wander down the hill through the streets of Montmartre, with its interesting and eclectic array of shops. Along the way I pop into Le Petit Musee du Chocolat (yes, there does seem to be a chocolate theme emerging..........), which has the most incredible array of chocolate options as well as a 1 metre high chocolate Eiffel Tower (not for sale!!!). Now I realise that some, who know me and my chocolate preferences - or should I say preference, singular - would say that my taste in chocolate is not what you would call "classy" but I do consider myself to be quite happily choosy when it comes to chocolate. It's rare for me to find chocolate that I would rate more highly than my "tried and true" good old Aussie Cadbury's, and just because chocolate is pricey doesn't, in my opinion, guarantee its quality. So at 50 euros a kilo (and no tasting allowed so no chance to "try before I buy") I decide it's not worth the risk! So I look, but don't touch, and nor do I buy :-)
A little further along, I come across the first health food shop I've seen since arriving in Paris, and I'm not about to pass up this opportunity - it may be a while before I find another one! As before, I enjoy reading the French labels to see if I can work out the contents, but it's not difficult - I think Quinoa would be Quinoa in most languages (ok, maybe not arabic, which I spent quite some time trying to decipher on my Emirates flights as the text scrolled across my in-seat entertainment screen - major fail there!). To my surprise and delight I'm able to find everything I want - tri-colour quinoa, quinoa flakes, rice flakes, rice milk, and tofu. I consider that a big win!!! :-)
I gradually make my way back towards Place de la Bastille and my apartment, in time for a lunch-time (for me, almost bed time for them) Skype with my lovely husband and new step-children. This time difference requires some planning but it's lovely to see their faces and enjoy a chat!!!
After lunch I decide to explore Ile St-Louis, the island next to Notre Dame's island (Il de la Cite).
I've read in my Paris guide that the main street, Rue St Louis en l'Ile, is a shopper's delight, and it's true. I spend time browsing in a range of shops - cheese, wine, clothing, perfumes, confectionary, stationery, and yes, chocolate.
The de Neuville Chocolat Francais shop gets a big rap from Lonely Planet for their hot chocolate flavoured with your choice of ginger, cardamom, chilli or anise. I decide to give ginger a try and it adds a delicious flavour to the chocolate drink so thick it clings to the side of the mug. Truly decadent!!!
Time to get out of this bitter cold and head back to my warm cosy apartment for the evening. But along the way I have another win - I finally have my vegie peeler!!! :-)
No comments:
Post a Comment