One of the great things about being here for an extended period of time is that we don't have to be amid throngs of tourists every day. We can decide when and where we want to go and plan our visits for less crowded times or avoid the tourist traps altogether if we so desire. However if we do want to see the more popular sights then sometimes there's just no avoiding the crowd. Today the plan is to meet at my school after class and walk to Sacre Coeur together - its only about a 20 minute walk from there - all uphill though!
So I spend the morning conjugating irregular verbs - don't tell anyone but I actually enjoy it, there's something mathematically satisfying about the patterns, and this is core vocabulary (my favourite soapbox) so I know how very helpful these words will be in communicating effectively.
By the time I've finished for the day my lovely hubby is waiting for me in the street and we set off towards Montmartre. First things first though - it's lunch time so we pop into a bistro where the waitress is friendly and accommodating and makes an effort to converse slowly and carefully with us. It's always such a nice experience to encounter friendly staff. The manager (or maybe owner) takes "friendly" a little bit too far though and would get done for sexual harassment in Australia for the way he grabs the waitresses.......... :-/
After lunch we continue uphill towards Sacre Coeur - anyone who's been there knows that there are a few directions you can come from but they all involve a final steep climb. We take les escaliers beside the Funiculaire - I didn't count at the time but it felt like several hundred steps..........!
At the top is the expected crowd and today many are gathered watching a talented young man performing tricks with a soccer ball while standing atop a pillar. He's really very good!
Inside the basilica it's less crowded - perhaps most people only come for the view (which isn't at its best today with the overcast sky and reduced visibility). If they don't come inside then they really are missing out on a lovely church - but no photos allowed unfortunately. Next we head down to the crypts which are interesting but a little disappointing as they're not really under the ground but just under the church. We decide to leave climbing the dome for another day when the view is better.
We head back down the hill, stopping at my favourite Fragonard perfume shop (I didn't know there was one in Montmartre!) to pick up a birthday gift for someone special, then we continue our slow wander through the Montmartre streets. Eventually we find ourselves on Boulevard de Rochechouart in the questionable Pigalle area (read: red light district)!! We walk on as far as the famous Moulin Rouge, then continue to head downhill, away from the sleazy sex shops and on towards home........... :-)
On a completely different note, the traditional baguette in Paris is absolutely to die for - so light and satiny soft inside and crusty but chewy on the outside - and it's hard to resist stopping in at the boulangerie each day. So today we don't bother - resisting, that is! ;-)
22/3/13 Friday
As I leave the apartment this morning my first thought is "it's not that cold this morning" - isn't it funny how our perception changes with our circumstances - it's 4 degrees and feels like about 1 C, but it's above zero and that makes all the difference ;-) At home in Perth if it was this cold we'd be lighting the fire and spending the day in front of it!!!!
It's my last day at school today - the 3 weeks have really flown but it's been a great experience and I'm so glad I decided to learn some French in Paris. We spend another morning on useful verbs but we're now at the stage where a good part of the time is taken up with tangential questions and that's really helpful too.
At morning break my classmates exchange stories about the Metro - one of the young women had her mobile phone taken from the pocket of her skirt while listening to music through headphones. When the music suddenly stopped she put her hand into the pocket to find it empty. She turned around in surprise to find a young pickpocket brazenly walking up the steps behind her, holding her phone in his hand! She slugged him and retrieved her phone - gutsy!!! The moral of the story? The cord of your headphones is a dead giveaway as to the location of your phone and pickpockets are incredibly experienced at removing items without you feeling a thing (though this young man obviously needs a little more training in logic.........!)
At the end of the lesson I say au revoir to my classmates and my wonderful teacher and head off to meet my lovely man who is waiting for me outside the school. Today the afternoon plans are in his capable hands. We walk towards the Galeries Lafayette, Opera Garnier, and the church of the Madeline - a lovely part of town and near where he stayed with his daughter a few years ago. We grab some takeaway lunch and walk a little further to have an impromptu picnic at the lower end of the Champs de Elysees - quiche au champignons et quiche au Stilton bleu - mmmm!
The afternoon is fine and the sun is even shining weakly through the light cloud cover. There's a crêpes vendor in the park and the temptation is too much - a shared crêpe au citron sucre is the joint decision, and it's delicious :-)
We start the walk towards home via the Place de la Concorde and the Jardin de Tuileries. The trees are definitely starting to show signs of spring and it's a lovely afternoon to be out walking.
We walk through the Arc de Triomphe du Carousel (the smaller version but still impressive) to the Cour Carrée et Pyramide du Louvre and stop for a photo opportunity by the largest pyramid, where we laugh at a few young women taking "selfies" on their mobile phones - and then we take one ourselves :-)
On the Pont Notre dame we stop to listen to a one-man band, and my photographer husband experiments with the panorama function on my new camera and we like the results.
We wander along the Seine, slowing occasionally to look at the wares of the sidewalk vendors, and continue as far as Rue du Fauconnier where we take a detour to walk through the Marais area. We find ourselves in the Village St Paul, which is a delightful series of connected courtyards and hidden shops and restaurants, and it's enjoyable discovering these. Eventually we're back at the Place de la Bastille after a very enjoyable afternoon :-)
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