Paris at Easter

The Easter weekend...what a great one it was.

It was just last weekend, but this week - although short - has felt oh so long!

Let's leave interminable weeks...

The best part about Paris, aside from being Paris, was getting away. The caged in feeling managed to dissipate and it all started with leaving London, heading to Dover and crossing the English Channel.

We left late Thursday and crossed the Channel in the early hours of Friday... It was new moon, or full moon - I don't know (should really pay closer attention) - which ever it was - it was a gorgeous moon.

Standing out on the deck, and just gazing at the cliffs of Dover - orange because of the harbour's lights - and then looking out over the Channel, with a trail of water lit from where I stood as far as I could see...all feelings of claustrophobia lifted - a promising start to what turned out to be a fantabulous weekend.

Arrived in Paris mid-morning - of course exhausted - only managed a wee nap on the ferry and dozing on the bus. Took walk around the area our hotel was in, but the girls and I headed back for a snooze before our evening plans.

And was that a much needed sleep - was too long to be nap, but then having a cold does that.

First stop - the Moulin Rouge. It is not the same seen during the day... and it was still very much light at 7pm.

A walk through the Parisian Red light District - it pales compared to Amsterdam :p and then the Sacre Coeur and Mont Marte.

Paris is such and awesome city, and even though I've seen the sights previously...doesn't make them any less amazing. This time though, I had my baby...and it's tripod :D

I knew it was Easter, but not being home and being in the UK (not the most religious of countries) there were no clear signs of this most sacred time in the Christian calender.

Paris though - another story. Walking the streets at around lunch time we saw parishioners slowly making their way back to the church, after performing the Stations of the Cross

To me the Sacre Coeur is just amazing...by day, by night...and the view of Paris from it is pretty awesome. The Good Friday Mass was on, but they still allowed tourists in to the church. I stood for a while, not understanding what was being said, but not really needing to either.

Lit a candle, said a prayer and made my way out to meet up with the rest of the group.


How can one not love the view?

The artists district remains a favourite - offers to be drawn, and enticed by the aromas of food from the restaurants in and around the main square... lured by the quaintness of the restaurants...


This was three course meal un...had way too many of them that weekend, but how can one not? It's been a while since I've had such oh-so-yummy food (food in the UK pales...to pretty much everywhere).



Took a walk back through the Red Light District to the Moulin Rouge... passing Le Chat Noir...for some reason I just love this black cat.

Had a great night's rest... I hate how being sick makes you oh so knackered.... rain was forecast for the weekend, but yay the BBC lied and it was awesome weather the entire time we were in Paris.

Saturday was a walk around parts of the city - Louvre, Pompidou, Latin Quarter, Seine, Notre Dame...it was such a lovely for a walk as well.

Lunch in the Latin Quarter - fantastique - escargot et grenouilles...in case you missed that - snails and frogs legs. Surprisingly delish - frogs in a white wine and shallot sauce - somewhat like chicken, somewhat like fish...with the texture of squid...terrible description, but not sure what else to compare it to! Add grilled fish and chocolate crepe... three course (well, three and a quarter - shared the frogs legs) meal number two.

I headed back to Louvre, taking in a small part - this time I wasn't so fortunate to be there the first Sunday of the month - but the two hours spent there was great. One has to choose what to see, and just make peace with the fact that you will not be see the entire Louvre in a day - or even two or three!

We all met up at the Eiffle that night to see it light up - always a treat - the one thing everyone associates with Paris (aside from it being the city of love and way way way too many displays of somewhat overzealous, need to get a room, public affection!)







And then it was Sunday...and our last full day in
Paris....oh wait...there was the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees -
where I was told off with pointing - by a French Policeman for using my tripod...oops :p But, by then I had the pics I wanted anyway so it didn't matter





Sunday was very much a chill day spent in the gardens of Versailles. I would've loved to have gone in - but honestly - standing in a queue for hours to see how some royal from way back when lived in excessive opulence - and to share this space with hundreds of other tourists - did not appeal!

Not when I could be outside, soak up some sunshine and just enjoy my small square...along with other people enjoying their squares but not infringing on space!

The gardens are magnificent, and they will be more so when all the flowers are in bloom. I have it on good authority that I didn't really miss much on the inside...all I have to do is watch Marie Antoinette - which I have...so I'm covered :p

The only pity was that the fountains are not all the time but only at certain times of the day - makes sense, I know. But still.

Lunch - a picnic of camembert, cocktail tomatoes and a baguette - surprisingly filling!

The fountains were eventually switched on and it was quite pretty. I can imagine taking a stroll in the 1800s - in my outdoor drawing room (as the gardens are described), making small talk with Dukes and Dames, Lords and Ladies...



Dinner that night was another three course meal... somewhat shoddy service - but I guess that is what happens when a busy restaurant has all of perhaps three waiters serving diners on two floors...add having dinner at around 8pm, when everyone else is out too... it wasn't all that bad though - and the food was of course good The one waiter had the audacity to call me honey when I very nicely mentioned that we'd been waiting about half an hour for our main after our starter - which we'd ordered like 45min prior to that! I was like no, not honey!

A great weekend was had...and one minor, yet notable event since it certainly put a smile one my face....

Trip to Paris £300.00
Entry to the Louvre £9.00
Making my way to the Louvre and being chatted up by a local who told me I was beautiful
...priceless!