I came away from Paris feeling a bit silly, I couldn't shake the feeling that I just hadn't found the true Parisian parts of Paris. It might have been the huge amount of tourists everywhere or the fact that food was so expensive that I had two McDonalds whilst I was there (please don't tell anyone. I'm so embarrassed but I really couldn't pay 25 Euros every day for lunch). I expected to be able to buy bread and cheese or something along these lines and make up a lunch picnic, or just grab a crepe or a macaroon or something, anything, but it rained a lot and I didn't ever get hungry near a shop selling these things!
I travelled by Eurostar for the first time. I do not have enough good things to say about this. Scrambled eggs at the Long bar at St Pancras was the perfect start to my journey, check in was quick and easy, it cost me £60 return and it's quicker than I expected.
You can catch up with my last post on Paris and see some of the people I met by clicking here.
Sundays in Paris
Almost everything shuts down in Paris on a Sunday except for the Jewish neighbourhood. Head to Rue des Rosiers where there is a lively atmosphere and round the block queues for the best falafel shops.There is also a lovely little food market which is absolutely the perfect place for people watching. This is a pretty part of town.
The huge flea market at Clignancourt is open from 10-6 on Sunday. It's the largest flea market in the world. To me, there was either cheap tack and tat or jaw-droppingly expensive antiques so there's lots to see but perhaps manage expectations about what you might find to buy unless you're loaded.
Most museums are still open and on the first Sunday of every month entry is free but queues are ridiculous. Overheard outside the Louvre
A tour guide to her group: "Think for a minute, how much is your sanity worth? Is it more than 15 Euros? Good, then pay to go another time" Not that I was tagging along with a tour group without paying. Nope. Not me, must have been another English girl.
Have you ever been somewhere and felt like you missed the best parts
or the experience you were expecting?
The first time I went I came away disappointed that I'd somehow completely missed what is supposed to be the most romantic city in the world. It's really not though! The tourist experience is what I would call the 'real' Paris, although I have to say I found what I was looking for the 5th or 6th time I visited in the artists district of Montmartre. It's the slightly dirty gritty areas that I find truly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about it losing some of its shine if you're not loaded though... but that's the same with pretty much all European destinations thanks to the rubbish exchange value!