Paris Sept 2012 : Day 2

It was a Sunday and apparently most shops won't be open as shops opening hours are still regulated in France. I decided to try my luck anyway so I headed for one of the shopping streets near the hotel. On the way there, I came across a Sunday farmer's market where you could do all your food shopping in one go.

I read a few travel books of people that moved to Paris to live and they all kept going on and on about rotisserie chickens from markets so obviously I *had* to try it too.

Obligatory baked goods stall obviously.

My obligatory purchase which I scoffed in seconds. It was tres good. How cute is the granny in the background???

I was amused to see a paella stand, much like the one in the French Market back home in Auckland.

The food stalls slowly gave way to ones that sold clothing, toys, etc.

I decided to do what the French would do and go zone out in a park with my chicken.

Hello half a chicken. You were a tad dry in places and just basically a roast chook. I scoffed the leg in under five minutes and then got up to go soon after. First attempt at being a Parisian? Fail!

Paris slowly waking up.

I was delighted to see the unexpected gaming icons on Parisian buildings as they have them in London too. You would have thought Parisians would find it tacky. 

Apparently not because I found a few more on my journeys.

Bubble Bobble used to be my favourite game and I would play the 100 levels over and over again to try and beat my own best score.

Also saw a chicken place and this again amused me as chicken outlets are very common in London and popular after a night out with the gerbils.

I guess there are bad eggs even among the chic Parisians. Adult shops nestled among historical buildings! 

The shops were most definitely not open so I changed tack and decided to do the touristy stuff. I jumped on the Metro and went to the Montmartre area. I got out of the Metro station and came across another Sunday market but this time, a flea market which is famous in Paris. This was just a tiny neighbourhood one though.

As they say, someone's trash is another person's treasure. I couldn't see myself treasuring someone's castoffs though so I gave Paris's largest and famed flea market a miss. A correct decision, judging by the wares for sale at this market.

I did spy a YSL suit though!

These chestnut sellers were everywhere on the streets of Paris. Wish I bought some now!
                    

While I was negotiating the crowds at the market, this twenty-odd years old dude brushed past me and our eyes met. I turned my head to see if he was checking me out (as you do!) and he was and took that as me reciprocating interest! He turned around and started walking next to me. So I said yes? He started sprouting french so I trotted out my well used Je ne parle pas Francais. Parlay vous Anglais? Turned out he could speak Spanish, German and French but not English. Our love is not meant to be. I said Enchante and started to move on. He then said Je'taime I lurve you! Haha... I said nice try buddy and left. Amusing. 

I needed a toilet break again so I went into Mackers and was seduced by the familiar.

Even if the familiar has an exotic sounding name in France. Oh and amusing story 2 - while I was waiting to order, being the butterfingers that I was, I dropped first my earphones and then my camera's lens cap. After I picked them up, this French guy waiting for his order said to me in English (charmingly of course) - are you sure you are done? Maybe your purse or your handbag? I blushed prettily and we lived happily ever after.... except he has a kid with him. So I laughed and did a shrug that said What can ya do? Heheh. 

After a lunch that I really didn't need, I wandered slowly up the cobbled streets towards the church on top of the hill.

At the top of these stairs, I was greeted by a lady with a clipboard looking for donations. She was deaf and mute. I tried to brush her off but she was insistent. So I caved and signed my name and opened my coin section. She shook her head vehemently and I thought cheeky bugger wanted a note. Again, I capitulated and looked for a 5 dollar euro note. Finding none, I reluctantly gave her a 10. The bi@tch started gesturing and turning her clipboard around to show me a sign saying $20 Euro!! That was when I finally lost my temper. I raised my voice and said you can't force me to give more than I want and you can't tell me how much to give. It's freaking charity!!! She looked taken aback. I wonder if she was faking it! Bloody scammer!!!! Damn it.
                   

Anyway I stepped off the staircase and was greeted by a very charming art market with artists peddling their wares and drawing portraits of suckers like this lady.

Again, there were idiotic (asian) bride and grooms getting their wedding photos taken. Again, I mocked them in my head and muttered "Imbecile" in what I call my French accent under my breath as I passed them by haha.

On the way to Sacre Couer, the church on top of the hill.

The streets were all lined with souvenir shops selling tacky mementos of Paris. I didn't buy any. This place kinda reminded me of the area in Macau where the facade of St Paul's was.... except there were no cookie shops and endless samples to be had. *sad face* 

The obligatory gargoyle guarding the place.

I went inside for a bit and the beauty and the atmosphere of the church literally brought tears to my eyes. They had short services on repeat where a dude spoke from a speaker in French for a few minutes and then they had a couple of hymns. I didn't understand a single word obviously but still drew comfort from it. I came out into the bright sunshine and was greeted by the view of Paris laid out at my feet. The place was packed with people, again just sitting there for hours on end. I tried again, to also sit and just chill. Again, I failed. Heheh.

I headed back down the hill. There was the lazy option of the tram catering for people like my mother!

 There was a Pylones at the foot of the hill. Pylones is a French cutesy shop that we also have in Auckland. How hip is Auckland??!

 I hopped back on the Metro after this and headed off to Champs Elysees. I was determined to find it this time and when I got to the same crossroads, I asked the info center there for the direction. It turned out that I should have gone left instead of straight ahead like I did the day before. Oh well, better late than never.

Hello Arc du Triomphe.

Obviously I had to visit LV. Obviously.

 The obligatory queue.

Doesn't she look real? It's just a mannequin though, of the Japanese artist that collaborated with LV on its latest designs. The scarf I wanted was sold out. Darn it. I found this out after waiting for EONS for a sales assistant to serve me. So annoying.

Next on my touristy trail was La Tour Eiffel of course! On the way there I passed the motorway where Princess Diana was killed. 

Monsieur and Madam La Imbecile

At least they were better looking than the other ones I'd seen.

Interestingly enough, the steel has a pinkish hue to it. Who knew?

The line to buy tickets was ridiculously long so I bought an ice cream and left.

Jumped back on the tube and headed for Chinatown this time around. This sight of people sitting at tables outside a cafe amused me. This is obviously a common sight all around Paris and it was the same in Chinatown except they were all Asians. Yes, I am easily amused.

This restaurant was my destination. I read on a blog that this lady had THE best pho ever here so I thought I would come and try it too.

I am not a pho fan so I could take it or leave it to be honest. What impressed me and made me really jealous was that all the vietnamese waiters and waitresses at the establishment spoke French!!! I want to as well...

That was the end of Day 2. I got back to the hotel by 8ish and collapsed into bed in exhaustion once again. Final day coming up. Sob sob.

Paris Sept 2012 - Day 1

After two months of intense research and excitement, the day was finally here!! I was bound for Paris by Eurostar! Yay.... my taxi arrived 15 minutes early but being a Hiing (a hybrid of Hii and Ting) I was ready anyway. So I got to King's Cross St Pancras with oodles of time to spare. My train was leaving at 6.18 am and I was there by 5 am. 

The station was very quiet for once.

The train ride was uneventful and I got to Paris just before 10 am local time. I had done my research and booked a hotel that was relatively cheap for Parisian standards but also on a direct route from Gare du Nord the Eurostar station. 

Say hello to Hotel Des Trois Gares. It had the word "3" in its name which is probably why I kept thinking it's 3 stars. I don't think it is hehe. But it is in a good location being close to Notre Dame, but eons away from the glamorous Champs Elysées.

View from my balcony. You can just see the river boats peeking between the trees as that was a canal that led to the Seine.

Quiet street that my hotel is on.

I was very early but thankfully they had a room available already for me to check into. There was the cutest elevator in the hotel. It was seriously just enough to fit me and my little cabin luggage and even then, it was a tight squeeze. It was pink and you have to open what looked like a normal door to get in, press the floor you wanted and a security barrier will close before it ricketted slowly to the floor.

My room... the bed was so short that my feet hung off it sometimes..... but still, I think it was larger than the room I once had in Hong Kong... you definitely couldn't swing a dead cat in THAT room.

I dumped my bags in my room and went wandering. I had my winter jacket and layers of clothing since I came from London but Paris had beautiful weather for the 3 days that I was there and I got away with a singlet and a thin cardigan. Parisians on the other hand, were all dressed in fashionable layers with smart jackets and a chic scarf - men and women.

I decided to just wander around aimlessly for my first day so I followed the waters for a bit. This was coming up to ile Saint Louis, one of two little islands on the Seine. The shop that sells the best ice cream in Paris is on this island so i decided to go looking for it... yes at 10 in the morning. But alas, I didn't see it because I forgot the name of the place and there were so many darn ice cream and sweets shops everywhere.

I ended up at the Latin Quarter which was charming and full of colour.

There were loads of these little kebab shops all along the streets of the Quarter.

That was two whole hogs being roasted in a shop front.

I went with a kebab in a baguette... the baguette because I was in Paris and the kebab because I was starving and well, I wanted chips. Alas, the baguette was hard. Why do the French like it so much?

Even diet coke was chic in Paris.

After my lunch, I continued my walk and ended up on Saint Germain Boulevard. I spotted a Sephora which I had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, it was disappointing and no where near as good as the Americans ones even though Sephora is a french company. Booooo!

St Germain was boring but it was mainly because I couldn't for the life of me find the pocket of shops that the guidebook mentioned. I was very very bad with a conventional map after being used to my Iphone map!!! So I gave up and jumped on the very efficient Metro, bound for Saint Lazare where Paris's premier department stores were located. It was also only two metro stops from Champs Elysées so I thought I could continue on to there.

I was desperate for a bathroom break and couldn't find a freebie so had to pay Euro 1.50 to use this luxurious one in Printemps, one of the huge department store. It was not worth it heheh.

Then I had to wander into Lafayette to have a look at the famous domed ceiling and it was gorgeous but very hard to photograph! 

The place was crawling with tourists and every designer boutique in the department stores had a queue made up of Asian tourists *shakes fist* so I couldn't go in. My bestie (hi bestie) retorted "Aren't you one of them???' when I whined about this to her. Touché!

I then carried on to Rue Cambon because I wanted to perve at the original store Coco Chanel set up .. got lost a million times on the way obviously so I had a crepe break in one of the many many many creperies. I had a nutella crepe with stratecialla ice cream. Yes, I finished it all.

I chanced upon the Pantheon on my walk.

But more importantly, Laduree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and of course, with the omnipresent touristy queue. Darn it. I didn't bother waiting since I've had it in London.

One of the display windows had Hello Kitty on its packaging. Darn cat is everywhere.

I think this was Galerie Vivienne maybe and something was obviously happening because there were huge crowds just hanging around and paparazzi with their long lens cameras. I knew it was something fashion-related as it was Fashion Week in Paris. 

Some dude being interviewed.

Some fashionable young things waiting for the show to start.

It was the Vivienne Westwood show which ironically, is a British designer.

I continued on and walked past the Palais Royal. I didn't realise what was coming up and just happened to cross the street to the side it was on. All of a sudden I heard a "Madam, please move back"... wow security was so tight that you weren't allowed on the same side of the street in case you were a loony wanting to assassinate the President.

Equivalent of the British guards at their sentry boxes.

I got to the crossroads where Champs Elysées was and it looked ordinary... apart from being huge. I saw no Chanel or Louis Vuitton? So I picked the road that looked the most exciting, thinking that must be the right one... it wasn't haha.. 

See the tiny white dress? That was a bride and groom getting their wedding photos taken. I saw sooo many pairs of newly weds doing that over the weekend. I mocked them in my head for being completely cliched of course.

I kept wandering around aimlessly and happened upon a parade of some sorts. I still have no idea what it was about.

Group of African (?) people dancing tribally.

I spotted La Tour Eiffel for the first time!!!!!!!!

Dude djing and the ladies in red tops were skipping on a rope.

Ladies in colourful ethnic gear.

A long row of people beating drums.

After that, I wandered back to the hotel and fell into an exhausted sleep by about 9 pm. I had walked for an astonishing 8 hours or so !!!!!!! Day two coming right up.