The best of Paris

Arc de Triomphe to Eiffel Tower

Breakfast at the hotel was nice, consisting of rolls pastries with ham and cheeses.  The coffee was nice and there was plenty of hot milk for café au lait.  There wasn’t any fruit, but I think that’s because the French are more into their pastries first thing in the morning?

We asked the hotel if they could shift us to a larger room and they obliged, with no extra cost.  It was on a much higher level and we would need to use the miniscule lift.

After getting a ten-pack of metro tickets, we hit town to re-visit some of the city’s best sights.  First up, we went to the Arc de Triomphe and walked along the Champs Elysee.  We took a look at a few shops but Kim being a fan of cars, especially French cars, dragged me into the Renault and Peugeot showrooms.  The former had a beautiful range of Megane models.

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We continued across the River Seine to the Eiffel Tower.  One ticket booth was open with no queues.  It became apparent why when we asked, as it was for climbing up by foot.  The other two for the lift had long queues.

In the interest of time, we chose to climb up, initially to the first stage (187 ft) and then next to the second stage (377 ft).  I realised that the tower is brown rather than grey!  It was a tiring climb with heavy huffing and puffing.  Fortunately, there was strong wind to keep us cool.

We rested at both the first and second stage.  While there were restaurants, we didn’t patronise them but caught our breath and appreciated the changing view.  We finally took the lift to the third stage (906 ft), the highest any visitor could go.  Here, we were 157 ft from the very tip which stands at 1063 ft.

From the third stage, it was actually harder to spot Mont Matre as it had blended in.  We were now high enough to see the green outside the city.  The south of Paris is definitely the less posh suburb with big faceless concrete blocks.

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Notre Dame

We took the train to the Notre Dame area where we had lunch.  We had noticed some value-priced set meals but we had just missed their lunch cut-off time.  We settled for a Turkish lunch for half that price.

The area had lots of nice cafes and bakeries but was dotted with Middle Eastern sweet shops as well.  It seems to be the case in some other parts of Paris as well.  That’s an observation and a description, not a complaint, since I love baklava and all sorts of halwa!

We entered the Notre Dame Cathedral, free of charge unlike St Paul’s in London.  We had a good look through the high vaulted church and admired its stained glass windows.  Unlike other French cathedral, this one was built without a crypt.  There were several sarcophagi along the aisles instead.

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Sacre Couer

We continued by metro to Chateau Rouge station where we walked up Montmatre to reach Sacre Couer basilica.  The area appeared to be a poorer part of Paris with a substantial African population.   We reached the basilica walking up its eastern steps.

Entry was free but as mass was just finishing, photography was still prohibited.  I loved the light-coloured airy interior.  Above the altar was a large mural of Christ against a blue background, holding his arms out.

We returned back to our hotel by foot, a walk that took about 30 mins.  As we headed more and more downhill, the area seemed to get more well-to-do.

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Evening

After a rest in our room, we explored our surroundings.  Being Sunday night, many places were closed.  There were a few slightly rough-looking places offering set dinners for EUR10 whereas that price could get a set lunch in nicer places near the Notre Dame.  Perhaps dinner is pricier than lunch?  Or perhaps in touristy areas, there’s lots of competition?

We got draw into Mother Earth, a restaurant operated by a Sri Lankan man.  He cooks, cleans and serves.  A real one-man band.  The food was simple and delicious.  A salad (tuna or egg), a main (salmon or BBQ chicken in an awesome sauce) plus dessert (cheesecake or delicious crème brulee) was EUR9.80.  Here, wine was cheaper than water or soft-drinks.  Two small glasses of wine totalling 250ml cost EUR2.50.  What a find!