Little Budget Sejour in Paris
On a rainy weekend I decided to hop on a Plane and visit the wonderful city of Paris and visit a Friend who was studying abroad for the year.
http://www.lecosy.fr/
The next day we met with other friends, after a morning of sight-seeing we were rather hungry and stopped for a late lunch in a Restaurant cafe, that we discovered on the back streets of Paris. Unfortunately we can never remember the name of the place, however I ordered the Steak Frites with salad for 12euros. The steak was ordered at medium rare and cooked just to perfection, the chips were crispy on the outside and had fluffy potato within. The sauce, was secret diva of the meal -as are many sauces in different restaurants- as it complimented the pallet of the steak and it's texture and tenderness. All washed down with water -free in most restaurants- -be careful ordering water in Paris it may not agree with you- as unfortunately, I do not drink coffee.
However I do drink hot Chocolate, 2 minutes away from the padlock bridge and around the corner from the Notre Dame is The Great Canadian Pub. This pub serves typical Canadian foods and breakfast, when sitting in the terrace there is a beautiful view of the Notre Dame and the river Seine. A hot chocolate here will cost you 6euros which is reasonable considering its' proximity to a great monument.
My friend and I often had dinner at her house as it cost less money, it was a good way to catchup and see how she lives in Paris. Remembering most of the small local shops would be closed on a Sunday, we had to buy a produce in advance. My friend taught me how to make guacamole; 1 half of avacodo, chopped onions, chopped tomato, chopped peppers, tbl spoon of cream cheese, squeeze of lemon and a pink of cumin. This is not very French, I am aware, however even in Paris ready meals are not easily found, and are expensive, so we made meals from scratch. We made Cordon Bleu and saute potatoes with a mixture of vegetables, which was a delicious combination to accompany the film of the night, 'Midnight in Paris'.
The last French guilty pleasure of mine, that I just had to have was Laduree macaroons, by far my favourite French patisserie. If you didn't already know, French Macaroons are a small meringue like biscuit cut in half, with flavoured cream between them. They are by far delicious, and a must try when visiting any part of France let alone Paris.
Yes, I was in Paris to be a tourist, and sight-seeing is one of the most important parts of tourism, as well as shopping. Unfortunately I didn't have enough money to go designer shopping as it was only a budget weekend away. However that didn't stop me from visiting the Shops such as Printemps Department Store and The very expensive Opera House.
The Champs Elysee is the perfect place to do both; after taking the Metro into Paris we stopped at the Champs Elysee. Walking up the stairs into the daylight the Arc de Triomphe is right in front of you, -which often happens in Paris- we walked up and down the champs Elysee to find my favourite guilty pleasure Laduree. We came across a massive queue of people outside a building and were intrigued as we ventured closer we realise the queue which would of lasted about 3 hours was for Abercombie and Fitch! and not a show or momentous occasion! That my friends is dedication to shopping!
French Cuisine
Once I had arrived French cuisine was the first and only thing on my mind. My friend took me out for a belated birthday meal at a little restaurant called Cosy in the Maisons-Lafitte district. I choose the 'Aiguilette de Canard sauce aux cinq baies, galette de pommes de terre' (duck fillets in a peppercorn sauce, with potato pancake) which was served with a side of salad all for 19euros. It was by far the most scrumptious meal I had tasted in a while, presented in a very beautiful manner. The atmosphere of the restaurant was chilled but still chic. We ate in the restaurants terrace -enabling my friend to smoke with her meal and coffee- which had a Parisian cafe feel to it, the inside is however more grande. Being on the outskirts of Paris it was away from the hustle and bustle, and you could enjoy watching the real life of a Parisian. See the delights of this Le Cosy restaurant by clicking on the link below. http://www.lecosy.fr/
The next day we met with other friends, after a morning of sight-seeing we were rather hungry and stopped for a late lunch in a Restaurant cafe, that we discovered on the back streets of Paris. Unfortunately we can never remember the name of the place, however I ordered the Steak Frites with salad for 12euros. The steak was ordered at medium rare and cooked just to perfection, the chips were crispy on the outside and had fluffy potato within. The sauce, was secret diva of the meal -as are many sauces in different restaurants- as it complimented the pallet of the steak and it's texture and tenderness. All washed down with water -free in most restaurants- -be careful ordering water in Paris it may not agree with you- as unfortunately, I do not drink coffee.
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| Milkiest hot chocolate I've ever had in France |
However I do drink hot Chocolate, 2 minutes away from the padlock bridge and around the corner from the Notre Dame is The Great Canadian Pub. This pub serves typical Canadian foods and breakfast, when sitting in the terrace there is a beautiful view of the Notre Dame and the river Seine. A hot chocolate here will cost you 6euros which is reasonable considering its' proximity to a great monument.
My friend and I often had dinner at her house as it cost less money, it was a good way to catchup and see how she lives in Paris. Remembering most of the small local shops would be closed on a Sunday, we had to buy a produce in advance. My friend taught me how to make guacamole; 1 half of avacodo, chopped onions, chopped tomato, chopped peppers, tbl spoon of cream cheese, squeeze of lemon and a pink of cumin. This is not very French, I am aware, however even in Paris ready meals are not easily found, and are expensive, so we made meals from scratch. We made Cordon Bleu and saute potatoes with a mixture of vegetables, which was a delicious combination to accompany the film of the night, 'Midnight in Paris'.
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| Best Macaroons EVER! |
The last French guilty pleasure of mine, that I just had to have was Laduree macaroons, by far my favourite French patisserie. If you didn't already know, French Macaroons are a small meringue like biscuit cut in half, with flavoured cream between them. They are by far delicious, and a must try when visiting any part of France let alone Paris.
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| Laduree on the Champs Elysee |
Sight Seeing and Shopping
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| The Arc de Triomphe |
The Champs Elysee is the perfect place to do both; after taking the Metro into Paris we stopped at the Champs Elysee. Walking up the stairs into the daylight the Arc de Triomphe is right in front of you, -which often happens in Paris- we walked up and down the champs Elysee to find my favourite guilty pleasure Laduree. We came across a massive queue of people outside a building and were intrigued as we ventured closer we realise the queue which would of lasted about 3 hours was for Abercombie and Fitch! and not a show or momentous occasion! That my friends is dedication to shopping!
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| The rather ridiculous Abercombie and Fitch queue |
The Eiffel Tower was magnificent, I certainly had vertigo stand near and under this gigantic monument! I personally find this work of art beautiful, however the Parisians -including my friend- find it vulgar compared to other monuments!
The Musee d'Osee and the Louvre both had 3 hour long cues to our disappointment and it was bitterly cold, so we decided to continue on our adventure instead of queueing. Our next stop was the padlock bridge, a sweet and romantic gesture turned into hundreds of padlocks locked on the bridge and the key tossed into the river Seine. The Notre Dame is Grand and beautiful, making me nostalgic for the Disney story I watched as a child. After a long trek up approximately 100 steps we reached My friends favourite view at the Sacre Coeur Basilisca. I'm gutted my camera wasn't working and I didn't get a picture for you to see, but I can tell you will be blown away by this beautiful view over Paris. The last destination on my check list sadly was not ticked as we arrived at 3:45 on the Sunday (and everywhere shuts at 4:00 pm ), it was too late to enter the Catacombs - an underground ossuary- so we went across the road for a few cocktails before my flight back home.
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| The P<3dlock Bridge |
I was Pretty sure I got to see most of what I wanted to in Paris, which isn't bad for a short weekend away! I'm so happy to have finally visited this beautiful and slightly expensive city! I will definitely go back and visit another time, Paris is perfect for a cultural, chic or romantic holiday! It's a wonderful place to experience and the food is sublime, It will always remind you of a film you have have watched and novel you have read, for example one of my favourite books: 'Christmas at Tiffany's' (A definitive must read, if you a sucker for romance and travel).
The Rather Random
The French were bemused by the English bright red double decker buses, and I was marvelled at their double decker subways. Taking the RER was a pleasant suprise and my first time on the Metro line in France. When I say that they were double decker; take a look below and see what I mean, the very first time I ever witnessed stairs on a train.
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Double-Decker RER Leaving the Eiffel tower and venturing to the next metro stop was only a five minute walk away, but arriving at the end of the road there was a lot of shouting and music. We knew there was a demonstration on the Champs Elysee and we both preparing ourselves for my first walk through a 'manifestation'. Luckily for myself we soon discovered the music was coming from -an enclosed area- and realised why lots of people were walking around with hiking sticks. 'Les Femmes Au Sport' an event inviting all types of women from all works of life to join in a sports day! How Fabulous to find in the middle of a Capital City just around the corner from the Eiffel tower! It was essentially the biggest Zumba Class I think I ever witnessed.
Its safe to say I was slightly demotivated to return home, however the memories from this experience will stay with me for ages.
I do hope you enjoyed reading this and look forward to my next post.
ThankYou
xx
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