Paris en jour

Paris.

Oh, what a lovely day we did have in Paris. And the weather. Heaven.

Silly o'clock start, but once we'd had our first coffee and a snooze on the train, it was 10:15 and we were stepping onto the platform at the Gare du Nord.

Would you like to see some snaps? As if I would go to Paris without my camera!

les fleurs
We sauntered around the Marche aux Fleurs, enjoying the shade and later stumbled across a street market with a stall selling the most beautiful lupins. Look at those pastel rainbow colours. Can you imagine having them dotted around your apartment, with the shutters thrown wide open?

le vertWe walked for miles and miles, eventually making it to the Eiffel Tower. This fabulous building was en route. Such a tactile facade.

les ruelles
You never know what you're going to spy when you're in Paris. Little mews houses, tiny hidden shops, family life, the morning after the night before.


le bleu
It seemed to be following us. In the sky, at the Pompidou, on napkins and down side streets.

la couleur
Colour in Paris stands out all the more when set against the pale backdrop of the traditional buildings. Whether it's the owner of the tea shop who matches his parasols, the oddly military feel to the bicycles for hire on street corners or the beautiful tiles of yesteryear outside what was once an ice cream parlour.

observation de personnesIt would be rude not to people watch in Paris. Our leisurely lunch at Les Deux Magots (Thanks Rebecca!) was the perfect place to indulge. We bagged ourselves a table in the sun on the street, a glass of fizz in the hand, donned our very large sunglasses and sat back to watch the people politics.

la vue
We saw the sites, avoided the museums (the weather was far too beautiful to be stuck indoors) and got coated in dust as we walked through the Jardin des Tuileries. The beers were a 'petite'...long story...

dinerL'Ardoise Gourmande* is tucked down a little back street, behind a church, about 4 minutes from the Gare du Nord - perfect for running for the train if you decide to linger over coffee. The food was utterly divine. Starter was Tartare de saumon aux lentilles and my sister had the entree du jour - a delicate ravioli with smoked salmon. We both had steak for main. Oh, to have had time for a dessert! The staff were fantastic - they made both starters without citrus so that I could nibble from each plate. I will be definitely be going back and taking Mr M.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

Things to do next time...

1. We didn't make it to Angelina's (sorry Alice!) - we were somewhat fixated with making it to the Eiffel Tower - it became an epic journey.
2. Find Galerie Lafayette - could not find it for the life of us. It would have helped if we had looked up the address before the trip. Alas, that requires foresight. I had just about remembered to get Euros. If you're interested though, here is the voucher from the Eurostar website which gives you 10% off when you present your Eurostar ticket. We had the voucher, but not the shop. Grrr.
3. Have the patience to queue for a Laduree macaroon and overlook the price.
4. Find the Longchamp shop. Again, planning...
5. Buy armfuls of flowers.
6. And biscuits. Clever sister. I didn't even think about it.
7. Find some Bensimon pumps in my size. They'd sold out in the shop that we popped into. Sob.
8. Dream about taking an apartment for two weeks...swanning around in my Bensimon pumps, perhaps on a bike, hire a dog, shop in markets and just stroll.