This next stop on my European tour was totally non-negotiable. Quite simply, you haven't gone to Europe if you haven't been to Paris. That said, I was only able to spend two nights here as I couldn't get accommodation for longer.
I travelled to Paris from Ghent via Brussels where I caught the high-speed Thalys which travels at around 250km/h. For 70 Euros I had a first-class seat that was like a lazy-boy, and was given a meal en-route. Upside: no-one checked if I had a ticket. The only downside: turns out that someone couldn't handle the incredibly smooth ride and left what can be described as the mother of all messes in the loo. The splatter pattern was quite impressive.
After encountering a rather rude Frenchman (my first, and only, one) at Gare du Nord who didn't so much not understand me, but rather did not want to, and taking a hour-long detour because yours truly didn't read the Google map properly before he left Ghent, I ended up at my hostel (and just to make it even more fun, it was 30C that day)
I stayed at Le Village which was about 2 minutes from the steps to the Sacre Coeur Cathedral, in Montmarte. It was pleasant enough though quite expensive for what you got compared to other places I had stayed in. On the upside, it was the first place to offer free breakfast and there was a really cheap supermarket a few doors down the street. On the downside, I was a wee bit apprehensive about staying there as it had mixed reviews online, and stories of things getting stolen from rooms etc cropped up a lot. I had no issues, but then I did decide to carry my laptop with me everywhere I went in Paris, just to be safe.
While in Paris I saw quite a few different sights so I will have to be brief in describing them.
The Sacre Coeur
The Cathedral was just around the corner from the hostel, and I had a magnificent view of it from my dorm room. There were so many tourists there, crowding the steps, enjoying the sunshine. There were performers as well, and Africans doing this weird string trick to you. Someone I had class with in Copenhagen suggested that I should be wary of them as he thought they were a wee bit dodgy, but they seemed OK.
The Cathedral itself was really amazing, with a huge domed roof, and an amazing view over Paris from the main doors. I ended up staying for a Mass (wasn't much else to do at 6pm) which was sung entirely by resident nuns, and presided over by a priest. Some people were in tears afterwards. Seems the spiritual experience doesn't lose any gusto on account of being in French. Me? I was kinda hungry....
Arc du Triomphe
The following day I took the subway to the Arc du Triomphe which was quite something to behold. It was so big, and the workmanship and detail was incredible. But ever so slightly more interesting than the Arc was the roundabout it sat in the middle of. This thing was about 8 lanes wide and had no lane markings. There were also about 8 roads converging at this one point. All this adds up to hours of entertainment watching unbelievably risky merging maneuvers and exit techniques. Speed is essential, as is a lack of fear, and also a lack of care that you got no insurance cover if you have an accident at this one roundabout in Paris.
Here is a video for those who want an example of a typical day.
Alas, I had limited time, so it was off to the next destination: the Catacombs. I got there, reasonably early, and the line went round the block and nearly met up with itself. So I had to pass on that one...
After that disappointment, I went to the next stop on my tour.
Saint Chappelle
This was without a doubt the most beautiful Church I have ever seen, and anyone who has been through my Facebook photos will see that I went to a few. The stained glass windows just blew my mind, such beauty and artisanship I have never seen before. Even the floor was interesting, though it seemed that I was the only one looking at it. You can find it on the Ile de la Cite, a lovely island in the middle of the Seine.
I highly recommend it. In fact, don't bother with Notre Dame, which I also saw. Notre Dame is so plain in comparison.
An amble down Saint Germain
Not only is St. Germain a favourite musician of mine, it is a charming Parisian street which I decided to amble down. I found some quite cool shops down side streets that came off it, as well as some seriously nice homeware and furniture stores. Sadly, pretty much everything was closed as it was Sunday but window shopping was plentiful.
One rather cool discovery was that the McDonald's on Boulevard Saint Germain was licensed! Yes, you read that right, you could get a nice Kronenbourg 1664 with that Big Mac combo if you so chose.
Eiffel Tower
The following day I decided to do that thing that you must do in Paris and climbed the Eiffel Tower. I got there really early and took the stairs to the 2nd level. Not only did this save me about 10 Euros compared to taking the lift, it also gave me a serious amount of exercise. After 669 steps leading me up 21 stories (and nearly killing me on the way), I reached the 2nd level of the tower which is about halfway up. I didn't go all the way to the top which many people do, as it was quite a cloudy day and the top of the tower was shrouded in mist. I had a perfectly awesome view from where I was, and was able to take in the vast scale that is Paris.
I could see all the way to the Sacre Couer, which was a dot on the horizon, over the low roofs of the city.
The other thing I saw at the Eiffel Tower, the day previous to me climbing it, was a rather large group of Asian wedding parties having their photos taken in the park by the Tower. It was rather strange to watch as these large groups waved, clapped and posed for photos, much to the amusement of passers-by.
Rue de St Honore
I had this street recommended to me as the street to walk down. It had every high fashion store you could imagine: Ermenegildo Zegna, Chanel, Lanvin, Hermes, Issey Miyake, Collette and many more. It is also home to several embassies like the British one, and I saw a motorcade with foreign dignitaries from Africa blast along the street in Bentleys (from memory) that had no window tints surprisingly.
Another really cool shop along this street is Laduree which sells the best, most delicious macarons ever. I also had a Strawberry and Mascarpone tart that was scrumptious (and also made several people back at the hostel seriously envious).
Collette was really cool. It was the first store I have encountered that uses iPads as listening stations, if you wanted to listen to a CD they sold. They also had a big promotion on Penny Loafers by Tommy Hilfiger. Hmm. Couldn't quite see myself wearing them.
Au Revoir
That said, a new adventure awaited me further east....
