A weekend in Paris

One weekend last year, I decided to go to Paris to see some friends. I live on the French-Belgian border so my village is only three short hours from the French capital.

On the other hand Liège, the city where I study is four good hours away. This meant I had several opportunities to go there:

The journey:

First of all, I looked at the train offers and more specifically at those of Thalys (a train quicker than a normal one but slower than the TGV, a very quick train). Often you have to book in advance because it is cheaper. Last minute tickets are generally expensive. All of a sudden, I saw that it had gone up to eighty euros for a return and we would have to have gone through Brussels... In the end, we wouldn't have saved much time. The only advantage was the comfort. On the train it is possible to watch a film, etc.

I had also envisaged the possibility of going there by bus. The company which directly came to mind was Eurolines. They connect different cities in Europe. The price was very attractive: around twenty euros to get there and around forty for a return! However the times and the length of the journey were less than so: at least five hours to get there. I didn't choose this option so I would have a hard time giving an opinion but some friends chose it and they didn't recommend it because it is late in comparison to the hours given. Therefore it's a six hour journey and what’s more, it's uncomfortable. Six hours is a long time!

Next, I looked at car-share offers. I didn't look at aeroplanes because you have to go to the airport two hours in advance etc. An incredible amount of time is lost and there is no longer any sense in going away for a weekend. I therefore looked at all the options for car-sharing from Brussels, Bruxelles, Liège, Namur... Finally I found something to be happy about. The only problem was that the driver was passing through Brussels on the way which meant that it would take four good hours to get to Paris. If I were to re-do it, I wouldn't go with someone making a detour because the journey is already long and you wouldn't think going through Brussels in a car would take up an hour.

For the return journey, I opted for another car share. It was brilliant. The journey will stay engraved in my memory. It went by so quickly! Basically, we sung songs in the car and spoke at great length with the other passengers who were all around my age. So a very good experience! I searched for a car share on the website Bla Bla Car. I always look at the drivers reviews and at their profile before getting into anything. Then I contact the driver via email and also by telephone at least once or twice before the said journey.

We left on the Friday, very early in the morning to arrive just at midday in Paris (because take into account as well that you are often dropped off in the outskirts and you have to take the metro afterwards). On the Sunday we left at around 4PM to arrive late in the evening into Liège, at around 10-11PM (the driver took a break and we got to there by metro).

The rediscovery of Paris: New districts

It wasn't the first time that I have been to Paris and surprisingly it wasn't the first time I went in Winter either. However I'd forgotten a fair amount of things. In any case, the only aim was to walk around rather than visit to places I have already been to several times and which finally, are quickly forgotten (not all of them but for certain museums, this is the case).

It is important to know that museums are free on the first Sunday of every month! Therefore, if you are dithering between two dates, this little detail could tip it over the edge for one weekend, over another.

Père Lachaise:

Every time up until now, I've discovered new places and unknown neighbourhoods. We stayed in the Père Lachaise neighbourhood, a neighbourhood known for... it's cemetery! Actually Jim Morrison, the playwright Molière, the painter Delacroix, the singer Henri Salvador and the writer Oscar Wild among others were buried there. I have never had the opportunity to visit it because you have to reserve in advance to be able to get into the cemetery otherwise it would be crowded and lose all it's spirituality and point. There is a cinema near to the metro stop, some magazines and some markets. It's quite a lively and multicultural neighbourhood (a bit like all the big cities rolled into one).

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Paris at night:

On the first night, we took advantage of the night fall to go for a walk along la Seine near to the louvre and to the Musée d'Orsay on the embankment. It was very well lit up and if want to take photos of Paris at night, this is the place to go because there aren't so many passers-by and normally you have space on the pavement to put up photographic equipment, like a tripod for example. In the distance you can see the Champs Elysée and in winter, you can see the famous road illuminated. Behind there is the Christmas market with it's little huts where you can buy food (a sandwich or roasted pork, country sausages... ), winter drinks (mulled wine seasoned with cinnamon, hot chocolate, hot apple juice with cinnamon), all kinds of jewellery and Christmas decorations for Christmas fanatics. If you continue onto the other side, turning your back from the Louvre museum, you can see the island where the Notre Dame of Paris is found. At night, this too is a beautiful sight!

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The Eiffel tower:

On the second day, we went to the Eiffel tower. It was very nice weather so it was pleasant to see it in the sun. What's more we didn't arrive but through la place du Trocadéro (opposite the Eiffel tower, in front of the bridge) but from the back, by the military school. This means although the view is less impressionable, there are less people so it's an opportunity to take some beautiful photos. Next to it, there is a glass wall with words of love/peace written on it in a wide variety of languages (Spanish, French, Polish, Arabic, Egyptian, English, German, etc. ).

Then you can go on through under it towards la place du Trocadéro. There are many people under the Eiffel tower because the people go there to go up it. There are four different entries. Visits are up until 11PM which allows you to a view of Paris at night or in the day. The price varies according to the floor you mount up to and the prices mount too... Pretty high seeing as adult entry can reach forty euros if you want to go up to the very top. :s Otherwise, I believe it's eight euros for the second floor. Beware of pickpockets when you are in the crowd!

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If you continue, you will arrive at the river and bridge. Here, many people do magic tricks, things to attract attention and people stage things in order... to rob you! So keep an eye out. Have fun but above all, stay vigilant! You can then go up to la place du Trocadéro where there are many more people but the view is beautiful too because la Seine flows just ahead. There is also a lot of stagings - of dance and theatre. It's a pleasant area. It's just a shame there are so many people, but understandable!

A bit later, we headed little by little towards the island where Notre Dame is situated, namely at île Saint Louis. Yes, the same as in the cartoon! :)

L'île Saint Louis, l'île de la Cité et Notre Dame:

L'île Saint Louis is situated in the center of la Seine. It neighbours the île de la Cité which it doesn't communicate with! Therefore take a good look at which one you go to because the cathedral is on the big part (île de la cité) and not on the little (île Saint Louis). On the île de la cité, there are plenty of restaurants and cafés, several shops however they are all rather expensive due to their geographic situation. However, I was in a creperie a bit behind the cathedral and it was very nice and not overly expensive for paris (four or five euros). Therefore sometimes, when you look you find things...

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Notre Dame is the main component of the island. It is very beautiful but of course, it's a bit of a shame that there are so many people in front of it. You see the famous rose window, it's two square towers and the porch with all it's statues and the representation of the final judgement. The place found in front is called la place Jean Paul II. On the other sides there are also rose windows in different forms and sizes. I think the entry is free but it isn't to go on all the tours. For that, you must pay. I advise you to look at the cathedral from the bridge to take a step back and take some beautiful photos.

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We also planned to go and see the catacombes. It's the sort of visit that I've never done whilst I've been to Paris and I kept it for 'another time'. But the opening hours are fairly restricted and in the end, i couldn't go there, especially as they are a little out of the centre.

Restaurants and outings:

Very close to the île de la Cité, when you pass the bridge which is behind the parvis of Notre Dame, you arrive at boulevard Saint Michel. Right where the metro is, you can see a fountain. A bit more to the left, there are a series of little streets where a multitude of restaurants are found. It's the opportunity to eat for not too much of an expensive price. Even if they aren't all of quality, in general for a meal, you will pay around twelve euros. They have them for all tastes: French cuisine, Spanish, Greek, Italian... I personally ate in an Italian where I had a meal with a starter and a main course, as well as a glass of wine for nine euros. It is a good memory. Not necessarily of the food which was so-so, but more for the ambiance of these little roads and for how places were decorated... Very kitsch! It's a lively neighbourhood if you want to do karaoke or have a drink. You can stay in the surroundings after dinner.

What is certain, is that Paris is an expensive city. Going out costs twenty-thirty euros - Metro/bus/taxi plus drinks. Find the happy hours! Sometimes you can find half litres of beer for five or four euros which is reasonable. However the cocktails and other alcoholic beverages are very expensive. It has reach prices of up to ten euros! Personally, I went to an Irish bar. I had an offer - five euros for a pint.

The expositions:

Returning to Paris is also the time to take advantage of seeing the neighbourhoods' less well known museums (for example, a lot of famous authors lived there and I suppose that you can see their houses) or some permanent exhibits. There are some great ones! For example a few years ago, I was able to see an exposition on Egyptian treasure. It was a treasure swallowed up at the bottom of the sea, that had been found, renovated and exhibited.

It was a really good exhibit but a bit expensive for my taste (ten euros). It's usually the case with permanent expositions... This weekend in question, I paid nine euros to go and see an exhibition on video games. Nine euros for entry is painful but what's more, there was a two hour queue! You have to be aware than in Paris, it's possible to book a ticket in advance and to print it from the internet in order to avoid the queues. I highly recommend doing this because otherwise, you will have a queue of at least one and a half/two hours and it isn't pleasant. Fortunately, we were in a pair and I was able to walk to the Christmas market which was next to the exhibit room. It was called the Petit Palais and was situated next to the Champs Elysées where the Christmas market was.

The exhibit, although short was still interesting and it was a good experience. However it was still a bit expensive for my taste as I have mentioned. Next time, I will hunt through the the thrift shops because Paris is also the opportunity to go to the good vintage shops or second hand shops.