It is no secret that Paris is our favoritest city in the whole world!! The 3 years that we lived in France were nothing short of magical – and a short 5 hour train ride away, Paris was the most magical of all! Manasi, of course, remembers nothing – she was a baby when we moved there, and just 4 when we left. Funnily enough, she was fluent in French by the time we left – thanks to the little village school where she went for almost 2 years – I mean, literally native fluent – not like our valiant efforts which always fell a little short. No surprise that she decided to take French in school here – even less of a surprise that she did extremely well, finishing up 5 years of French with the coveted Seal of Biliteracy! It has been her dearest wish to visit Paris for some years now – and that really was what this trip was all about – the UK cities were an added bonus!!
We did have a more relaxed approach to our 3 days in Paris – there was no anxiety of planning what to do, where to go, how to move around. And while Manasi did have her list of touristy things, Ajey and I were looking forward to more leisurely endeavors – starting the day with cafe au lait and croissants, a baguette and cheese for lunch and then ending the day with a glass wine along the Seine! Our AirBnB apartment enhanced the laid-back feel – for a short time, we could imagine we were back living in Paris in this perfect, perfect apartment!! Starting the day with freshly baked croissants from the boulangerie downstairs – heaven! We were walking distance from the Laurel station on Line 8 of the Paris Metro – I think proximity to a metro station is key when you’re looking for a place to stay in Paris!!
Our plan for the day was to start at the Arc de Triomphe and then meander along Champs d’Elysees – letting the day take us along. The excessive heat wave we were bracing ourselves for had subsided leaving us with a drizzly, cloudy day – not the best for pictures, but delightful weather to be walking around. At the Arc, we got our first taste of the extraordinary crowds in Paris – later found out that this was a record year for tourists in France! After a mandatory picture, we started down Champs d’Elysees – straight to the fabulous Maison Laduree where Manasi first got to try her French to order a dozen delicious macarons! And then of course, we had to sit down and get a cup of French coffee to go with the macarons!
Continuing our walk, a detour towards the riverfront – and 3 buildings, well, 2 buildings and a bridge – constructed in the year 1900 for the Universal Exposition. The beautiful facades of the Petit Palais and Grand Palais face each other, leading to the iconic Pont Alexandre III. The Petit Palais is now the home of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Grand Palais hosts an assortment of exhibition salons, the Science museum – and oddly enough, a police station in the basement! That explains all the police cars!! The Grand Palais is getting a face lift in time for the 2024 Olympics, lots of construction here. Pont Alexandre, of course, is historically significant – the foundation stone was laid by Tsar Nicholas II, and it is truly one of the most ornate bridges in Paris – walking across towards the gleaming dome of the Invalides, with the first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower off to the right – simply magnificent! Manasi recently played the Dowager Empress in her high school’s production of the musical Anastasia – promising to meet Anastasia by this historic bridge! Dowager Empress – Pont Alexander – perfect setting to break out into a song – “Meet me in Paris!”
We were heading towards the Louvre – still walking along the river – saw a couple of bike tours, how cool is that?! Place de la Concorde – most (in)famous for the executions of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and so many others during the French revolution – being renovated as well, the Egyptian obelisk standing tall in the middle of the square, but couldn’t see the fountains! As we entered the Jardin des Tuileries, more construction – but also a delightful place to take a break, catch your breath, sample a macaron – Bassin Octogonal – the beautiful lake surrounded by surprisingly comfortable chairs! Also located here is the Musee de l’Orangerie – which houses the Monet lilies – Manasi and I promised to come back here one day! The Tuileries garden is an amazing outdoor sculpture museum – with the formal gardens a perfect setting for the graceful statues!
Anyway, approaching the Louvre – walking past yet more construction – there it is, the U-shaped palace with the glass pyramid in the middle – and what seemed to be like half of Paris in the courtyard! Now the Louvre is the one place I had not reserved online – which was a mistake, in hindsight. In my defense, the last time I was here, we simply walked up to the pyramid and right inside – where there were maybe a few people in line at the ticket window? Granted – this was over 15 years ago – but still totally not expecting this! Estimated waiting time was over 2 hours to get in – and yes, we tried booking online then, but all slots filled up for the next couple of weeks! Even if we stood in line, it would be almost closing time by the time we got in – so disappointing! But we’re not giving up – Manasi and I decided to come back early next morning – she was quite determined to get in!
Crossing the stone Pont Neuf, our first glimpse of Notre Dame cathedral – restoration work after the devastating fire still continues, but the front facade is still as imposing as before! But first things first – lunch! The Ile de ls Cite is criss-crossed with narrow alleys – souvenir shops, curio shops and restaurants – perfect place to explore. We inadvertently stumbled upon a little piece of history – Rue du Chat qui Peche – literally ‘Street of the Fishing Cat’ – which hold the distinction of being the narrowest street in Paris! A leisurely lunch of pizza and kir – Manasi was soon finding out that despite her impeccable French, most places pegged us as tourists right away, and switched to English!
It turned out that one of the places on Manasi’s list – a bookstore called ‘Shakespeare and Company’ – was only a few minutes away. An astounding sight – I don’t think I’ve seen lines outside bookstores since ‘Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix’ came out – but here we were, standing in line to get inside a book store! Gives me hope for humanity! The bookstore was one of those charming, cozy places – a mix of used and new books – including a darling reading room with squishy couches and rickety chairs. It’s exploded to instant fame due to an influencer – TikTok, I think Manasi said – which explained the long lines. Most people were there to check it off the list and get their latest Insta post, and not to browse – but it really is one of those lovely places you stumble upon by accident in old cities! Notre Dame was next, and as we were debating if we should join the French walking tour around the cathedral, the skies opened up, the rain that had been threatening all morning pouring down! Huddling under our umbrellas, considering options – decided to take the Metro to Montmartre – hoping the rain would stop while we were on the train.
A couple of years ago, we saw the musical Moulin Rouge – so it seemed like a great idea to go to the actual cabaret here. Looking online, we found a show, and had almost booked it – when I decided to look at online reviews. And I have no idea how I had missed this – but the Moulin Rouge show is performed by topless dancers! An exquisite show, but with partial nudity – umm, let’s just reconsider this, maybe? I certainly don’t think of myself as a prude, but this kind of show with family – yeah, not happening! We did walk to the nightclub – and that street itself was enough of a thrill, what with all the adult stores – and there were tons of people taking pictures outside, so didn’t feel too weird. There was a subway grate right across the street, so had a bit of fun walking across as the wind gusted through! However, would definitely not recommend this part of Paris if traveling with young children or impressionable teenagers!!
From the very worldly to the spiritual – climbing up to the summit of Montmartre to the Basilica de Sacre-Couer on the Rue Foyatier. There is a funicular to the top of the hill as well – if you’re not inclined to walk up the many, many stairs. The rain had returned by this time, and showed no signs of stopping – which forced us to literally take refuge inside the basilica along with so many other people. It was an unexpected stop on our Paris visit – and yet, there’s something about being inside a religious building that settles you, and it was a few moments of total peace and serenity during our hectic travels! We finally ventured out to take a few pictures despite the rain – and we had a taste of one of the more bizarre scams that Manasi had read about. So this random person walks up to Ajey and forcibly tries to tie a friendship band – maybe it was a bracelet – around Ajey’s wrist. Once it’s on, the scammer extorts you into paying an exorbitant amount for the bracelet that you just ‘bought’ – he usually has a partner to add to the intimidation. Now why he decided to target Ajey is a mystery – either Manasi or I would have been an easier mark – but seeing Ajey draw himself up, scowling fiercely and yelling ‘Don’t touch me’ in his sternest voice was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!
A little rain never hurt anybody, right? So a little damp, but with spirits still high – we were now headed to the best nigh-time attraction in Paris! You guessed it right – the Eiffel Tower, magnificently lit up, the beacon at the top sweeping through the night sky, and every hour for five minutes on the hour the absolutely wonderful shimmer show! The first time we were here – we were so mesmerized when all the lights started to dance – all these years later, that has got to be my favorite sight of all!! A little tip when headed to the Tour de Eiffel – most travel sites suggest Champ de Mars on RER C or Bir Hakeim on Line 6 as the nearest stations. I would suggest going to the Trocadero station on Lines 9 or 6. The approach from the Trocadero is a breathtaking view, and is the best vantage point for the illumination.
Like the Louvre, our memories were a little dated here. The Trocadero was a packed with people – street vendors jostling for space with selfie heroes, and several street bands playing popular songs. The flashing Eiffel Tower replicas were especially distracting – it was like walking through a series of strobe lights! But then there is that magnificent view – it truly brings joy to the soul! We managed to find a good spot by the Trocadero walls – little dismayed by the graffiti – hope that clean up is a part of the Olympics face-lift project! And then simply watched with fascination – or rather took a million pictures! Once the show was done, we walked down to the base of the Eiffel Tower – again, fighting the crowd, watching for pick-pockets, shielding my eyes from the flashy souvenirs! More pictures – and we’re ready to call it a day!
That’s quite a lot to pack in a day, right? The thing is – you could walk in Paris all day, and still have the energy for more! The first time we visited – we fell in love with the elegance of the Parisian buildings, the musical lilt of spoken French, the broad avenues and the charming alleys, the romance in the very air! – as cliched as it sounds, Paris truly holds a special place in my heart! But we’re not done here, far from it! And even though my super-long posts are super-popular – yes, I see those eye-rolls – I think this is a good place for a pause. Our adventure in Paris continues – watch this space! Btw, parting note – how good are the cameras on the iPhone 14?! – I didn’t miss my SLR at all!!
A place called home... 
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