Paris Favorites

People often ask me what I like to do in Paris.  After having lived in the city for two years, and return often on short trips, it really does feel like a second home in France.  There are things I recommend to people who have never been, things I do every time I go, and news things to discover for those who've already been introduced to Mona Lisa and the big tall tower.  On this most recent trip to good ole Paree, I decided to do one of my favorites--a walk along the Seine--and take pictures of my favorites along the way.  So if you've ever wondered what I love about Paris, here's a photographic journey of an answer.

I like to begin my walk in the Marais, an old neighborhood in the 4th arrondissement, which is my very favorite area of the city.  If I ever moved back to Paris, and got to choose where to live, this is where my little quirky eclectic artsy heart would be most happy.  I head straight for the Jewish Quarter to get a falafel from L'As du Falafel.  There is always a line out the door.  If you are on the Rue des Rosiers, and you are tempted to skip the line at L'As so you can eat falafel right away at some other place, avoid the temptation and go get in line.  The line is there for a reason.  It is the best falafel in Paris. 

 I often get a hankering for it, and wonder if would be unreasonable to get on a train from Marseille to Paris just to go get in that line so I can eat that magical wonder in a pita.

 If it's a pretty day, I love to go sit in the Place des Vosges to eat and/or read.  It's such a lovely little square.  Victor Hugo lived here, and you can go see his apartment and imagine him writing Les Miserables while looking out the window at the fountains.  It's one of the few parks in Paris where people are allowed to sit on the grass.  I love it.

After I've had some lunch and am really ready to walk, I head over to Notre Dame.  It has another park area behind it, which is another place I could sit for hours to read or just people watch.  The bridge behind her is one of the many love lock bridges in Paris.

 Lining the Seine are bouquinistes--used book sellers.  Many of them now sell touristy souvenirs, but it's still fun to walk along and look at everything.  This particular day, I found a leather bound copy of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in French that would match the copy of Les Mis that I already have.  It was in a box with other books that was marked 12 euros for all the volumes, and then the man told me it was 20 euros for the one book.  I scoffed and said I could find it at a brocante for 5 euros and he scoffed at me and told me to go shop at a brocante then.  I was slightly entertained by our exchange...and just walked on before his grumpy attitude rubbed off on me.

 A friend once told me that there is no other river in the world like the Seine...that something about it just enchants you.  Another friend said, "If it's possible to fall in love with a river, the Seine can make you fall in love with it."  Both statements are so true.  Something about her just draws me back to her banks time and again and all I want to do is walk alongside her.

 The water in Paris is drinkable straight from the tap.  During non-winter months, there are fountains all over the city that have water available for free...you just need to bring your bottle.  The fountains like this one were built with little hooks to hang cups from, and city citizens could fill up the cup, take a drink...and put the cup back for the next thirsty passerby.  I'm glad they figured out that the cups were not the best idea...

 One of my very favorite views in the whole city is from the Pont des Arts, looking back at the Pont Neuf, the Ile de la Cité, and the Seine.  It's just the prettiest spot.

 I probably will never get tired of taking the exact same photo of the Louvre.  Or people watching in this courtyard.

 I spent many an hour in this spot during language school just reading and detoxing from all the language learning.  The Jardin des Tuileries is probably one of my favorite places in the city to sit and read.  The garden provides the chairs, but you have to bring your own book.  Luckily, there is an English bookstore just around the corner should you need something to read.  This particular trip, I resisted the bibliophile urge while at the bookstore, but did buy a Dr. Pepper and a bag of mint m and m's.  :)

 Something else I love about Paris?  All the RANDOM.  Wherever you go, there is random.  This particular trip, the random was finding two billy goats in the Tuileries.  No explanation for why they were there, or any gates to hold them in.  Random.

 It's been almost six years since I moved to France, and do you know?  I never get tired of looking at the Iron Lady.  She's so pretty.  People ask if I get used to her, or tired of her, or if I just shrug my shoulders at her as if she's an everyday thing for me.  Nope.  I still marvel every.single.time.

 I do, however, get tired of all the pigeons.  I didn't mind pigeons before I lived in Paris.  But Paris pigeons are not quaint like the pigeons you may think of in America.  They are disease-infested (and carrying), they are mutilated rodents with wings, they are deformed and dirty and gross.  They are an epidemic in the city, so much so that the mayor of Paris paid 80 million euros for contraceptive seed to be fed to them so that they'd quit reproducing their nasty selves.  But let me tell you how I really feel about them...

 Back to the pretty pretty.  I love to pop into Laduree and spend a small fortune on a festive party for my taste buds called macarons.  This time, I bought glacier mint and oh my goodness.  Favorite flavor ever.

 Place de la Concorde is pretty and delightful, and I love to see if tourists will choose to walk up the Champs-Elysées, or will turn (like I do), to keep walking along the Seine.

 Pont Alexandre III is my favorite bridge in Paris.  It's elaborate and over the top and just breathtaking.  This would be my other favorite view in the city, of this statue/street lamp, looking over the Seine to the Eiffel Tower.

 I love to show people this door.  When they see it, I feel like they understand where my love of doors came from.  This is, hands down, my favorite door in the whole wide world.  What I wouldn't give to be allowed to go through that door and see the rest of the building (which is famous for it's art nouveau).

 Since I can't go in to see more Art Nouveau, I go around the corner to the Square Rapp to see more there.  There are several doors and this gate that are just exquisite.

 And well, if I'm that close to the pretty lady, I might as well go on over and tell her hello, right?

 Some other favorite things to do in Paris?  I love to go with someone to a place they haven't been before.  This particular time, Busy said she wanted to go to the Catacombs.  We made sure no zombies ate us alive while we walked through the Empire of the Dead.

People think I'm crazy, but I love the Paris metro.  Just the other day, someone even said I was looking at it with rose-colored glasses.  I don't think I am.  As much as the crowds of Paris wear me out, the noise gives me headaches, I miss the sunshine, and all the crazy/creepy people freak me out...and the Paris metro is the epitome of those things, I still love it.  I love people watching on it.  I love all the tunnels.  I love that I don't have to drive and can get anywhere by it.  I love the performers on it.  I love the motion of it.  The colorfulness of it.  I.really.do.love.it.

 And this one right here is my favorite entrance to it.  It's the only fully covered entrance that is completely in tact.  (There's another one that is still covered, but the side glasses are broken out.)  For those of you who are curious, it's at Porte Dauphine, the end of line 2.

 I love to have dinner with friends and talk for hours.  One particular set of friends have this view from their balcony.  If this wasn't lovely enough, once the sun set, there was a major fireworks show way off in a suburb, but from our viewpoint, it was directly behind the Eiffel Tower.  So awesome.

 I love to go to brocantes with Mrs. Superhero.  It's one of her favorite things to do, and she's a pro at finding the most awesome little treasures.  Another blog post to come about this particular brocante.

 I love to imagine the stories of people's lives.  Parisians are so very interesting.  I wonder what this man was reading?  How often does he come and set up his yellow umbrella?  I saw another man who was surely old enough to remember living in Paris during the Occupation.  What was that like?  What's it like to b a kid in Paris?  Do they marvel at their city like I do?

Oh Paree.  I do love you.  I'm so glad I got to live with you for two years, and that I don't have to live with you now...but I get to come visit you every six months or so.  This particular visit didn't feel long enough.  Go ahead and get the cold out of your system, and I'll see you when you're waking up from the dark winter night sometime next spring.