2 minute read
Holidays & Travel
from North Glos
with Al Hidden
Under Parisian skies
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Day dawns over the 15th arrondissement like a Jean-Luc Godard movie scene. In our third-floor Rue Blomet apartment, early-morning traffic whispers amorously across the pleasant Sèvres-Lecourbe neighbourhood. Beyond open shutters, Eiffel’s tower peeps over grey rooftops. A glorious week awaits us…
Call it the City of Light, Love or even the Grey City –November’s ‘ville grisâtre’ –ultra-cosmopolitan Paris keeps drawing us Brits. Whether by rail, air or by car via Le Shuttle, this eternally romantic capital is enticingly close.
Exploring by Metro and on foot
We loved our stay, with Vaugirard and Sèvres-Lecourbe Metro stations nearby for getting around when not walking. What’s more, every boulangerie, charcuterie and Monoprix needed for Rachel Khooinspired ‘Little Paris Kitchen’ self-catering is on the doorstep. When not cooking, myriad local cafes and bistros provided all the coffee, croissants and relaxing al fresco suppers we needed – Le Wallace on Place du Général Beuret was a particular favourite on several balmy evenings.
The Eiffel Tower, the signature Paris landmark, is visible day and night – always strikingly lit up – from every street corner. Of course, you’ll climb The Arc de Triomphe, get your art fix at The Louvre and roam the Rive Gauche’s Latin Quarter too. Then there’s Notre-Dame, still closed post-fire, but due to reopen for 2024’s summer Olympics.
Wander up to Montmartre
Wander up to Montmartre, the artists’ quarter; like so many Paris must-sees, it’s both a tourist cliché and unmissable. At one end of its cultural spectrum is the Moulin Rouge. At the other, Sacré-Cœur, with stunning cross-city views, is always a joy. For an alternative – decidedly petrol-headed –perspective, watch Claude Lelouch’s ‘C'était un rendezvous’ (1976) as the film director dashes cross-town to meet a girlfriend on Sacré-Cœur’s steps while dawn breaks and church bells toll. Romantic Paris captured in a moment.
Later, stroll the Seine’s famous banks and bridges and enjoy Promenade des Berges, an archipelago of floating gardens near the Musée d’Orsay. Don’t miss the adjacent Flame of Liberty, now an unofficial Princess Diana memorial above the Place de L’Alma tunnel. Where were you that fateful morning in 1997?
Delights for everyone
From irresistible macaron shops and calming parks like Jardin du Luxembourg, to the inside-out brutalism of Centre Pompidou and chic Marais, Paris has delights for everyone. If you’ve visited, you’ll already know.
If not, make that Charles Trenet, Édith Piaf, Françoise Hardy, Peter Sarstedt and Supreme NTM playlist to soundtrack your stay. Then catch the next Eurostar and enjoy ‘La Vie Parisienne’ in the footsteps of Hugo, Sartre, Jim Morrison – and Rachel Khoo!
