Lifestyle
Sarah's Spot
Travel
Two Days in Paris
19:56:00 |
| My Cousin Enjoying an Andy Warhol Piece |
After a long two weeks in Oxford, the heartache of departing my new friends and all the wonderful memories made was aided by by two days in Paris. Now, there isn't quite a lot to do in a city for two days, especially someplace as stunning as Paris, but somehow those two days managed to work.
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| I'm very proud of this |
I arrived in Paris around 6pm from a bumpy journey on the Eurostar, and with a stop over at Novotel Tour Eiffel just for a change of appearance, hit the town for a French dinner at "Le Bœuf sur le toit".
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Le Bœuf sur le toit was just what I needed coming back from a long train-journey. Seeing relatives and having a calm night in that jazz ambiance really helps you settle down. It was an arthouse of a restaurant, beaming with Artdeco design which plunges you back to the twenties. The aesthetic set was emphasized through paintings by Jean Cocteau and sculptures by his lover and muse, Jean Marais. To succumb to the setting I started with fois gras, main was steak et frites, and finished off with a decadent soufflé au chocolat.
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| Persian Graffiti in Quai de Grenelle |
The first proper day in Paris started with a bicultural brunch/reunion of Persian and French cuisine. Stumbling upon Paris's Persian community my father picked up some Persian sweets and savory dishes. This allowed for a very interesting topic of discussion at the brunch table on how he managed to find such a place; that even after living in Paris most their lives, his cousins did not know about. I got to spend most of the day with my wonderful french cousins after almost three years of not seeing them all together.
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Some of the artworks there did, yes, require quite a deal of open-mindedness to be appreciated; however, the atmosphere was masking the pretension of most of the avant-garde works (I won't hear the end of this from Tanya). In my opinion the greatest work of art was the building itself.
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| Some of the open-mindedness referred to |
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| Good job Gehry |
Though arguably not Gehry's greatest piece of work, the structure was truly incredible. It was really the essence of contemporary design that was supposed to compliment the surroundings and pieces present.
You had to work your way to the top. Each floor had a different theme of works. Once you reached the balcony levels, the number of artworks decreased. I realized that was because the balcony was the frame for the main work of art: Paris.
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| At this moment it had started to rain and the pure excitement I was experiencing was hilarious given I just came from Oxford which was at least 10/15 degrees cooler than Paris |
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| Stopping in the middle of the road to take this was logical and brilliant |
Two weeks without the slightest, vaguest intake of middle eastern food, I truly thought I was having auditory hallucinations when my parents mentioned the name of the restaurant. Having taken some kababs into my system we took a taxi back to the hotel where I admired the view of the Seine before falling asleep.
The last day in Paris was spent the most..."Parisian"... I use quotation marks because it was Parisian in the tourist-y sense. The day started off with a gorgeous breakfast at one of France's first cafes, Cafe de Flore. I (again) ordered a cappuccino and croissant and enjoyed people watching at Saint-Germain des Prés. It really was a great cup of coffee and a fresh start to the day. It made me realize that once you go to Paris, anywhere else is disappointment.  |
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We spent the rest of the day walking around and taking in all the scenery by the Seine. All the vintage things in the dark racing green stalls is a story in itself. It's like looking backwards in time. Seeing how people thought back then. It's a bit funny and I don't think I got across what I really meant but If you look I think you'll feel like there was some meaning to my gibberish.
We walked to Saint-Michel, stopping to bask in the architecture of the Notre Dame cathedral before continuing. Walking down Rue de la Harpe, we stopped at a brasserie where Rue Saint-Séverin met Rue de la Harpe and had lunch at Le Sainsev'. Everyone in my family ordered a Confit du Canard however, non-conformingly (again, sorry Tanya) ordered a Moules et Frites. With a lot of arguing my brother got his way of ordering escargot to start, which teaches an important lesson: anything tastes good drowned in herbs and butter. 
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We headed to Montmartre where I finally got to have a crêpe! We made our way to Sacré-Cœur, Grand-Budapest-Hotel-style on the funicular. We sat at La Bohème for some drinks (a mocktail in my case) and sat back and relaxed. Finding my inspiration in busy Parisian environments I started sketching away.
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| I cannot spell Montmartre |
After finishing at the restaurant, I stood at the edge of Montmarte and just watched Paris. It was just about to start getting dark. My fathers cousin picked us up and took us to the restaurant where we were supposed to meet the rest. The dinner was melancholic. It really sunk in that the next morning I was going to be on the train and heading to London.
I packed my things that night in the hotel and looked out the window, watching Paris et regardant la vie en rose, je me suis endormi.
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| Au revoir Paris, à bientôt |
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