Paris: Day 3
It’s hard to believe that after all I’ve written about Paris, I am only up to day 3! I was only there for 5 days, imagine what would have happened had I gone for a month…
On the morning of day 3, I departed from my first host’s place and made my way to host number two. My second host also lived in a suburb outside of Paris. This suburb was called Fontenay-sous-Bois. It took a bit of navigating the metro and a bus to get there, but I made it. Like my first host, my second host was lovely. She was an adorable sprite of a girl—half Algerian and half Belgian with Algerian curls in a pixie cut and a light face full of freckles.
I was thoroughly exhausted from my first two days of exploration and I wanted to rest a bit while she did some light cleaning. I helped her fold laundry and then, in the early afternoon, we headed out together for Le Marais.
We took the metro to Champs-Élysées. The first thing I saw upon emerging into the street was the National Academy of Music and what a magnificent structure it was.
We walked along the fantastic Champs-Élysées boulevard. Along the way we stopped into an artist commune and took in some local art that took my breath away.
More walking and we found ourselves in Le Marais. Le Marais was not originally on my itinerary, but I was very happy to visit at my host’s suggestion. It is a wonderful neighborhood teeming with all sorts of eccentric, quaint, and stylish shops & restaurants. The streets are narrow & cobblestone. It is utterly romantic. The best part of Le Marais is the gay neighborhood which bleeds right into the Jewish neighborhood—talk about cultures colliding. I loved it!
Eventually, my legs felt as though they were being repeatedly stabbed by daggers so we stopped in a park, laid in the grass, and had the most lovely conversation as the sun was setting.
When my legs were somewhat recovered we got back up and our hungry bellies led us to L’as du Fallafel where I had one of the best meals of my entire life.
After dinner we explored Le Marais a bit more and headed into the Bastille neighborhood. We walked & walked—chatting all the way—through the stunning Paris night.
When we arrived home, I quickly fell into one of the deepest slumbers I’ve ever known. Paris was gorgeous… and exhausting! Stay tuned for my best day in Paris… Day 4.
. It had been on my “to-read” list for years, when by a stroke of fate a dear friend offered to lend me her audio copy. I plan to do a full review of the book in the coming weeks but for now I want to focus on one important element—
Love, love, love this post. You gave me several ideas for a trip of my own. Your description of the mishmash of cultures and lifestyles made me smile. I always love to stumble upon that in cities, too.
@ Andra – Aw, thank you so much. So glad you loved the post. I am so excited about the next couple of posts. (Hint: Catacombs, Luxembourg Gardens, Notre Dame at dusk, and Montmartre.)
I can not wait to hear about your next trip! 😉