Paris

Well I arrived in Paris yesterday afternoon to start my final week of trip 1. I'm staying in an area called Beville, apparently it's the upcoming place to be. It is a bit edgy, I'll admit, but cool at the same time.

I went for a little wander last night looking for a few cafes and restaurants the hotel guide book recommended. It was busy but nice.

Today, I have been out living dreams. I went for a run this morning and took in the Eiffel Tower when I reached the top. After a breakfast on croissants I departed my hostel and made my way into the city. Using my trusty old school map I walked down the main street stopping in at the little shops and cafes along the way.

My first stop this morning was to find a famous bakery that was near my hostel Du Pain et des Idees, which would be a 20 minute walk away, near Saint Martin's canal, which was a beautiful area.

I found it tucked away down a long street, with a queue out the door. I stood in line for a bit, until I realised that I had almost no cash on me, everyone else was buying more then one item and the first item I saw, an apple tartine cost €4.90!

So I walked away with a photo and continued to find my way into town. Eventually my desire for French pastries got the better of me and I stopped to have a sandwich, tea and apple tartine at another cafe further along. I sat in the window watching the world go by. It reminded me of when mum and I used to sit in cafe windows dreaming about doing it in Melbourne or London.

After lunch, I continued walking through the streets of Paris heading towards Hotel de Ville. On my way I passed the Pompidou Centre and lots of lovely dress shops. I was working my way towards find a jazz bar known as Cave du, it was near the Hotel de Ville. Tonight they had live music on, so today I wanted to find it in the day light.

As I approached Hotel de Ville I saw the wonders of summer time or spring time in Paris. Children were scattered everywhere over the square as a new movie had an activation playing out on the ground. There we deck chairs laid out and people enjoying the sun.

I wandered around here for a bit, through the Hotel's garden and down to find my cafe. It was at this point I decided it was time to live out my dream of riding a bicycle in Paris. The song 'Bicycle' by Queen played in my head as I worked out the renting system.

I rode around on the quiet streets for a bit whilst I built up my courage and then the roads were open for all! I rode all the way down to the Champs-Élysées. I rode along the river, past the Notre dam, the lock bridge and Saint-Germain.

I rode in bike lanes that were shared with the public transport buses, pulled my bike up stairs when I'd take a wrong turn riding along the river, tried not to fall in to the Seine whilst over taking prams. I rode right up to the Place de la Concorde, crossed the street and found my self riding up the Champs-Élysées!

Deciding that it was best to walk the Champs-Élysées and not take on the traffic on the Place Charles de Gaulle – round about at the Arc de Triophe, I stationed my bike in the nearest rack and then walked up, passing Lauder on my way.

At this point I was tired and warm, so I jumped on the metro back to my hostel for a rest and some dinner before getting dressed for the jazz bar.

Having not had enough bicycle fun yet I peddled to Cave du 38. It was cooler and much less traffic, which meant for much lower blood pressure I'm sure!

Cave du 38 is around 3 floors underground, hence Le Cave. I descended down the stair case and found myself face a small cave like room. Chairs were scattered everywhere and several big instruments filled in the small room.

A grand piano, drum kit, and a double bass were set up ready to go. There was a small bar to the left and when there was a break in the music I headed down to secure my 'free aka pre-paid for’ drink.

I found myself a chair and settled in for the evening. As time went on different more and more musicians stood up and joined the band, there were different guitarists, a saxophone, clarinet and singers. They lead musician would speak in French to the adoring room and I watched their facial expressions to try and understand what he was talking about.

There was a small screen on one side of the room that was linked to a camera that was watching a woman draw pictures throughout the evening. Sometimes it was of the musicians, other times it was the audience.

I applauded the final song and then quietly made my way back up the 3 flights of stairs, on to the metro and home once more.

Day 1 in Paris = awesomeness!!!

Du Pain et des Idees
http://dupainetdesidees.com/en/

Saint Martin's canals
http://www.timeout.com/paris/en/things-to-do/ca…

Belleville
http://www.timeout.com/paris/en/things-to-do/be…

38 Riv (jazz bar)
http://www.38riv.com/Leia mais