Ahh….Par-ee!!! Mandy couldn’t have been happier to finally be “dragging” her husband to the City of Lights. Like so many young dreamers, icons of Paris had bedecked her walls from an early age and held a perpetual vision of romance and passion. Although she got most of that dreaminess (and quite frankly, over expectation) out of her system in 2008 upon her first visit, she was still elated to get her forever love to the city. What was even better, two of our best friends, Megan and Brad, got to join us to make some memories.
We arrived to Paris after spending almost zero on accommodation the whole month in France thanks to housesits and the hospitality of our kind friends. This was a very good thing, because even an Airbnb studio dorm room we split with our friends on the outskirts of the city was $351.05 for four nights (or $175.50, $43/night). Fortunately, we are a tight-knit group which doesn’t mind sharing a studio of what appears to be “Saved by the Bell: The College Years” quarters, as well as bodily charms, squeaky beds, and one sliding door bathroom. All in all, it was a good place for us.
After a harrowing day of local bus transport from Clermont-Ferrand to our dorm room, the first night we walked to a nearby canal in our neighborhood of Pantin for dinner at Antipode, a boat restaurant.
Megan didn’t waste anytime adapting to French life ? This meal was the only one we officially ate out and set us back about 30 euros for two entrees and a shared bottle of wine.
Free Walking Tour from Guru Walks
It was great for our friends to be here as Greg had walking buddies again. The three of them hit the ground hard with a three hour free walking tour which met at the historic Hotel de Ville. Hotel de Ville has been the site of Paris City Council since 1357, although it had to be reconstructed after the French Revolution. It has been the site of multiple protests, speeches, and beheadings in the history of the city.
In the meantime, Mandy plopped herself down at a cafe for an insanely overpriced baguette, orange juice, and cappuccino for 10.50€. But the atmosphere, people watching and mindfulness of eating her meal….absolutely priceless.
The Clock Tower at the Palace of Justice was the first public clock in the city of Paris finished in 1370. Prior to the installation of the public clock, residents had to rely on sun dials. With its installation, the citizens of Paris could finally make it to scheduled beheadings on time.
The Conciergerie Castle, according to one article, is one of the most underrated tourist attractions in Paris. It’s also one of the oldest, construction beginning in 10th Century. This gothic wonder was the first fortification along the Seine and the residence and seat of power of the Kings of France from the 10th to the 14th century, before evolving into a prison. One of those very famous prisoners during the French Revolution was Marie-Antoinette. Like true royalty, she spent her final days in one of the turreted towers until she got her head whacked off by guillotine in 1793.
The biggest museum is the world probably needs little introduction. Attracting more than 10 million guests annually, the Louvre, originally a fortress from 1190, is also the busiest. However, it’s so big that you often don’t even know you’re sharing the space with 15,000 other people at any given time. According to our guide, if you were to spend 30 seconds on each piece of art in the Louvre, it would take 100 consecutive days to get through them all….without sleep, breaks or mealtimes. That is, until you get to the astoundingly small (77 cm x 53 cm) Mona Lisa and the absolute hoards of crowds amusingly holding up cameras trying to get a clear photo. That painting is seriously overrated.
This led us to the question…how much is she actually worth? Short answer is priceless. However, some estimates say over $908 million, adjusted for inflation. (www.artistryfound.com.)
It doesn’t matter how many tours you go on or locals you talk to in Paris. At least once within it, you’ll discover the local declaring what a turd Napoleon was. In this instance, Napoleon had a knack for swiping ideas that he liked which is where the Romanesque Arc de Triomphes come from. The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is not the “main” arc de triomphe but its little sister in front of the Louvre. In his conquest of Italy, Napoleon made off with some valuable terracotta tiles which were installed on this arc and once he was defeated in Russia, the Italians laughingly promptly came to take back their tiles.
The Notre Dame Cathedral, founded by Louis VII in the 12th Century, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. It has been under reconstruction since 2019 when the spire was burned down by either 1) a spark from a battery OR 2) a worker’s cigarette. Eek. Wouldn’t wanna be that guy. A day after President Macron’s speech commemorating the fire and cathedral, €880million was pledged to fund its rebuilding. Wow. No comment….
The Rue du Chat Qui Pêche is the narrowest street in Paris and literally translate to “the street of the cat who fishes” (not peaches?.) It is 1.8 meters or 5 feet 11 inches wide and was built at the end of the Seine in 1540.
Paris has 120 sundials scattered throughout. The Salvador Dali sun dial is on Rue Saint-Jacques and according to www.frenchmoments.eu, “It shows a women-like face in a scallop shell. This refers to the Way of St. James as the pilgrims passed through Rue Saint Jacques…Paris’ oldest street was named after the pilgrimage. Above the blue eyes, the eyebrow are formed by little flames evoking the sun. The hair cascade down to the shoulders… a bit like Dalí’s iconic moustache!”
Where the four of us met us for a picnic in Square Rene Viviani. Picnic provisions came from a nearby Carrefour Express, the best in inexpensive picnic-friendly, healthy ready made foods. The absolute way to do Paris food on a budget.
The oldest tree in Paris is The Robinia Tree of Square René Viviani. It was planted in 1601 and although it needs a little extra love and support, it’s perfectly preserved.
The Paris metro, heavily influenced by Art Nouveau, is undoubtedly one of the most well decorated ones we’ve experienced. It insanely runs more than 600,000 miles per day – that works out to 10 times around the world each day! During WWII, the metro was too shallow to be used as bomb shelters, so they became a meeting place for the French Resistance – allowing them to conduct swift assaults on the Germans throughout Paris.
59 Rivoli
An Atlas Obscura app find took us to the whimsical, free, approachable art attraction of 59 Rivoli. And we’re so happy we visited and even had the opportunity to see artists, from around the world, creating visions in their element.
This six-story building, only steps from Hôtel de Ville, was an artist squat for years before being renovated by the city and returned to a collective of artists. In 2006, the city of Paris acquired it as part of its effort to bring legality and building safety to popular illegal artist squats. After renovations, it reopened in 2009 with studios for over 30 artists who pay minimal rent.
I Love You Wall
As full time travelers who have encountered people from all over the planet, we can confidently believe there is more love than hate in this world. Paris’s I Love You Wall, (Le mur des je t’aime) spans 416 square feet, is a tribute to just featuring the words “I love you” in 311 languages, including all 192 languages of the United Nation. According to Atlas Obscura, it was created by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito as a rendezvous location for lovers and a lasting monument to eternal adoration.
The artists originally collected the phrase in notebooks by knocking on the doors of embassies and asking their neighbors until they had collected more than 300 languages, all expressing the powerful sentiment of love.
Sacre Coeur
Perched atop Montmartre Hill, the second most visited church in Paris, the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) is beloved for its architecture, its art and its stunning view. Believing they were closer to the sky, pagan worship has been practiced here for hundreds of year before Catholicism.
The first thing you might notice is, it’s very white. How do they keep it so immaculately clean? Well, architect Paul Abadie chose a very specific stone for its construction. The white stone came from the quarries in the Seine-et-Marne French department. It is the same stone that was used for the Arc de Triomphe. It is very resistant and the water does not infiltrate. In fact, when it rains, the stones releases a substance, called “calcite”, that cleans the stone and enables it to keep its white color. (Discover Walks.)
You can climb its tower for 7€ which offers some of the most phenomenal views in Paris.
What a back drop!!
It is a relatively “new” church only built in 1875 after the French Revolution. According to Discover Walks, “The French army was defeated by the Prussians army in 1870. Alexandre Legentil, a believer, wanted to relieve the French people from the pain and the humiliation it went through as well as make them feel better and to rise again, giving them a new basilica. The purpose of the church was to protect the French, but also for them to be forgiven for all their sins since the French Revolution.
Beautiful stained glass.
Sweeping views of the entire city.
We even joined a mass for a bit!
The devil. Apparently keeping the devil away?
Best view of Paris!
Ground Control
Everyone knows that Paris is a powerhouse in the culinary world. But, since picnicking and self-catering is our preferred thing for meal times, we chose our bites out carefully. While in Paris we stumbled across a clever foodie destination, Ground Control. An open food court in a massive and renovated industrial railway maintenance building. At Ground Control you can take your pick of about a dozen food carts and stalls, each serving something different. We chose the Refugee, where all dishes are created and prepared by refugees. All profits are donated to the Refugee Food Association to help finance awareness and integration activities. What a great concept! This means, tailor-made meals from around the globe in one tidy location.
We chose Ethiopian, and West African dishes from Refugee, and from a seperate food stall, Vietnamese (11-12€ a plate) which were deliciously authentic and made with local ingredients! Do you know which plate is which?
Père Lachaise
On day 3, we decided to drag our friends into Paris’s most notable cemetery, Père Lachaise. This was not totally surprising to Megan and Brad because it’s not the first time we’ve trucked them into a cemetery. After all, didn’t they want to see the final resting places of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein and Victor Noir? Wait…hang on…who the hell is Victor Noir? Feeling perplexed, we simply told them they would just have to wait and see….
Père Lachaise, opened in 1804, is a massive 110 acre cemetery in Paris with more than 3.5 million visitors annually. It is simply gorgeous just to walk around in. And these tombstones? Not your every day gram and gramps variety.
It is packed with World War and literary history. One of them is certainly the tomb of Irish writer, Oscar Wilde. His resting places features a winged figure resembling the Sphinx on a forward flight with vertically outstretched wings, and is supposed to be based on Wilde’s poem “The Sphinx.” For years, women placed red lip stick kisses all over his tomb to pay homage until a glass barrier was put up in 2011. Although there are steep fines for such scandalous behaviors, now tourists just leave kisses on the glass.
Additionally, we learned that when the tomb was erected (pun intended) the Sphinx exhibited some very well endowed nether bits, which was a nod to Wilde’s homosexuality. In addition to ladies defaming the tombstone with kisses, in 2004 some puritanical vandals decided that they had had enough and in another act of scandal, they whacked off his member leaving a stubby knobless knob, which you can barely see behind the partition. Poor Oscar.
The tomb of Theodore Gericault, French painter. Apparently a sexy French painter based on his body position.
Speaking of sexy, that brings us to Victor Noir. So, how many women have come to stroke the lower torso of the recumbent figure of Victor Noir at Père-Lachaise cemetery? According to the book Curiosities of Paris, “a lot, if the shininess of that part of its anatomy is anything to go by.” It describes, “In 1870, the journalist Victor Noir was 22 when he was shot dead by Prince Pierre Bonaparte following an argument. The killing triggered a wave of public protest that ended in riots, especially since the prince was acquitted. A public subscription was launched to honor the victim and Amé-dée-Jules Dalou was commissioned to make a bronze statue of the deceased. Specializing in realist sculpture, the artist showed Victor at the moment of his death with his shirt rumpled, a gaping wound, and his tall hat fallen beside him. He was wearing the clothes he was supposed to be married in the next day. This led to the legend that, if women placed their hands on his ummm…special parts….he would offer them great fertility powers.”
And since Mandy would not touch that thing with a 10 foot pole, we guinea pigged our friend Megan to try out his superpowers, since she actually wants said powers. It was pretty amusing to watch her move in for the grab, particularly with a crowd of at least 20 people watching.
And one for good measure.
Airbnb Cheese & Wine Tasting
Later that night, we made sure she enjoyed her baby-less-ness with lots of wine and cheese at a special tasting experience we did through Airbnb.
It was fantastic and included 6 tastes of French cheese, 4 wines and other sides to accompany. $24/each and a wonderful evening in Paris! Plus, we were full by the end of it!
Canal Tour
When you can’t walk as much as you’d like and wanna see the sites, fortunately in Paris there’s a better option than a Hop On Hop Off bus. So, this time we instead hopped aboard a tourist-clogged boat courtesy of Canauxama for a 20€/each to glide along the peaceful canals and Seine River.
It was actually quite interesting to learn about Paris’s underworld as we drifted into the dreamy cool darkness, plus we got to see several things along the way which we wouldn’t have otherwise, including learning about some really interesting gifts delivered by our nation, truly….
We boarded our board in the 10th arrondissement on Canal Saint Martin. It was sweaty and scorching at the beginning thanks to little shade, little breeze and too many people.
Oh geez. How did we get on this COVID trap? Sure enough, a few days later in Turkey, we found ourselves with this Parisian gift.
Fortunately, the tour almost immediately brought us some relief as the boat maneuvered under some chestnut trees into position to enter the 4.5 km underworld of Canal Saint Martin. The canal has a sophisticated locks system that lowers you in the tunnel.
The 100 km of canals that wind their way through Paris were originally built in 1802 as the city’s primary source of potable because everyone was dying of cholera and dysentery. Ironically they were built on taxes from the things those poor cholera patients could drink…wine.
When you’ve entered, you are blasted with cool, delicious air and the desire to never surface again. (In July anyways).
Tragically, it was almost paved in the 1960’s but fortunately that was stopped.
So nice! We had a picture taker!
Believe it or not, every 10 to 15 years, the famous canal is drained to allow locals to look for hidden treasures! It was last drained in 2016 and all kinds of treasures have been found including shells from the first world war, cell phones, jewelry, washing machines and, as might be expected, tons of rubbish. A cleaning operation carried out before this even found 56 cars. Wow. If only we could give our oceans this kind of draining.
And then we cruised below a crypt. Because… why wouldn’t Napoleon bring back a mummy from Egypt and stuff it there?
After exiting through the canal, we entered the most romantic waterway in the City of Lights…the Seine. The Seine is the third longest river in France and stretches 485 km from Dijon to the English Channel. Sadly, the Seine is un peu gross. It is actually so filthy you’re legally not allowed to swim in it. But recently Paris has been cleaning up its act thanks to its lead-up to the 2024 Olympics. They are doing everything from cracking down on dirty streets to improving the city’s air quality. (Timeout.com) It must be working because we rarely smelled urine (unlike Barcelona which was seemingly a toilet on every passing surface!)
And shortly after, we spy a familiar icon along the bank of the river.
Under the Alexander III Bridge, considered one of the most elegant and ornate in the city. It connects the Eiffel Tower with Champs-Élysées.
You may have heard of this tourist tat before…(ha!)
You may not have heard of this one. At least as it positioned next to the other one. This quarter size Statue of Liberty replica was given to France as a gift from the US to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. According to Atlas Obscura, “In characteristic American fashion, the statue was officially inaugurated on the Fourth of July (a date not at all associated with the French Revolution) rather than Bastille Day (a mere ten days later, and often described to the uninitiated as the “French Fourth of July”). To be fair, the inauguration was presided over by French President Marie François Sadi Carnot, who probably had other things to do on Bastille Day (also, the statue’s tablet bears the date July 14, 1789, as well as July 4, 1776). The gift was given to highlight the historically close bond between France and the United States, and reaffirm the dedication of the two nations to the republican ideal on which they were founded.”
Mandy finally got him here!
Another gift from the US, is a 12’ life-size replica of the Flame of Liberty. (The Statue of Liberty’s iconic fire bit.) According to our tour guide, the people of Paris more often refer to it as a golden chicken. Thanks USA ?
Under Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, inaugurated by Henry IV in 1607. When you cruise below, you’ll notice a series of 385 outlandish faces which are called mascarons. These were popular in medieval times to ward off evil spirits.
Mandy had to take a photo of Saint Germain de Pres because it’s featured in her favorite Pink Martini song, “Ou est ma tête?”
Sunset Picnic under the Eiffel Tower
We are so grateful that two of our favorite people came to visit! And what a week it was. Especially the last night, which was capped off with another item on Mandy’s 60 by 60 List…a proper French picnic under that dreamy little icon.
And wow, does she sparkle. Literally. At 324m (1,062 ft) the Eiffel Tower was the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair and was meant to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. At the time, it was the first building over 1000 feet. Since opening, the Tower has welcomed over 300 million people and still welcomes almost seven million visitors a year. Since it was a sign of Paris’s industrial magnitude, it was supposed to be torn down in 20 years, but Gustav Eiffel cleverly put in a radio transmitter at the top making it very useful.
Mandy has been wanting to get Greg in this exact GPS coordinate since 2008 so this is quite an achievement. It was also Megna’s first visit, which, like Mandy, she’d be lusting for since her early days of French classes. Mandy and Megan have been good friends for 8 years. They met while working at a club in Portland, Oregon together.
A pícnic of fantasies. Complete with a Snackle box, courtesy of Laura Faires Krioukov
Oh French patisseries. S’il vous plaît just dive into our stomachs.
Megan and Brad were scheduled to meet us in Vietnam in March 2020, so this was a COVID redo. They are too cute!
Sweeping her off her feet! Thanks! They needed a rest!
Oh, yeah, sorry for getting too Instagrammy. That thing has a way of taking over your lens. About that thing…Most people think that Gustav Eiffel designed it. While Eiffel, whose head was likely too big for his britches, earned the naming rights for the Tower, it was actually two men who worked for his company—Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier—who drew the original design.
Every seven years, around 60 tons of paint are applied. Wow, that’s a lot of paint. (Source: Travel & Leisure)
There is a secret apartment at the top which Eiffel hosted Thomas Edison in. I bet he’d dig these lights.
When Germany occupied France during World War II, Hitler demanded that the Eiffel Tower be demolished but fortunately but fortunately the order was never followed through. French fighters didn’t made it easy for the Nazis to hoist their flag, however, because they cut the elevator cables which meant the poor Nazis had to trod step by step to the top.
At dusk the lights turn on and every hour starting at 10, she starts to sparkle. Watching 20,000 light bulbs, carefully arranged across this 330-meter-high tower, sparkle in a synchronized manner is an experience you simply should not miss in life.
There’s not a better way to cap off Paris.
France Wrap-Up
On July 31, after five weeks, we sadly departed France because our Schengen visa expired. Overall, our time in the most touristed country on earth was a very positive experience and we were a bit blue to bid it au revoir. For most of our stay we were grateful to have the opportunity to get away from said tourists thanks to a housesit and the chance to stay with friends. Due to this, we are now convinced that provincial village life is where the true beauty and essence of the country lies.
Time Spent: 37 days
Money Spent: $1660
Places Stayed: Toulouse, Le Dorat, Mur-De-Barrez and Paris
Our Upsides
-Many free attractions: although France is deemed a more expensive country to travel in, we still did it within our $1400 a month budget. (Yes, free accommodation made a world of difference!) It was also easy to keep ourselves entertained because there plenty of free attractions and things to do.
-Bathrooms/fountains: speaking of free, there are free public toilets and water fountains everywhere.
-The Villages: the provincial French life is where it’s at in the this country
-Extensive Trail Network: this country is saturated with color-coded hiking trails making village to village hiking a fantastic adventure.
-Grocery stores: so many to choose from and all stocked with delightful goodies, including…
-Artisan Goods: we’ve never been in a country that seems to pay so much attention to the quality of its products and offer them at an affordable price. Every piece of produce tastes like magic (especially tomatoes and peaches), the cheese is mine-blowing and the wine is amazingly cheap and delicious. And this is just a small sampling.
-Picnic Culture: we love how it’s then highly acceptable to take those artisan goods and pop a squat for a picnic….pretty much anywhere!
-Beauty products: high quality, low to no chemicals
-Food Waste: it is illegal to throw food away in France. This makes apps like Too Good to Go very beneficial.
-People: France gets a bad rep for having rude people. After five weeks, we found this to be far from the truth. Even in Paris. Unless you’re in a heavily touristed zone, it’s very common to get bonjours from every passerby and people even said “bon courage” to Mandy several times.
-Canals: what is it about having water running through cities that just makes it so dreamy?
-Public transportation: easy to use and purchase online. Also, city bikes and scooters were widely available.
Our Downsides
-Aggressive drivers: we found drivers in France are often aggressive and rude. Maybe this is where the stereotype came from?
-Pillows: surprisingly, we had pillow issues the whole time we were in Western Europe, but France had some of the worst.
-Masks: as soon as we crossed the border into France, masks became obsolete. It did not seem to matter if you were hacking up a lung. Probably why we indeed picked up COVID toward the end of our stay in Paris and had it our first few days in Turkey. Fortunately, we were wearing masks during transit.
-Trains: although widely available, trains were ridiculously priced in comparison to buses. This is why we typically went with the bus.
