Paris Photo Essay (by a Frustrated Architect)

Hello! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Did I ever tell you that, when I was a kind, I wanted to be an architect? This career fixation started at the earliest of my memories and lasted until I turned 20. Yes, 20. I studied to become an architect. I spent those 2 years facing each paper submission alone and realized that, although I can spend hours looking at constructions like this one, I wanted (and needed!) something more social and interactive. I wanted to work with people, not to stand on my own at all times. 

But then, admiring the Eiffel Tower, makes me wonder if I took the right decision. I might had been the next Gustave Eiffel, right?

Anyway, I'll leave you with a couple of fun facts of this Masterpiece:

1. It helps you to find your way in Paris as its 4 pillars are aligned to the points of the compass
2. With extremely strong stormy wind, it can move 13 cm
3. On a clear day, you can see up to 67 km away from the upper part of the Tower
4. During winter, the Tower shrinks 15 cm
5. During summer, the Tower leans very slightly, as one side is heated by the sun and expands up to 8cm

I Eat Paris.

Hello! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

It was saturday morning and I had made my way to the one place that had never dissapointed me in this city - Marais. I remembered it colorful and full of life. I got out of the cab at Rue de Bretagne, and walked along this street until I reached the marché des Enfants Rouges. This is not any food market, no. Besides from having a broad selection of fish and vegetables (as any other local market), it has stands offering all kind of culinary creations from all over the World. I was particulary impressed by the moroccan corner - people were even queuing to order one of their tajines with couscous, chicken and vegetables! It was still too early for me to have lunch (my internal clock still ticks on spanish times), I only queued for one of their sweet delights (funny they call them delights - what's so light about them?).

The moroccan "delights"

 Le marché des Enfants Rouges, from the inside

Just a couples of steps from the market, there was a traditional cheese shop. A real one. I thought the swiss knew how to make cheese, but you know what? The french know better. There you go, 11:30am and I was already complimenting the french. But I wasn't going to be that easy to conquire. There had to be something else than well, cheese, to win me back ( of course, I couldn't resist, and bought a smelly cheese before leaving the shop).

The traditional cheese shop 

You think this is a lot of variety? This was only the "on sale" section...

After doing some shopping (more on that coming soon), I found this little cafe called Rose Bakery in Rue Debelleyme, in with people were queuing to get a table and I thought if the french are queuing for it, it must be really worth it. Well, turns out it wasn't very french, as Rose Bakery is a british bakery with a couple of branches around Paris, London and Seoul (which explains why the waiters spoke perfect english). It might have not been the oh-so-french-cafe I had thought, but the 10 minutes queuing were still worth it. I ordered a fresh pressed apple juice and a roasted vegetables quiche accompanied by an organic salad, which I really recommend to anyone looking for fresh and handmade quality food. A very healthy place, if you manage to ignore their multiple cupcakes and brownies, that is.

Notice the basket full of oranges!

I started walking out of Marais, hoping to arrive to the Eiffel Tower just on time for sunset. This seemend to be a total achievable goal of mine, if it wasn't because I got caught up in a tunisian demonstration. A couple of long minutes later, I got out of the wave of people right into Rue Saint-Martin, where a tiny cute shop caught my attention - Le Boutique du Macaron. Now how was I going to leave Paris without macarons? That would be like leaving Turkey without baklawa, right? Le Boutique du Macaron has a surprisingly unusual set of salty macarons - chocolate with foie, tomato with basilic and truffles are some of their exotic flavors (which I bought, of course).

When I realized that I wasn't going to make it before sunset, and felt exhausted of carrying cheese, macarons, and a couple of impulsive sales purchases, I walked into Adam's, in Rue Danielle Casanova - in theory, I only wanted to have a cup of tea... But couldn't resist their lemon cake and ended up having both (I know... what's wrong with me?). Some time around 8pm, Adam's closed, and they gave a piece of galette to each of us last stranded customers (which I had for breakfast today!). 

Anyway, out of all places and foods I tasted this weekend, I've left the best for the my last lunch. My train was leaving at 4pm, so I still had half a day to enjoy the city (noticed that I'm using terms like "enjoy" when talking about Paris...?). I walked around Notre Dame and Louvre (you see? I also do some sightseeing!) and decided to walk back to this rather hidden square I fell in love with a long time ago - Place Dauphine.

Place Dauphine, Paris

Although there are quite a few cafes surrounding the square, don't expect many of them to be open on a sunday. I tried my luck and asked for a table at La Rose de France, a charming local cafe with a mouthwatering menu, with starters being 12.30 € main course 18.80 € and desserts 8.60 €, which, although it cannot be considered budget, is quite acceptable for the area and quality of both food and service.  

La Rose de France, Place Dauphine

Mille-feuille of duck breast and pineapples 

with gratin potatoes and honey sauce 

My verdict? In terms of food - Paris has got me. I can't resist to a city with such a broad variety and good quality of food. In my opinion, as long as you escape from the tourist traps, you're in a safe haven in almost any corner shop of the city. However, this, I already knew. France (and the french) enjoy food - it's not the material that fills you up when you are hungry, it's cultural. The french eat in groups, they'll have a glass of wine (or two or three), they'll talk (main subjects being the food and the wine) and have a good time. In this aspect, they are very much similar to the spanish, which is why I like it. What concerned me most was the service. As you might have read previously, I was treated like shit in bars and restaurants all over France (and specially in Paris), and I was expecting the same this time, being the only difference that this time I would know what the waiter was complaining about. 

Turns out, I was wrong. In each place I've had a lunch, coffee, dinner, I was always treated with respect and, in some occasions even with kind words and wide smiles! One waiter recommended me not to take a plate because "it's too expensive for the quality", many of them asked me where I was from and told me that I could also order in english if I preferred (which I didn't - I wanted to practice!). 

If you have been in Paris in the last couple of years, what are your impressions on this? Do you feel the service sector more.... service oriented than before? 

And more generally, have you ever ruled out a country / city because of a bad experience? 

The Day I Planned the Unplanned.

Hello! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Source

Last night we arrived in Paris.

Paris and me, we have this kind of love-hate relationship. I've had great times with my friends, spending the nights in a spanish bar in Marais (which we later on discovered turned into a hype gay bar during the weekends), or dining in the strangest places, like a restaurant where you order a surprise menu in the dark and can'thelp it to wonder if the chefs are having a blast serving dead worms and telling you (afterwards) that it was aubergines. Even today, I'm not totally convinced of that days menu.

But then, there have been many times that this city has simply slapped me in the face. I was followed by an angry man who wanted to break my bones until I hid in a pharmacy, I got treated like shit in too many of those charming cafes, I got insulted on the streets and laughed at in a shop (probably because I just spoke to people in spanish with a french accent, and believed they would understand me this way). This has certainly kept me away from Paris in the last, er, 4 years and, if I had to be true, I hadn't felt the urge to come back.

Driving across the city last night, watching it's shiny lights and beautiful buildings made me look at it in a different way. I shouldn't punish a city for the bad experience I had during a few visits (after all, I had spent good times here, too). So this morning I decided to do the unthinkable - to give Paris a second chance.

This weekend promises to be challenging: I've started the weekend with black heels and a black suit (as I hadn't planned on staying over the weekend). This only lasted for 2 hours - the time that took me to shower and go to Galeries Lafayette and take part in one of the cities most famous traditions - the winter soldes! With a parisian flowery dress, flat boots and a chic black umbrella, I'm now ready to face my rival.