Paris La Belle

Going to Paris this time was a treat – and that's despite the fact that, having lived in a warm climate for a while, I didn't have anything warm to wear. (Worse, I couldn't even make myself buy anything in Europe since the local trends in men's fashion don't really inspire me to get anything… call me old-fashioned). However, I didn't let the cold or the wet winter of Paris hold me back and I made the best of my weeklong stay in the city. Let me share a few places from my latest trip…

EATING

The culinary part of our trip started on the very night that we arrived in Paris. It was the fashion week in Paris, so we had some trouble finding a place to stay for the night. It is always my fault because I don't like to plan ahead whereas my wife is pretty much the opposite. I guess, I should start listening to her sometimes. In the end, we did manage to find a place boasting four undeserved stars (the highest rating in Paris… which made me think the star system is pretty much meaningless these days).

First of all - a general observation - in Paris, even the smallest, funniest looking eatery is likely to satisfy your palate. In fact, I don't remember having the same confidence eating out anywhere else in the world. (I am a picky eater and in my travels I try not to line up with the hungry crowds that keep the tourist traps in business…. no offence to tourists).

I asked the hotel's concierge for recommendations on places to eat (the sort of thing that I rarely resort to after a disastrous experience doing so in Venice). Our (Parisian) concierge directed us to a little restaurant a couple of blocks from our hotel in Rue Littré.

The restaurant Fleur de Sel on Boulevard Montpanasse did not look very convincing from the outside, but I didn't really feel like doing my own research, especially as the night was quickly growing cold. Inside, the place was simple and cozy as one would expect from any decent French bistro. We ordered our food: myself, my long longed-for fois gras and duck confit and my wife, what was about to become her new favorite salad (salade frisée, poached egg, lardon, mustard dressing and of course, fleur de sel) and yummy salmon - all this accompanied by simple and delicious Rose de Provence. The dinner was great - exactly what we needed – simple, good food and the precious luxury of being left alone at our table to enjoy it. And this was only the first of what would become a full week of good and simple meals.

SIGHT-SEEING

Breakfast at the closest boulangerie and off we went to visit the places we had actually come for: Le Louvre, Le Musée d'Orsay, Le Centre Pompidou, Versaille, Le Musée Rodin, La Sainte Chapelle… It does sound like a lot, but if you like to walk around it doesn't really take that long to do all this in a week - without skimping on the meals. And why would we want to? In Paris, one can basically eat well almost anywhere and almost at any time. (I keep stressing this because it's unique to Paris. If you go to Italy, for instance, it'll be a completely different story).

It is really worth it to buy the Paris Museum Pass which comes in 2-, 3- or 4- day validity versions and allows you to visit pretty much everything in Paris with the exception of temporary shows. The Louvre, and the Musée d'Orsay are always crowded so don't expect to enjoy the artwork unless you're buying a private tour of the museum.

The Centre Georges Pompidou is always a good spot to visit because besides the permanent collection, there's always something extra going on. An unexpected perk: if you have your laptop with you, you can check your email from anywhere in the museum.

Also highly recommended is the Musée Rodin in rue Varenne. Not only you'll enjoy the Rodin's works but afterwards you can have a nice cozy lunch at the bistro just on the corner of Varenne and Des Invalides.

Don't miss the Sainte Chappelle - a real gem which will amaze you with the beautiful glasswork (while the aforementioned Paris Pass will allow you to skip the line of people).

A word of advice that's both obvious and oft-ignored: all the museum have metal detectors nowadays, so you'll do yourself a big favor by not carrying too much stuff when you're doing museum-hopping.