Un weekend à Paris I

20 Dec 2017

A weekend in Paris

A couple of weekends back, my friend Ele and I took a mosy up to St Pancras station. I had that slightly gleeful feeling you get when you’re on your usual route to work but know you’re not actually going to work.

Naturally my first port of call when the train got in was M&S to buy an extra-large tub of hummus.

Gotta get your priorities in order ya know?

We stocked up on snacks and met Becca outside the Eurostar entrance.

We were off to Paris and travelling with Ele, who had never been on the Eurostar before, was a bit like travelling with an excitable child (for anyone in a similar position; yes, you can take liquids aboard and no, the train doesn’t plunge straight into the Thames…).

It was grand, minus the woman asking us to whisper because she was trying to sleep… on a 1pm train.

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

It was my fourth visit to Paris; this trip had come about because our gal Rosie was working there for a couple of months so naturally the girls, myself included, had insisted on visiting within about five seconds of her getting the job.

After eating a lot of hummus, failing to whisper for sleeping woman and navigating the metro without disaster, we met Rosie and headed to her little studio flat to drop off our bags.

We didn’t linger too long because we were in Paris and there was wine to be drunk.

I felt all warm and happy as we sat amongst the drinkers and smokers along the pavement outside a bar – yes, in November; all praise the excellent outside heating provided in most Parisian bars. We shared wine over a little table, sat under the red glow of the heater, and I could just sense that the weekend was going to be a good’un.

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

After savouring our wine, we headed to L’Ange 20 for dinner. It was delightfully cosy and oh-so-Parisian, and I loved it instantly. We were seated in the window table, on the edge of the bar and yet tucked away from the rest of the restaurant; our own private corner. We ordered prosecco and wine and got busy browsing the menu. At some point in all of this, Lizzie popped up at the window; her Eurostar having finally arrived.

After much deliberation, we settled on our choices. Naturally, I had to start with the crispy camembert, served deliciously hot and melting on a bed of greens. I thought it was marvellous but I was never not going to enjoy a big plate of melting cheese. I followed this with the lamb, roasted in a herb crust and served with carrots and sautéed potatoes.

The evening was spent filled with laughter and chats, and included an explain-your-job-in-one-sentence game. We were too full for pudding (something that very rarely happens to me tbh) but we did stop at another bar on our way home. It was midnight but we were able to settle down for more wine, again; outside seats, although I was firmly tipsy by this point and thought it best to not finish my share of the carafe of wine.

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

Despite this, there were still hangovers when we woke the next morning and we spectacularly failed in our attempt to be up early to get to the catacombs. We gave it go anyway, after stopping at a lovely little patisserie for pastries. My chocolate and pistachio pastry was the stuff of dreams, I assure you. As predicted, the catacomb queue was a good four hours long so we immediately sacked it off and headed towards Les Invalides. The weather took a very wet turn as we walked and we were running for shelter by the time we got close by. We spent an hour or two sheltering from the rain as we explored the army museum and the main courtyard of the site. The true spectacle though is easily dome des invalids and the tomb of Napoleon I. The architecture is grand and intricate, and its vastness easily takes your breath away.

When we braved going back outside, we were shocked to find clear blue skies; as though the heavy clouds and rain had never happened. We could see the Eiffel tower peering above the buildings some distance away, so we wandered vaguely towards it, ambling down the little side streets. We stopped at a cafe on the way to indulge on croque monsieur and onion soup; a perfect set-up for an afternoon spent out in the cold, seeing the sights.

Second instalment of the trip up here v soon.

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris

A weekend in Paris




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