Generally, the Paris leg of my trip was irksome. In three days in Paris I was: accosted by several schemers trying to 'give' me a 'free' bracelet - schemers who were traveling in packs of about 10 people so when you made it past one, another tried to stop you; told by a train conductor, and a passenger, that I was not only on the wrong train to get to Chantilly, but that I was going the wrong way and needed to go back to Paris (I was on the right train and made it to Chantilly exactly when I was supposed to); laughed at by a man working in a box-office when I tried to buy tickets for a show the day-of (which I had done a day earlier on the West End with no problem); cut-off by several Parisians who did not wish to wait in line behind the tourists for their metro tickets; overcharged for most of my meals.
At least three lovely things happened: I had a gorgeous lunch - all snails and stinky cheeses - at an outdoor cafe away from the crowds in Montmartre that was affordable and delicious; I had a gorgeous dinner that same night when the restaurant my friend and I had planned to eat at was closed and we stumbled upon an amazing alternative; and I went to a castle, in Chantilly, where there are beautiful walking paths, fresh air, horses, and it was about 10 degrees cooler than in Paris. We had planned to go to Versailles, but it's closed on Mondays, so we ended up in Chantilly - which was nearly empty and beautiful; a happy ending to the trip thanks to a last-minute decision!
The food in Paris was not unilaterally amazing, but there were: 2 poached pears (1 hot, 1 cold), crispy duck, foie gras, stinky cheeses, beef tartars, and escargot that were memorable - most of which were eaten on the same day at just two restaurants.
Thing is though, I've done the tourist stuff and even had some amazing Paris moments on this trip and on my first trip 9 years ago (which was in November and much cooler and less crowded) . . . and now I feel like I don't need to spend money and go back to Paris ever again. It's a shame, I know many of my friends love Paris (and I love cities in general) but I feel like I love the picture/film ideal of Paris (which I can't afford) rather than the Paris I have visited on a budget twice.
Photo wise, here are the highlights:
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| the Sacre Cour |
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| The cemetery at Montmatre |
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| from inside the D'Orsay |
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| the Chateau in Chantilly |
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| from the entry gate over the moat at the Chateau |
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