Arrived in Paris 23rd Sept from Sydney via Bangkok and London. I thought I was fine, but eventually reached the apartment with a migraine, heavy & tired body and soon ended up with food poisoning. After dropping off our backpacks at the apartment, we explored the area of Saint Denis heading towards the city centre. We ate at Chartier, a beautifully decorated & (very) busy restaurant where food was reasonably priced.... but unfortunately the food didn't agree with me. I was sick as a dog for the next 1.5 days and couldn't sleep nor keep ANYTHING down (not even green tea). But thank goodness that phase soon passed, I was up and running 2 nights later.
We've been lucky with the weather, different shades of grey with drizzles here & there...overall pleasant and the sun surprised us during the last 2 days. We walked all over Paris and yes...it is beautiful. It was simply enjoyable going through the many alleyways and be surpised with what you see...cafes, parks, markets, elegant buildings, galleries, sex shops..the list is endless.
..And despite my initial food poisoning experience... the food is great! Delicious confit de canard (duck), pastries, fresh fruits & vegetables. I've never had such juicy tasting tomatoes (..yes I'm easily pleased) and they're all reasonably priced. Of course the strong A$ helps. (5-litre water is only E0.73 )!
Of course we hit the tourist spots as well..Notre Dame, Sacre Coer (& Moulin Rouge) at Montmarte, the Louvre (enough museums for now), Champ Elysses, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower (before the bomb threats) to name a few!
It was great trying out my very limited French with some success and funny outcomes. But the people have been very helpful & friendly! Not rude nor arrogant at all. Another point of interest I must share with you about the French... is the way they park their cars. They have to be seen to be believed! A little nudge on the cars behind and in front of them...and somehow they managed to 'squeeze' their cars in between the other cars. You will note that ALL of the cars have scratch marks at the front and back. Everyone does it. Check out the pictures that show how closely they park.
Overall Paris is great but you can see and do quite a bit within 5 days. We stayed for 7 days and I was itching to see the other parts of France.
