Bonjour Mesdames and Monsieurs,
Comment allez vous ? Arriving at Paris Norde after a fantastic 2 hour train trip from St Pancras station in London we on the metro headed for St Paul in the Marais we were accompanied on our journey by a fellow playing chanson music on an accordion - natch. For money of course not just ambience.
Our first sight in Paris other than another bloody Starbucks was of an old gentleman who ambles past this very elegant drinking fountain. To our utter amazement he whipped out his false teeth and rinsed them in the fountain, popped them back in and the wished us a very upbeat "bonjour" and went on his way.
We arrived at our accommodation - a gorgeous little apartment right in the heart of the Marais, the most unchanged of the Paris quarters or arrondissements. It is complete with tiny tiny winding cobblestone streets and beautiful 16 and 17 century buildings beautifully preserved on the outside and modernized on the inside for comfortable living. At the ground level facing the streets are the most exciting array of specialty shops for clothing, belts, gloves, shoes, jumpers, jewelry etc and off beautiful wooden doors interspersed between these shops people and their dogs gain access to the staircases to their apartments.
Ours is No 24 rue de Sevigne and we had to haul our respective 19 kilo cases up 3 flights of a narrow spiral staircase. it is at this precise moment I love the century that I live in and someone clever invented lifts. I will petition the pope to make that person a saint as well! It's a bitch but at least we only have to do it twice during our stay!
We dropped off our bags keen to be amongst it. After some time of wandering we stopped at A local bar, they are virtually everywhere, and found ourselves in the middle of a highly dramatic scene of a rather drunken lady sobbing and crying into her Chablis. As we could't understand word , we improvised and decided that the stoic fellow with her and now plying espresso coffee into her in an attempt to sober her up, was breaking it off with her and had taken a new mistress. She of course was not happy with this turn of events. Perhaps we were the only tourists in the place but nobody else was turning a hair at this woman's antics.
It was over our petit Chablis here also that we toasted Michelle's birthday. The lovely waitress walked past and wished us a "appy birsday" we said it was an absent friend called Michelle, and the waitress said "appy birsday to im". We didn't bother to correct her gender assumption but happy birthday Michelle from the Marais!
We will tell you more about the place a bit later but the food and wine selection is simply mind-blowing. I do not understand how these people are not seventeen foot wide. They should have chronic heart disease, diabetes, and everything else associated with an excess of food. Appreciation and moderation seems the key but god, it must be hard. My arteries we hardening when I was just looking in the shop window of the La Frommage Shop.
Another thing, everything we read about the French mentioned their innate sense of style. When we first looked around I thought pah, that's rubbish these people look no more stylish than anyone else, then I realized they were tourists.......the Parisian would no more be seen with a jacket or jumper tied around the waist than fly - an affectation a certain Ms McQuaid has taken to in out short time here ! The older men prefer to wear their hair a bit longer and all men are wearing the casually looped scarf around the neck - tres cool. The women are very chic in both dress and attitude and it shows! We have found them however incredibly friendly and warm. Once you say bonjour in this musical way with an upward eflection and say "parlez vous anglaise" they say oui or non and they really appreciate that you have recognized the language of this country. They are really polite - false teeth man notwithstanding.
Finally before I sign off. These people stink. And no it's not the garlic. Everyone smokes- I mean everyone. Apparently the dire warnings and correlation between smoking and premature death haven't gained any traction here in Paris because they smoke everywhere. Walking the kids, having a wine, shopping, everywhere. I said to Siobhan I keep feeling the need to take up smoking again so that I can sit at a Chic little bar with my glass of Chablis and be terminally cool as well. The only trouble is that all I would manage is to look terminal !
We wandered across to Notre Dame and the across the Seine, through the Jardines du Luxembourg which are very beautiful. It's an accessible walking city with a slower and more intimate pace than the bustle of London but just as beautiful in a different way. We are very much enjoying the vibe Your Honour.
Au revoir for now
Siobhan and Kelly
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