eiffel | Taegeukgi: Heaven, Earth, Fire & Water

My final destination before blighty and it seriously never disappoints. I arrived after the 5 hour train journey from Amsterdam. At Garde du Nord there was a little more security than normal but I scurried through and climbed the hill towards Pigalle and my hotel, the Regent Montmartre. The view from my room towards the Sacre Cour was nothing less than spectacular and the weather unbeatable.

As I hadn’t eaten and a recommended brasserie was nearby, that’s where I headed. Le Zebra de Montmartre is traditional but with a modern menu. I pottered around the haunts of Amelie before sauntering up the hill towards the basilica. Easter means too many bodies but I headed over the hill towards Au Lapin Agile (Nimble Rabbit), historic haunt of Picasso and Mondigliani. Adjacent to this is La Maison Rose where I settled for a tipple and people watch.

Later that evening I took the subway to Isle de la Cite before crossing over to Le Marais for dinner at Le Coude Fou which I visit overtime I come to Paris. After dinner I wandered over to the Pompidou before a couple more at Le Baiser Sale for some Jazz.

The next day I went on a saunter back in the heart of Paris, Ile de la Cite (City island) has been inhabited since the Roman Empire. As the religious and political heart of France for centuries, the stroll from Notre-Dame to Place Dauphine and Square du Vert Galant is really worth taking. Ile de la Cite features three top sights: Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Conciergerie prison and Sainte Chapelle. It also features a number old bridges like 1603 Pont Neuf, the oldest Paris bridge. I arrived too early but the light was fantastic, a warm glow illuminated Notre Dame. I strolled down Rue d’areole then settled down in Le Parvais for coffee and Pain au Chocolate, the chissle jawed waiter surely a Truffaut movie extra. At 9:45 I strolled back towards the Cathedral to be met by a 100 metre queue forth 10:00am opening. What I hadn’t realised was that the multi-national coach parties had preference for entry. An hour later entry was gained and ticket purchased. The steep spiral staircase was energy sapping and lung tightening but the views at the top are worth the pain and simply spectacular.

Notre-Dame’s gargoyles were built into the ends of the gutters to drain rainwater off the roof; since the gargoyles extend beyond the side of the roof that rainwater falls away from the walls to prevent damage. The chimeras are merely decorations. Most of them are on the façade. The sculptors created animal and human figures, half-man and half-beast, grotesque, horrific, fantastic creatures with eagles’ beaks and wings, lions’ talons, and serpents’ tails. I captured as may snaps as could, the carvings seem much more threatening in silhouette than close up.

After descending the towers I exited and turned left towards the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) home to cultural, fashion and artistic riches a swell as the sorbonne. I crossed the main road adjacent to the Square Rene Viviani where the bookstore Shakespeare & Company is a literary magnet. I the streets around here lthe cozy cafes and cobblestone streets give the Left Bank a timeless charm. My aim was to stop, take lunch then wander down side streets to absorb the atmosphere and history of Saint Germain and the Latin Quarter. I’d done some Internet research (10 Best Budget Restaurants in Paris) and discovered a small chain called Chez Gladines, a branch was located on the Boulevard St-Germain. I settled down to a bottle of house red and for €7:20 a humongous Salade Lardon/Chevre. After lunch I doubled back and began my walk in front of Saint Severin Church, wandering down back streets that overflow with lively cafes where the writers and post-war existentialist philosophers of the Belle Époque wrote and drank their way through life. At the entrance to the Sorbonne is a park which afforded many the space and shade to take their packed lunches. Crying on along the Boulevard Saint-Germain I came to the famous cafes Les Deux Magots and Cafe de Flores where I turned left up rue de Rennes.

At 8 Rue de Cherche-Midi I found the Poilâne Bakery, which has been churning out the same large wheels of tangy sourdough from its basement wood-burning oven for 83 years. On Rue Bonaparte isPierre Hermé, France’s “Picasso of Pastries,” which sells cakes and macarons almost too gorgeous to eat, I succumbed!. Nearby is Elise Saint-Sulpice made famous in the movie The Davinci Code and Act III, scene ii of Massenet‘s Manon takes place in Saint-Sulpice, where Manon convinces des Grieux to run away with her once more. Close by is the Marché Saint-Germain (a the covered market), where moneyed locals scoop up their saucisson, fresh milk and seasonal produce. I wandered back through the side-streets to Cafe de Flores where I never stop to drink or eat because of the inflated prices but often I ponder to people watch for a moment or two. I first grabbed a takeaway coffee before parking on a bench outside the Elise de Saint Germaine des Pres. I grabbed my Olympus telephoto to snap the overly rich and often pissed eccentrics.

Returning to Rue Bonaparte I headed towards La Seine, Quai Macaques and past the outdoor book stalls descended steps to the Port des Saint-Peres. The breeze from the river was welcome as I gazed over towards the Pont des Arts and the Louvre. Teaming pleasure boats plied their trade whilst cats and dogs entered into warfare on the moored barges. I took a nap before ascending the bridge to cross over to the Louvre. The “Love-locks” were still in situ but I’m glad to report they have since been moved. The deposits were not just clichéd & ugly, they were also unsafe. The bridge was not engineered to support the extra weight of the manifold padlocks and became structurally unsafe.

At the end of the bridge across Quai Francois Mitterand is the Cour Carrée. Pierre Lescot’s Renaissance facade, the oldest in the Louvre, was commissioned by François I shortly before his death in 1545. The decorative sculpture by Jean Goujon pays homage to the French sovereign. Through a stone arch is The Louvre Pyramid which was built as part of a project known as the ‘Grand Louvre’, first proposed in 1981 by the French president François Mitterrand, to expand and modernize the Louvre Museum. At sunset this grand square is a fantastic place to rest and watch the poseurs. I passed through the passage Richelieu to the Le Palais Royal where the French had gone into late afternoon hibernation anywhere they could lay down. The Palais Royal is one of my favourite places all year round but bathed in sunshine it is glorious. I only had an hour to spare so I walked around the cloisters of the Palais, the striking shadows affording glimpses of coiffured ladies and their dogs. I left in need of lubrication and settled at Cafe des Inities where a butch lass served me house wine. Later that evening I had dinner at Chez Marianne before a mini bar crawl ended at Le Carrefour Cafe.

Rising early the next day I’d decide to find the new Louis Vuitton exhibition space in the Bois de Boulogne. Exiting the metro at Les Sablons on Avenue Charles de Gaulle there is a busy cafe Sequoia but I suggest taking a right down Rue d’Orleans and just on the right before Boulevard des Sablons. Here is a smaller but cosier venue the Cafe de la porte des Sablons. After breakfast I carried on down Boulevard des Sablons to a roundabout adjacent to Le Jardin d’acclimatisation, don’t enter just take a right down Avenue du Mahatma Ghandi where the Fondation Louis Vuitton is located. Frank Gehry has conceived a landmark building wrapped in swirling glass sails.

With its shiplike exterior of billowing glass sails, the 126,000-square-foot, 2.5-story building is rather avant-garde and sits in a verdant sea of centuries-old trees, observers will judge it as they do when they reflect on marmite. For me it’s spectacular if (on my visit) inaccessible due to the even more almighty queues.

I crossed through the park stopping to enjoy the spring weather and the horses out for morning exercise. A former hunting ground for the Kings of France, the Bois de Boulogne has a surface area of 850 hectares, and encompasses the Parc de Bagatelle, the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil, the Pré-Catelan and the Jardin d’Acclimatation. It offers numerous walkways, 28 km of bridleways and 15 km of touristic cycle routes.

I enjoyed reading the views of American violators to the park on Trip Advisor.

“Some rather dodgy and seedy people around in amongst the bushes. The lake is rather lovely but I won’t be visiting this park again.”

“Someone suggested my husband and I go here for a run. Said it was safe during the day and “like Central Park in NYC”…Well, it was neither. It was overgrown and prostitutes were in several places. I would never have gone there had I known it was going to be so sketchy. One group of ladies was just finishing up with a couple of guys and she threw some bag in the bushes. We got out of there as quickly as possible. Would NEVER go here again!”

I continued my walk leaving the park without judging any folk inhabiting bushes or seeing anything “sketchy” and without feeling inhibited. I’d seen the horses, cyclists, joggers, old folk holding hands, Kids playing happily, locals enjoying the boating lake and enjoyed a fabulous Americano at the cafe. I’d also chatted to an old fella who wanted to improve his english before he toured the UK. Glad i’m not a nervous, twitching nerd from North Carolina.

Passing over the Boulevard Peripherique, i stopped in the park sandwiched in the centre of the Avenue de Pologne before emerging in Rue de Longchamp. It was a steep 10 minute walk before the road opened up at the circular Place de Mexico where I had a fine salad lunch at Brasserie du Mexico La.

Taking Avenue d’Eylau I reached the Trocadero (1937). Set on the summit of the Chaillot hill, the Trocadéro’s site overlooks the Seine, opposite the Eiffel tower. It includes the Palais de Chaillot, which houses several museums, the place du Trocadéro and an underground Aquarium. The Jardins du Trocadero were buzzing and the enormous water canons welcome respite from the heat for many visitors. I crossed the Seine stopping to take some aerial shots of the embankment before passing under the Tour Eiffel to the Champ de Mars. Opened in 1780, the Parc du Champ-de-Mars extends from the École Militaire to the Eiffel Tower. The park was packed with Parisians and tourists picnicing, playing music, and sunbathing. The more sensible and senior of us took to the leafy shaded areas to escape the afternoon heat. My walk continued along the Avenue de la Bourdonais before taking a left along Rue de Grenelle. This street is a Paris favourite for me, it runs between the 6th and the 7th arrondiesments and has a street market, artisan shops and has an awesome ambience. The market offers neatly displayed stalls with fresh fish, cheeses, breads, fruits and vegetables, and sausages. An Americam from Asheville (?) described the street as “very safe”; so it’s a must then?

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At the end of the street is the Place des Invalides and in the museums armoury Napoleons Tomb. The weather was too grand for museums so I crossed over the square and made my way to Pont Alexandre III towards the Grand Palace. From here its a short walk to Place de la Concorde probably the busiest round-about in Paris. In 1792, during the French revolution the square was called Place de la Révolution. A guillotine was installed at the centre of the square and some 1344 people were beheaded here. Amongst them King Louis XVI, Marie-Antionette, and the revolutionary Robespierre. The fountains here are marvellous and it’s 3300-year-old pink granite obelisk was a gift from Egypt in 1831. Taking my life in my hands I crossed over to Jardin des Tuileries where most of Paris seemed semi-comatose.

The late afternoon sun is a magnet for many but one again I headed for the shaded perimeters held greater attraction. Spring is one of the best times to visit the garden as the tulips and the beautiful Cercis trees are in full flower, and the colours are simply stunning! Wandering through I came across fountains, pools and magnificent statues by Maillot, Rodin and Giacometti. The garden is lined with free chairs, some of which are reclined, and it is the perfect place to relax and watch the world go by. There are attractive play areas for kids, including a large, enclosed trampoline and in very French style a “tour de manège” merry-go-round! There are places to dine in the garden, which tend to be on the expensive side. However, it is such an idyllic place to enjoy a meal. Another good option is to grab something from the nearby Rue de Rivoli enjoy a picnic in the gardens whilst soaking up the sun and the atmosphere.

This had been a monumental walking day and the knee tendons had started to tighten so after showering I plastered on some ibuprofen rub before heading out for dinner. The waiters at Pizzeria Vito were rude and appropriately admonished but this eat Restaurant L’Ange 20 were much more accommodating. This 20 seat eatery was top notch and both the duck and wine excellent.

Next day I headed to Belville, few tourists venture this way despite the fact it is a mere five stops away from Hôtel de Ville on the metro (line 11). From the belvédère on rue Piat, by the entrance to the steeply downward-sloping Parc de Belleville, the panorama that is the Paris skyline is remarkable. The only people you’ll meet are elderly Chinese ladies doing Tai Chi, nannies pushing their charges through the park, speculative guitarists or locals taking a stroll with their pooches.

A former hilltop village surrounded by farms and vineyards Bellviile retains a certain charm. By 1860, it had a reputation for its guingettes, vast establishments where hundreds of bohemians came to eat, drink and dance. Workers arrived in Belleville en masse when Baron Haussmann began demolishing inner-city slums in the mid-19th century, and during the workers’ uprising of the Paris Commune in 1871, the last barricades to fall were in Belleville. The neighbourhood is still home to the headquarters of the Parti Communiste Français, as well as two of France’s largest trade unions.

Along Boulevard de Belleville, Chinese supermarkets nestle with Jewish-Tunisian couscous restaurants and, in the side streets around rue des Couronnes, plantains are on offer to their African clientele. Belleville has seen many waves of immigration over the past century. The most recent arrivals, in this era of spiralling property prices, are the bourgeois-bohèmians looking for cheaper places to live. The Terrasse of Aux Folies, the Belleville bar adjacent to the former Folies-Belleville cabaret (now a discount supermarket), where Piaf and Chevalier performed is a good place to sip vino. Its fun to people watch in the cosy restaurants at the top end of up-and-coming rue Rebeval, and the arty boutiques that have sprung up along boulevard de la Villette.

If lunch or refreshment is the order of the day at the top of Bellville Park on Rue Plat is the cafe de l’O and Bar sympa. I walked down Rue des Envierges past the recommended restaurant Le Vieux Bellville to the roundabout where there is a sound bakery which is not even listed on Googlrmaps. I sat on the stairs at Rue Levert to eat a formidable cheese and ham baguette before turning left and crossing Rue des Pyreneesup Rue du Jourdain and opposite the Metro Boulangerie Au 140. I grabbed a couple of croissants and a coffee which I ate on the steps of the church Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Bellville before heading down Rue de Bellville.

Popping open Googlemaps I traced a route back to Bastille in search of graffiti art.

After stopping for refreshment at Les Foundres on Avenue Gambetta opposite the Cimitiere Pere-Lachaise, I skirted the cemetery passing down Rue du Chemin Vert and then left towards Square de la Roquette. During 1825-1836, a prison was built here by architect Hippolyte Lebas, who was also the architect for the church of Notre Dame de Lorette which was being built at the same time. The prison had the look of a grim fortified castle. These days Square de la Petite Roquette covers 2,000 square meters of land and it’s a cool park. It has a lovely fountain at the entrance and a cactus garden, which is unusual for this latitude. There are walking paths that wind up and down this butte crossing through lovely lawns and an abundance of flowers, trees, rose bushes and many other kinds of flora.

After passing Voltaire Metro I followed Rue de la Roquette towards Bastille. Chez Aline 85, Rue de laRoquette is a fabulous little lunch place where DelphineZalpetti (ex LeVerreVolé) cooks up fresh simple dishes. It is a great place to head for a mid-week lunch. There is a Synagogue of LaRoquette, whichwas besieged by a violent mob of between 200 and 300 people in 2014. Theyproported that they were celebrating Bastille Day; thiswas demonstrated by chanting violent, racist slogans, waving the banners of Hezbollah and Hamas, and attempting to storm the synagogue in what appears to have been an attempt at a new kind of communal terror against French Jews. Viva La France!

Once again in the evening I returned to Le Marais but not being hungry I settled for vino and snacks in Rue Vielle du Temple.

For my final full day in Paris I headed for Parc Butte de Chaumont in the north-east of Paris. It is one of the biggest green spaces in Paris, measuring 25 hectares. It’s construction on quarries explains its challenging steepness and change in levels. There are stunning views of the city from this hilly setting, especially towards the Montmartre district. Its design includes: caves and waterfalls, a suspended bridge, and a high viewing point. During my visit the parc was in the throes of a large construction project, renovation of the site will continue through 2016.

I’d heard about a new Philharmonic Hall at Parc de la Villette a 15 minute stroll away. La Philharmonie de Paris is a huge project, led by the architect Jean Nouvel, which has taken the last two years to construct.It should have opened in January 2015 but the build continues. When complete it will stage concerts, exhibitions and workshops.