Ah, Gaie Paris
Something I've been meaning to do for ages was finish typing my last holiday entry and post it up here. After procrastinating over it for ages I finally got it done last night... So here's the story of our 2 nights in Paris.
The last stop on our 12-day Contiki Tour was the French capital, Paris. I’ll admit up front that I wasn’t especially excited for this leg of the trip, largely because The City of Light has never been that high on my list of places to visit. I’ve never been captivated with it the way some people seem to be. And apart from Asterix and Obelix, I’ve never been much of a Francophile.
This said, I was actually impressed with the distinctive city – apart from its changeable, frequently cold and wet weather (which helped to make me horribly ill). Paris was surprisingly clean and the people we interacted with were actually quite friendly; not the rude cliché at all.
Communication
It’s no secret that the French hate the English, so you may want to bear that in mind when beginning interactions. Where possible try to use French as much as possible, even if it’s just to greet the person before asking if they speak English.
South Africans will do well to remember 3 key words while in Paris: Afrique du Sud. Given that the French are a rugby playing nation, and South Africa won the World Cup in France last year, they actually like South Africans. Let them know where you’re from (I was asked at least 3 times in 24 hours), and once they discover it’s South Africa, they’ll overlook the fact you’re an English speaker and be a lot nicer to you. It’s the exoticism of the Dark Continent I tell you!
Anyway, I was very grateful for having done 2 years of French at high school. Although my knowledge of the language is rudimentary, it did mean I could generally work out what was written on information boards, buy multiple tickets for attractions, and even order food relatively easily, being able to put names to products.
Activities & Attractions
I actually think it’s impossible to write a comprehensive list of everything to see and do in Paris. There are innumerable monuments, museums, churches, parks and art galleries. Then there’s Disneyland, Roland-Garros, Père Lachaise Cemetery and the Palace of Versailles. The list is endless.
In terms of what we squeezed into our 36 hours in the City of Light, it was your fairly conventional First Time in Paris list:
Driving around in the tour coach we got to see the Parisian Opera House (home of the disfigured Phantom in literature and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical), the business district’s Grande Arche, Les Invalides – the great gold domed building that has great military significance and houses the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte – and the Champs-Élysées, with its famous roundabout and the Arc de Triomphe.
I wasn’t expecting to be impressed by the Arc de Triomphe, but up close the sculpture decorating it is incredibly striking. Just remember, to get to the Arc on foot, look for the steps that take you to the underpass. Under no circumstances must you attempt to run through the chaotic, incredibly dangerous traffic circle – with no lanes, and a collision on average every 8 minutes, no insurance company will cover you if you are injured here.
Anyway, in terms of sights we visited properly on foot, these included:
The Eiffel Tower: (See Contiki Optionals below)
The Louvre: Away from the art gallery’s 2 most famous attractions – Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (disappointing only in that you can’t get closer than 2 metres to admire it) and the Venus de Milo (very overrated) – the Louvre is actually a pleasant, spacious place to visit. The world-famous gallery is nowhere near as crammed as the Vatican’s Museums. Obviously it’s a good idea to arrive early to avoid the queues, but the further you venture from the “hot spots” the quieter it is. I’m not sure how much appeal the Louvre will have for people without an interest in Art history, but for those who have studied the subject, chances are that while strolling around the massive wings, you’ll stumble across the original version of something you’re familiar with. It makes for a very pleasant surprise.
Notre Dame: Although you’ll pay to climb up to the top of Paris’s most celebrated cathedral for an up-close look at the gargoyles (no resident hunchbacks I'm afraid), an ordinary ground-floor visit to the church is absolutely free, with donations optional. Although the Gothic-style Notre Dame is famous for its spiderleg-like flying buttresses on the outside, its real beauty lies on the inside – there’s the stunning altar, the giant stained glass windows, painted wood carvings of Christ’s life and even a statue of Joan of Arc. Well worth a visit.
The Catacombs: A visit to the Catacombs is easily the most fascinating, morbid thing you can do while in Paris. It’s an excellent option for anyone who has had their fill of museums, galleries and churches, and wants to do something a little different, a little darker. Although the information plaques in the Catacombs are frequently French only, there’s enough information around for English speakers to make sense of what you’re looking at.
The Catacombs are roughly divided into 3 sections, which you reach by descending a flight of stairs 20 metres or so. The first bit is some old mine tunnels – because, surprisingly, up until the 18th Century, mining used to take place under the city streets. The second section features some old subterranean sculptures by wannabe artists. The third part though is of the most interest to tourists, as this is where the remains of millions of dead Parisians are interred. Bodies were moved here beginning in the 18th Century to combat disease stemming from the overcrowded Les Innocents Cemetery. Walking through tunnel after tunnel stacked with femurs and ornately arranged skulls (some in the shape of hearts and crosses), you’re really overwhelmed by the sense of how fragile human life is.
You are allowed to take photos in the Catacombs, but as it is essentially a cemetery, you’re requested to treat it with the same respect as you would the inside of a church. After a visit expect to have your bags searched – apparently some people like to try and steal bones as souvenirs. Also be aware that you’ll emerge at the end of the Catacombs in a rather confusing back alley and may need to re-orientate yourself to find the nearest Metro station.
The Place de la Concorde: This centrally placed square is where the guillotine was placed during the French Revolution. It’s also the spot where you can find the giant Obelisk from the Temple of Luxor – a gift to France from Egypt during the 19th Century. While we were in Paris, a big French aeronautical display was there as well, in celebration of a centenary of French aviation or something.
Rodin Museum: Although it’s not one of Paris’s main attractions the Rodin Museum is worth a visit if you appreciate sculpture and want a break from the usual tourist crowds. What’s especially nice about the Museum is that you pay different entry fees depending on what you want to see. For just €1 you can roam around the beautifully tended gardens, and get up close to The Thinker. Given that the weather was horribly changeable while we were in Paris, we never got to have our planned picnic in a park. Instead our brief “timeout” period took place here.
Cabaret: (See Contiki Optionals below)
The Moulin Rouge: The cabaret Contiki takes you to isn’t this famous Red Light District attraction. However, it’s literally down the street, so we got to pose in front of the Moulin Rouge’s iconic neon-lit windmill.
The only thing that we missed, and that featured on our “tourist attack plan”, was the picturesque Sacré-Cœur Basilica not far from our hotel. One or two couples from our tour also used their free day to head off to the Castle of Versailles, which is an easy day trip by train from Paris. Looking at the photos the palace looks incredibly impressive.
Contiki Optionals
Eiffel Tower – This wasn’t listed in our brochure as an optional activity but our tour manager organised a group booking for us on the afternoon we arrived in Paris, allowing us to skip the queues. Pretty much everyone has seen the Eiffel Tower in pictures, on TV or in film, but what most people (including myself) don’t realise is that in real life it’s a helluva lot bigger than you think. It’s jaw-droppingly big. The Eiffel Tower truly is a marvel of human engineering, and it’s definitely worth your while heading up it. Just pack something warm to wear, just in case – the weather in Paris changes very quickly, and if a storm front hits while you’re up there (as it did with us) it can be very miserable.
There are 3 different levels on the Eiffel Tower and you pay different prices depending on how high you want to go. The first level you can climb stairs to get to (if you don’t feel like taking the elevator), while the second provides the best photo opportunities and is also where you’ll find the separate elevator that takes you to the third level, and very pinnacle of the Tower. The third level provides stunning, far ranging views, but if you have a fear of heights I wouldn’t recommend it.
Whatever you do while you’re in Paris make sure to have a view of the Eiffel Tower at 8pm, or any hour thereafter until midnight. The Tower is currently set to sparkle intensely for about 5 minutes at these times and it’s very impressive to see.
French cabaret – At over €100 the Eve cabaret is by far the most expensive optional activity you can do while on tour. Initially I wasn’t planning to do it because of the price but our tour manager managed to sway us to the idea. Apart from an evening’s live theatre entertainment, the cabaret was a chance to dress up, enjoy bottomless wine, beer and softdrinks and indulge in a proper multi-course French meal, including foie gras, an assortment of cheeses, a hefty chunk of steak, and champagne. Given our experience with Parisian prices, the cabaret actually proved to be decent value for money.
A French cabaret is essentially a variety show, with a hefty emphasis on dancing. If you’ve ever seen Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls film you’ll have a good idea of what to expect – acrobats, jugglers, clowns and dancers, some of whom are surprisingly, but tastefully, topless. Of course, being a French cabaret, there’s also a diva who sings on a swing, and the famous cancan dance, which is far more wild and raucous in real life than any interpretation you may have stumbled across in pop culture. Watching the dancers hike up their skirts, yelp and holler, do the splits and cartwheel across the stage, the audience receives a strong sense of the rebellious spirit behind the dance.
Food & Drink
French food is a celebrated across the globe. In fact, the French themselves have been on a very vocal campaign to have it placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list so that its “purity” can be protected against invading cuisines from other cultures. Seriously.
When it came to sit-down meals I was expecting tiny portions and an overly arty presentation, but was actually pleasantly surprised. Proper French food is actually worthy of its much hyped reputation. The portions aren’t massive, but the food is so rich, with an emphasis on flavour, that your stomach won’t mind.
Of course, Paris is an expensive city for South Africans thanks to our weak currency, so chances are you won’t be indulging in many seat-down meals at sidewalk bistros. Rather you’ll be visiting supermarkets, or, if you want a more authentic French experience, the various separate specialist food stores – bakeries, butcheries, patisseries etc.
This said, if you are dining out in Paris, the most important thing to remember is that the French follow a tiered seating system. Put more simply, there are different prices for the same meal depending where you sit in a restaurant. In Paris you want to be seen, so sitting outside at a sidewalk table comes with a hefty price mark-up, eating inside is a bit cheaper, while dining at the back of the café is the cheapest of all.
French specialities worth seeking out while you’re in Paris include baguettes, quiche, croissants, pain au chocolat, foie gras and escargots. Crepes (pancakes) are another iconic French creation but honestly the ones we had last year in Greece were better.
On the drinks side, I wasn’t overwhelmed by French wine or genuine, bitter champagne. What was awesome though is Orangina, the vastly superior French equivalent of Fanta.
Only final bit of useful info relating to food and drink in Paris: this may be hard to believe, but the cheapest place, apart from a supermarket, to buy softdrinks is actually the vending machines down in the Metro, at €2 a 500ml bottle. Like I said, Paris is expensive.
Impressions & Interesting Facts
- Paris is huge. Unlike Rome where you can mostly get around on foot to the main sights, in Paris you will need to use the Metro system to get to the various attractions. If you’re at all familiar with the London Underground, the French Metro follows the same system of coloured lines, but has way more stops. It just looks confusing. The Metro is an easy and affordable way to travel. It’s just €5.80 for all-day pass that covers the most important zones – making it much cheaper than the London all-day travel card.
- Speaking of the Metro, when you’re down there waiting, make sure to look out for the trains with tyres. This unusual move has helped curb noise pollution.
- Parisians practice a bump-and-park method where they’re perfectly entitled to nudge cars in front and behind them while squeezing into small parking spots. It’s completely legal, and in fact you can get into trouble if you apply your hand brake once stationary.
- When in Paris, look out for buildings and structures with a big “N” on them. This means they were commissioned by Napoleon.
- You can buy some really cool souvenirs in Paris. Of course there are mini Eiffel Towers everywhere but you also get awesome retro posters in the swirling Art Nouveau style.
- The Asterix World theme park isn’t far at all from Paris. We passed it during the drive from the city to the Calais ferry crossing.
- For some reason Paris has a reputation for being dirty and smelly. I didn’t find that to be the case at all. It was just like any other big European city in that regard.
The last stop on our 12-day Contiki Tour was the French capital, Paris. I’ll admit up front that I wasn’t especially excited for this leg of the trip, largely because The City of Light has never been that high on my list of places to visit. I’ve never been captivated with it the way some people seem to be. And apart from Asterix and Obelix, I’ve never been much of a Francophile.
This said, I was actually impressed with the distinctive city – apart from its changeable, frequently cold and wet weather (which helped to make me horribly ill). Paris was surprisingly clean and the people we interacted with were actually quite friendly; not the rude cliché at all.
Communication
It’s no secret that the French hate the English, so you may want to bear that in mind when beginning interactions. Where possible try to use French as much as possible, even if it’s just to greet the person before asking if they speak English.
South Africans will do well to remember 3 key words while in Paris: Afrique du Sud. Given that the French are a rugby playing nation, and South Africa won the World Cup in France last year, they actually like South Africans. Let them know where you’re from (I was asked at least 3 times in 24 hours), and once they discover it’s South Africa, they’ll overlook the fact you’re an English speaker and be a lot nicer to you. It’s the exoticism of the Dark Continent I tell you!
Anyway, I was very grateful for having done 2 years of French at high school. Although my knowledge of the language is rudimentary, it did mean I could generally work out what was written on information boards, buy multiple tickets for attractions, and even order food relatively easily, being able to put names to products.
Activities & Attractions
I actually think it’s impossible to write a comprehensive list of everything to see and do in Paris. There are innumerable monuments, museums, churches, parks and art galleries. Then there’s Disneyland, Roland-Garros, Père Lachaise Cemetery and the Palace of Versailles. The list is endless.
In terms of what we squeezed into our 36 hours in the City of Light, it was your fairly conventional First Time in Paris list:
Driving around in the tour coach we got to see the Parisian Opera House (home of the disfigured Phantom in literature and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical), the business district’s Grande Arche, Les Invalides – the great gold domed building that has great military significance and houses the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte – and the Champs-Élysées, with its famous roundabout and the Arc de Triomphe.
I wasn’t expecting to be impressed by the Arc de Triomphe, but up close the sculpture decorating it is incredibly striking. Just remember, to get to the Arc on foot, look for the steps that take you to the underpass. Under no circumstances must you attempt to run through the chaotic, incredibly dangerous traffic circle – with no lanes, and a collision on average every 8 minutes, no insurance company will cover you if you are injured here.
Anyway, in terms of sights we visited properly on foot, these included:
The Eiffel Tower: (See Contiki Optionals below)
The Louvre: Away from the art gallery’s 2 most famous attractions – Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (disappointing only in that you can’t get closer than 2 metres to admire it) and the Venus de Milo (very overrated) – the Louvre is actually a pleasant, spacious place to visit. The world-famous gallery is nowhere near as crammed as the Vatican’s Museums. Obviously it’s a good idea to arrive early to avoid the queues, but the further you venture from the “hot spots” the quieter it is. I’m not sure how much appeal the Louvre will have for people without an interest in Art history, but for those who have studied the subject, chances are that while strolling around the massive wings, you’ll stumble across the original version of something you’re familiar with. It makes for a very pleasant surprise.
Notre Dame: Although you’ll pay to climb up to the top of Paris’s most celebrated cathedral for an up-close look at the gargoyles (no resident hunchbacks I'm afraid), an ordinary ground-floor visit to the church is absolutely free, with donations optional. Although the Gothic-style Notre Dame is famous for its spiderleg-like flying buttresses on the outside, its real beauty lies on the inside – there’s the stunning altar, the giant stained glass windows, painted wood carvings of Christ’s life and even a statue of Joan of Arc. Well worth a visit.
The Catacombs: A visit to the Catacombs is easily the most fascinating, morbid thing you can do while in Paris. It’s an excellent option for anyone who has had their fill of museums, galleries and churches, and wants to do something a little different, a little darker. Although the information plaques in the Catacombs are frequently French only, there’s enough information around for English speakers to make sense of what you’re looking at.
The Catacombs are roughly divided into 3 sections, which you reach by descending a flight of stairs 20 metres or so. The first bit is some old mine tunnels – because, surprisingly, up until the 18th Century, mining used to take place under the city streets. The second section features some old subterranean sculptures by wannabe artists. The third part though is of the most interest to tourists, as this is where the remains of millions of dead Parisians are interred. Bodies were moved here beginning in the 18th Century to combat disease stemming from the overcrowded Les Innocents Cemetery. Walking through tunnel after tunnel stacked with femurs and ornately arranged skulls (some in the shape of hearts and crosses), you’re really overwhelmed by the sense of how fragile human life is.
You are allowed to take photos in the Catacombs, but as it is essentially a cemetery, you’re requested to treat it with the same respect as you would the inside of a church. After a visit expect to have your bags searched – apparently some people like to try and steal bones as souvenirs. Also be aware that you’ll emerge at the end of the Catacombs in a rather confusing back alley and may need to re-orientate yourself to find the nearest Metro station.
The Place de la Concorde: This centrally placed square is where the guillotine was placed during the French Revolution. It’s also the spot where you can find the giant Obelisk from the Temple of Luxor – a gift to France from Egypt during the 19th Century. While we were in Paris, a big French aeronautical display was there as well, in celebration of a centenary of French aviation or something.
Rodin Museum: Although it’s not one of Paris’s main attractions the Rodin Museum is worth a visit if you appreciate sculpture and want a break from the usual tourist crowds. What’s especially nice about the Museum is that you pay different entry fees depending on what you want to see. For just €1 you can roam around the beautifully tended gardens, and get up close to The Thinker. Given that the weather was horribly changeable while we were in Paris, we never got to have our planned picnic in a park. Instead our brief “timeout” period took place here.
Cabaret: (See Contiki Optionals below)
The Moulin Rouge: The cabaret Contiki takes you to isn’t this famous Red Light District attraction. However, it’s literally down the street, so we got to pose in front of the Moulin Rouge’s iconic neon-lit windmill.
The only thing that we missed, and that featured on our “tourist attack plan”, was the picturesque Sacré-Cœur Basilica not far from our hotel. One or two couples from our tour also used their free day to head off to the Castle of Versailles, which is an easy day trip by train from Paris. Looking at the photos the palace looks incredibly impressive.
Contiki Optionals
Eiffel Tower – This wasn’t listed in our brochure as an optional activity but our tour manager organised a group booking for us on the afternoon we arrived in Paris, allowing us to skip the queues. Pretty much everyone has seen the Eiffel Tower in pictures, on TV or in film, but what most people (including myself) don’t realise is that in real life it’s a helluva lot bigger than you think. It’s jaw-droppingly big. The Eiffel Tower truly is a marvel of human engineering, and it’s definitely worth your while heading up it. Just pack something warm to wear, just in case – the weather in Paris changes very quickly, and if a storm front hits while you’re up there (as it did with us) it can be very miserable.
There are 3 different levels on the Eiffel Tower and you pay different prices depending on how high you want to go. The first level you can climb stairs to get to (if you don’t feel like taking the elevator), while the second provides the best photo opportunities and is also where you’ll find the separate elevator that takes you to the third level, and very pinnacle of the Tower. The third level provides stunning, far ranging views, but if you have a fear of heights I wouldn’t recommend it.
Whatever you do while you’re in Paris make sure to have a view of the Eiffel Tower at 8pm, or any hour thereafter until midnight. The Tower is currently set to sparkle intensely for about 5 minutes at these times and it’s very impressive to see.
French cabaret – At over €100 the Eve cabaret is by far the most expensive optional activity you can do while on tour. Initially I wasn’t planning to do it because of the price but our tour manager managed to sway us to the idea. Apart from an evening’s live theatre entertainment, the cabaret was a chance to dress up, enjoy bottomless wine, beer and softdrinks and indulge in a proper multi-course French meal, including foie gras, an assortment of cheeses, a hefty chunk of steak, and champagne. Given our experience with Parisian prices, the cabaret actually proved to be decent value for money.
A French cabaret is essentially a variety show, with a hefty emphasis on dancing. If you’ve ever seen Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls film you’ll have a good idea of what to expect – acrobats, jugglers, clowns and dancers, some of whom are surprisingly, but tastefully, topless. Of course, being a French cabaret, there’s also a diva who sings on a swing, and the famous cancan dance, which is far more wild and raucous in real life than any interpretation you may have stumbled across in pop culture. Watching the dancers hike up their skirts, yelp and holler, do the splits and cartwheel across the stage, the audience receives a strong sense of the rebellious spirit behind the dance.
Food & Drink
French food is a celebrated across the globe. In fact, the French themselves have been on a very vocal campaign to have it placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list so that its “purity” can be protected against invading cuisines from other cultures. Seriously.
When it came to sit-down meals I was expecting tiny portions and an overly arty presentation, but was actually pleasantly surprised. Proper French food is actually worthy of its much hyped reputation. The portions aren’t massive, but the food is so rich, with an emphasis on flavour, that your stomach won’t mind.
Of course, Paris is an expensive city for South Africans thanks to our weak currency, so chances are you won’t be indulging in many seat-down meals at sidewalk bistros. Rather you’ll be visiting supermarkets, or, if you want a more authentic French experience, the various separate specialist food stores – bakeries, butcheries, patisseries etc.
This said, if you are dining out in Paris, the most important thing to remember is that the French follow a tiered seating system. Put more simply, there are different prices for the same meal depending where you sit in a restaurant. In Paris you want to be seen, so sitting outside at a sidewalk table comes with a hefty price mark-up, eating inside is a bit cheaper, while dining at the back of the café is the cheapest of all.
French specialities worth seeking out while you’re in Paris include baguettes, quiche, croissants, pain au chocolat, foie gras and escargots. Crepes (pancakes) are another iconic French creation but honestly the ones we had last year in Greece were better.
On the drinks side, I wasn’t overwhelmed by French wine or genuine, bitter champagne. What was awesome though is Orangina, the vastly superior French equivalent of Fanta.
Only final bit of useful info relating to food and drink in Paris: this may be hard to believe, but the cheapest place, apart from a supermarket, to buy softdrinks is actually the vending machines down in the Metro, at €2 a 500ml bottle. Like I said, Paris is expensive.
Impressions & Interesting Facts
- Paris is huge. Unlike Rome where you can mostly get around on foot to the main sights, in Paris you will need to use the Metro system to get to the various attractions. If you’re at all familiar with the London Underground, the French Metro follows the same system of coloured lines, but has way more stops. It just looks confusing. The Metro is an easy and affordable way to travel. It’s just €5.80 for all-day pass that covers the most important zones – making it much cheaper than the London all-day travel card.
- Speaking of the Metro, when you’re down there waiting, make sure to look out for the trains with tyres. This unusual move has helped curb noise pollution.
- Parisians practice a bump-and-park method where they’re perfectly entitled to nudge cars in front and behind them while squeezing into small parking spots. It’s completely legal, and in fact you can get into trouble if you apply your hand brake once stationary.
- When in Paris, look out for buildings and structures with a big “N” on them. This means they were commissioned by Napoleon.
- You can buy some really cool souvenirs in Paris. Of course there are mini Eiffel Towers everywhere but you also get awesome retro posters in the swirling Art Nouveau style.
- The Asterix World theme park isn’t far at all from Paris. We passed it during the drive from the city to the Calais ferry crossing.
- For some reason Paris has a reputation for being dirty and smelly. I didn’t find that to be the case at all. It was just like any other big European city in that regard.
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