Two days in Paris

Paris, day one

Two days in Paris. Always a wonderful and exciting city with things to see, to hear and to do to fill a lifetime. Two days to make me aware again of the riches of culture, the many fantastic museums, the art of living, the grand scale of the parks, boulevards and architecture in general, the royal feel of a republic, far more royal than the Danish or Dutch monarchies, the size of a fresh and crisp "sandwich" with a filling of one of the delicious cheeses or well-cured thick slices of ham, the joy of sitting in a cafe, observing life while savouring a nice glass of wine, or a strong coffee with a delicious sweet pastry. The lively streets at night, the busy street markets with their wealth of fresh and ripe fruits and vegetables. The unexpected nooks and crannies, the rather dull streets where big wooden doors open into surprisingly colourful courts, full of plants, ramblers and pot plants, flowers, workshops, places where artisans find a living. Furniture workshops, antique shops, craft shops, leather goods, it is all there. And history, a lot of it.

Place des Vosges

Two days and one night. The first day was cold, but dry after three very wet days I was told. So I was lucky. After a very early three hour train journey, I began this first day in Paris by enjoying the busy Place de Bastille from a sidewalk cafe, still heated in spite of the time of year. On to the Place des Vosges, where people were happy with this nice day: mothers with small children, old ladies. ladies walking dogs, men reading newspapers on one of the many park benches. I visited the Victor Hugo Museum in the square, wondering again at the spaciousness and grandeur of the apartments. But could I live is such highly ornate and wildly decorated rooms? The rooms could be light and airy, but in Victor Hugo's time that wasn't the fashion. The Marais slowly came to life. I spent the afternoon in the Grand Magasins, and the boutiques around the Opera Garnier, such a majestic building. The place and the stores were flooded by Japanese, who stood in long lines queuing for dreadfully expensive handbags, ranging in price from 500-2500 Euro's! Apparently the Japanese are now the people with money and fond of designer labels.  I admired the fashionable shoes in La Fayette, but fortunately they were so expensive that I had to consider them just as the works of art they were. Besides stiletto heels, however much I love them, are no longer an option. All the colours from the spectrum were represented in those shoes. How I loved them!

Rainbow colours! Basic, not expensive, and I wanted them all!

I made my way back to the tiny and rather cheap but clean hotel, on the wrong side of the Place de Bastille, to change for the Opera, passing through narrow cobbled streets with a great variety of cafes, bars, restaurants and clubs, and had some cheese and wine, just before the rains came down again with a vengeance.

From inside the Opera: Place de Bastille in the rain

The Opera was very enjoyable, not least because the voices were superb and the plot was easy. Rossini is rather entertaining. Il Barbiere di Siviglia was sung in Italian with a French translation shown on a screen overhead, both foreign languages to me, but still OK. It was interesting to see this opera building, modern and functional and very big, but I much prefer the Opera Garnier, with its gilded chandeliers, foyers like mirrored ballrooms, and its opulence and splendour. Besides, it was difficult to keep awake in the dark and warm building as I had been on my feet since 4.45 that morning! But another glass of wine after the performance fortified me, and I was amazed that around midnight it was busier everywhere than during the day.