Ever since I had my first taste of French haute-cuisine, I've always wanted to go to Paris and splurge on a beautiful dinner at a 3 star restaurant. So back in December, I thought it would be the right time to make my dream come true, now that I'm in Europe (Paris is only a few hours away by train) and I have a girlfriend, to go to Paris for Valentine's Day. Afterall, it's the ville d'amour.
Since Valentine's Day fell on a Monday this year, I decided to book the train and the restaurant for the following weekend. That Monday though, I surprised Caro with the tickets while she surprised me with a wonderful Mexican dinner. Then on Friday, we were all packed up to go to...
PARIS!!
A pleasant ride on the TGV for 3 hours, Caro and I arrived at Gare de Lyon in the heart of Paris, just a few metro stops away from all of the famous sites that I had been hearing about for years - the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Cathedrale de Notre Dame, etc etc. Unfortunately, I only had 3 days to see this giant city so we knew that we had to move. We stayed at a nice little hotel right by the Moulin Rouge, near Montmartre.
In a flurry, I visited the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, Hotel des Invalides, and the Champs-Elysees. The weather wasn't fantastic, but I really enjoyed the hustle and the bustle of the city. It seemed like everywhere, absolutely every square meter of the city, had some kind of monument along with rich history. As for these famous sites that I had listed, I'd have to say that I was expecting something completely different. I thought that the Champs-Elysees would be more green with trees and lawn and less brands and rich people. As for the Eiffel Tower, I can kind of understand why it was supposed to be torn down after the International Exhibition, if it weren't for the fact that it was a good location for antennaes.
That night, we ventured out for a dinner and a night-out in the infamous district of Montmartre, famous for being the birthplace of cabarets, though nowadays, sex gift shops line the streets. Although already highly recommended by Lonely Planet, I would have to say that this little cozy restaurant near Moulin Rouge called Chez Toinette has been one of the pleasant surprises from my time in Europe. A great atmosphere and food, and above all, it was so cheap (around 15 euros per dish)! Of course, this may just be reletive to Swiss prices.
The next day, we ventured out to the Cathedral, Saint Chapelle, and of course, the Louvre. Although Caro made me wait over an hour to go to the Saint Chapelle, I have to agree with her that it is the most impressive church I have seen - it may not be as grandiose and famed as the Cathedral, but the array of stained glass in the Saint Chapelle is absolutely breathtaking. At the end of the day, we made our way to the famous (or infamous) glass pyramids, the symbol for one of the most visited museums in the world. But I had no idea that the place was so huge. I had allocated only 3 hours for the museum, which needless to say, was not even enough for one of the 3 wings. So we scurried though the various paintings and sculptures, making sure to get a glimpse of the "essentials."
Then at night, it was time to dine at Senderens, the restaurant that I had reserved for 2 months in advance. A night to make us smile and my wallet cry. Senderens is known for its superstar celebrity chef, Alain Senderens, who had previously headed the restaurant, Lucas Carton, arguably the finest restaurant in the world. But he decided to shut down the restaurant and open a new one - Senderens - that is a bit more casual and affordable (relative, I guess). Though he didn't want any stars from Michelin, the company had insisted that the star system is theirs, and forcefully gave the restaurant 2 stars. The place was so chic that we had a difficult time finding even the door to the restaurant (it was just a blank white door with a tiny "S" on it). It was really funny to watch Caro freeze up for the first 10 minutes, though. It was an 8 course menu with a wine pairing with half of them. After this fantastic dinner, though, we were a bit tipsy and couldn't help but to venture out into town for a "classy" evening at Hard Rock cafe, an American restaurant with a converted strip club upstairs, and an Australian club. All class, all day.
The last day in Paris, we took the walking tour of Montmartre from the same company that I had enjoyed in Barcelona. Montmartre was first known as the cheap area to live outside of Paris, a reason why so many artists flocked there in the beginning. An illustrious group of artists that include Van Gogh and Picasso had lived and painted on this hill. And as lower class and artists flocked, so did cabarets. The first cabaret, called Lapin Agile is also the cafe that Picasso had frequented and was served in exchange for his paintings, exclaiming that he would one day become the most famous artist in the world.
On top of the hill, there's the Sacre Coeur, a marble white church, but I preferred the story of St. Denis more. He is the patron saint of Paris, and he is known for having walked with his head to the top of the hill, preaching along the way, for 10 km after his decapitation.
This tour definitely made the city more enjoyable, up to a point where I think it's my favorite European city so far. The depth of history, plethora of monuments, and the cuisine makes this city very special for me. After the tour and a final crepe, we took the train back to Lausanne.
A memorable Valentine's Day in a memorable city.
- Ryoji
