A visit from the parents en route for their big move to the South of France meant playing tour guide for the weekend and boy, am I glad I played along. Taking them to my favourite nooks and crannies of the city allowed me fall in love with Paris all over again and learn that instead of lingering on what I miss about Britain to thank my lucky stars for what I have right on my doorstep...
We started with Père-Lachaise, a third time visit for me yet still as incredible and spine-tingling as my very first glimpse. The cemetery is host to hundreds of thousands of graves with the most extravagant and intricate tombstones belonging to the Parisian elite alongside some great names of the modern world. The cemetery also features a crematorium and thousands of small plaques, each individually designed, guard the ashes and keep the memories of those behind them. The strangest part about this concept being the plaques engraved with a date of death absent, for those who are still alive! Also a great gentleman called Leopold Fucker has gave me giggles and probably ensured my sending to hell each time.
The most spectacular of all the graves belongs very appropriately to Oscar Wilde, it is tradition to take along a lipstick and kiss his tombstone when you visit. And the small plaque at the foot of the grave amongst all the many layers of lip prints and lipstick scrawled messages of love? It instructs NOT to deface the grave in order to respect the memory of Oscar Wilde, genius.
Next, my potential two favourite spots in the city, the top of the Arc de Triomphe and Pont des Arts. Climbing the 284 steps up a very narrow and steep spiral staircase becomes absolutely worth it the minute you step out on to the top floor of the Arc de Triomphe as the wind hits your hair and the whole of Paris surrounds you. The views are absolutely breath-taking, I can only imagine they are so much better in the summer. This is officially the best people-watching spot in the world! I could also stand flinching and squirming for the fate of cyclists all day looking down at the 10 lane roundabout that surrounds the Arc, being France there is no sense of any system and cars chaotically weave in and out of each other as well as those daring enough to cross on foot all day long.
From the Arc de Triomphe, a stroll down the spectacular Champs-Élysées and through the beautiful Louvre gardens will get one to another breath-taking sight. Pont des Arts at first glimpse may first appear like any other of the 37 bridges that cross the Seine. However, the closer you get, the clearer the blurs amongst the wire grid on the side of the bridge become, and on setting foot on the bridge you are faced with hundreds of padlocks quietly hanging along each side. Padlocks of all shapes and size, some engraved some scrawled on with permanent marker, messages of love and hope, and a sure fire way to leave ones mark on the city. Tradition states that couples attach a padlock on the side of Pont des Arts, promise eternal love for one another then throw the key into the Seine below ensuring their 'padlock of love' can never leave Paris. Each padlock is different, telling a unique and individual story for those who placed it and the whole bridge just simultaneously blows my mind and melts my heart. And yes, lover or no lover, I will be joining this tradition before I leave Paris.
The rest of weekend included walks along the Seine and through my favourite area of Le Marais, where no matter what you wear, everybody will dress better than you and the falafel lives up to its world famous reputation. A trip to the Sacré-Cœur and Notre-Dame and a rub of Saint Peter's foot also ensured luck went with my parents on their travels and I would like to think made up for my giggling at Leopold's tombstone. The weekend was then finished off wishing my parents a Bon Voyage, heading to a vintage fair and sitting out in the Jardin des Tuileries with my girlfriends and the Parisian sun.
My eyes have been completely re-opened to this city of art, beauty, and the occasional French wit that I am so lucky to live in and made any cabin fever I thought I'd felt seem ridiculous.
All that said, I'm now only a small bit sad about missing The Only Way is Essex tonight and am instead going to curl up with Paris Je T'aime and a bowl of Tesco's own muesli.
Paris, you may not be perfect but I am definitely falling for you..
No comments:
Post a Comment