PARIS TOP 10 "Must Do" (while on a budget)

Today Starts my 10 day count down. So I decided to have various Top 10 lists. The first is my "top 10 Must Do".  I've visited most sites and museums. And I have to say, they are ALL worth seeing. This list is based on my favorite activities and things to do most of which cost little to nothing! The best way to enjoy Paris is to live as a Parisian!

10. Watch a French Flick at the Cinema:
Now, I don't mean watch an American film with french voices over dubbed, which I find a bit strange! Even if you can't understand french, this something worth doing. French film is a genre in itself and definitely expresses the sentiment and humor of the french.


  9. Picnic in St. Cloud: 

      Just on the outskirts of Paris is Parc St. Cloud. It's a popular spot for Parisians to sunbathe and have a refuge from the city on nice spring/summer days. It's not the easiest to get to if you don't have access to a car, but you can find a bus line to drop you from a nearby metro station in the Billancourt/Boulogne area. There is endless open grasslands, majestic views of Paris and canopied tree areas. I suggest heading to a market and grabbing some wine, olives, bread, cheese & saucisson for a nice french picnic. 

8. Window Shop: 

If you can't afford Paris prices, you can afford to window shop. Store displays in Paris are like works of art! You want to buy everything straight off the mannequin. Pick an area like St. Germain, Les Halles or Le Marias, a street like Faubourgh St. Honoré or Victor Hugo, or head into a famous store/mall like Galleries Lafayette, Bon Marché & Printemps. Of course there is always the famous Champs Elysses. I always get this song in my head "Oh, Champs Elysses...Oh, Champs Elysses..." Maybe you won't buy items but you can certainly get ideas for your next shopping excursion in the States or elsewhere.

7. Check out Paris Parks and Gardens:

There are parks and gardens all throughout Paris. Check out the main one's like The Tulleries, Jardin du Luxembourg & Parc Monceau. Of course, Versailles on the outskirts of Paris has the most spectacular gardens! Expect them to be crowded on weekends and sunny days. Make time to stop and people watch, grab a bite or see the museums or special exhibit.

6. Check out the Markets:

There are tons Open air Markets throughout Paris. Some markets are open all week (excluding Sundays and sometimes Mondays). These kinds of markets will close for 2 hours from 12-2 usually and expect shop owners to start closing up at 7:30 and hurry shoppers out by 8. You can find a market like this in just about every area. Then there are flea markets like "Les Puces" near Porte de Clignancourt open Friday - Sunday, where you can find everything from clothes, accessories & antiques. My favorite are the weekend markets. These are open usually just on Saturday& Sunday from sunrise to about 3 only and have a little bit of everything. It can be quite an eye opening and french experience to get up close and personal with favorite french delicacies. All the food at the weekend markets are from french farmers. I always feel like I'm in a movie when I go to these markets. You can find more info by just googling Paris Markets.

2. Museum Night & Nuit Blanche:

Paris has a ton of special events all year, especially Spring through Fall. If you look up Pariscope or at the posters all around the city, you can get an idea of what's happening. Museum Night is usually in May and Nuit Blanche sometime in early Fall. Both are a great way to explore Paris by night. For Museum night, entrance is FREE after 8pm! You can find a list of participating museums throughout France. I suggest setting up a plan in advance to try and make the most of the night. The major hot spots like the Louvre will have a waiting line and closing times vary from 11pm-1am. Nuit Blanche showcases current artists throughout the city. Again, streets will be crowded, lines long and some groups rowdy, but it's free and totally worth the experience!

4. Visit a Fromagerie:

At first, just the idea of walking into a shop filled with french cheeses was overwhelming. It was hard enough going to an open air fromagerie, but shopping for cheese in a closed environment seemed impossible. But be open minded! The stinkiest cheeses are often the tastiest, but I suggest in small doses. Yes, the smell will overwhelm you, so make your visit quick. Ask the shop keepers for a recommendations. If you can't, then stick to fromage chevre, camembert, rochefert or reblochon which are all staples. OR find a wine and cheese restaurant and they will do the work for you. This is hard to imagine, but now I LOVE the smell of a Fromagerie! It made Joe very proud to hear me say that. I am a reformed American!! Basically, TRY THE CHEESE!

3. Eat a Crepe in Montmarte:

Sacre Coeur is the highest point in Paris. And just behind it you have narrow winding streets with restaurants, shops and street artists. The first place Joe ever took me to in Paris and it left quite an impression. With the city view in front and Sacre Coeur just behind you, you have the most amazing view of Paris. Sometimes you even have entertainment. It's beautiful in the day and night. I suggest grabbing a crepe and enjoying it while you look at the city.

5. Take an evening Stroll:

Walking around Paris day or night is breath taking. I don't care how many times you come to Paris, it never gets boring. And Paris weather is pretty mild all year, so there is always a good time to take a stroll. It's the city of lights which, obviously, you can only appreciate at night. The Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour after 8 or 9 until 12am. Etoil is lit up. Notre Dame is even grander at night. The Louvre lights up like an egyptian pyramid. And if you walk along the Seine you see a reflection of the city in the water. Paris by night soothes the soul.

1. Eat the cuisine!
Try it all!! Be adventurous! I stuck to the staples before moving to France. Eating things like duck, coque, fois gras, rabbit and stinky cheese NEVER crossed my mind. But food here is fresh and usually local from France, especially the meats. France is a lush country. Every region has it's specialty. Paris being the capital has access to all these treats. Even the Italian food is worth trying! If you get a chance to get out of Paris, go to the Normandy area and eat the freshest seafood with some calvados. Or head to the Alps for delicious saucisson and fromage. If your not into meats and cheese, then eat as many pastries and desserts as you can! Head to the markets and stores if you can't afford the restaurants and try your hand at french cooking. Food is like an art here and often as good as it looks. So what if you put on a couple of kilos! Trust me, it will be worth it.

My life in Paris part II: My battle with butter

I like butter; butter on my bread in the morning and used ever so sparingly for baked goods. It can be tasty and good for you in small doses. However, I'm the kind of person who prefers the natural taste of foods with a touch of olive oil if necessary especially when it comes to veggies. After my initial indulgence in french food, I started paying more attention to my meals especially at the numerous family dinners I attend. That being the case, I obviously can't be picky and make special requests all the time. Well..

Like I've mentioned, there are a number of people living and working in the family house. All the characters play an intricate part of the way the house functions. However, the most entertaining of them all is the crazy part-time Sri Lankan chef. He can't hear and likes to yell responses that have no relation to what your asking like, "EAT, EAT, it's good for health!". He professes to be a knowledgeable palm reader and has done some disturbing readings mostly for the nanny and au pair. He doesn't seem to like the lady of the house much though she is his boss, and ignores special notes she leaves for weeks. However, whenever Joe's dad is sick Gamini (the cheff) brings a cocktail of ayurvedic remedies for a special healing tea. His eye sight isn't the best either and there are times he bumps into walls, then runs away pretending it didn't happen. Then there is this evil, husky laugh, "Heh Heh Heh..."

I've had a bit of a silent on going battle with him over the past 6 months. Well, me and the au pair really. I understand that different cultures have different ideas on nutrition, and most of the food Gamini makes is delicious with indian spices and such. However, he seems to think that anything SOAKED (yes, dripping!) in butter (i.e. pasta, veggies, cakes) is tasty and "good for health". I'm more of a naturalist when it comes to food and prefer tasting it without a thick buttery coating. I'm not complaining as a tasty homemade meal 3 nights a week is a treat. In fact, I'm not used to sit down family dinners or personal chefs for that matter and never felt comfortable making requests. So as time went on, I started eating less and less at family dinners until finally all I ate were salads and a taste of meat provided it wasn't walking off my plate.

Finally, Joe made the request for me saying it was for my "regime", my diet. For a while, Gamini (the chef) would bring out a special plate of sides, drop the plate in front of me and announce "NOoo Butter!", then walk away laughing his evil husky laugh. I would get embarrassed feeling like a spoiled child. This lasted a month or so before it was dinner as usual. Then, the au pair started making requests. Then the lady of the house. I think all of this irritated him. I found him giving me the evil eye whenever I walked into the kitchen. I would just smile sheepishly and say, "Hello Gamini", "Thank you Gamini".

His compliance each time only lasts about a month. I'm not sure if he forgets, doesn't care, truly thinks it's healthy or is being vengeful. It's still under debate. It took me a long time to say anything, and even then it was Joe who made the request. These days, depending on his mood, the meal can be caked in butter or a healthy mix. Just last night I found Gamini cooking a cake and noticed 2 large sticks (= to 4 US sticks) of butter next to the ingredients. When I saw it baking, I asked what kind of cake it was. He proudly responded, "A BUTTER cake! Heh, Heh, Heh..."

My Life in Paris part I: apartments, houses and inmates...

As I anxiously approach my return, I feel the need to reflect on my unique situation here in Paris. While many move to Paris not knowing a soul, I was fortunate enough to be enveloped into a very generous and warm family which I consider to be the size of a small country. A little background: I'm an only child. My dad is an only child. My mom has one sister who has only one daughter. That being said, I come from a very small, dispersed family. Needless to say, there have been times in Paris where I've felt more than overwhelmed.

For starters, I'm not used to sharing...ANYTHING! I've always had MY own space and MY own things. It's been a long time since I've lived with my folks, so moving in with parents was quite an adjustment especially when I lived as a BIG girl in the BIG city for nearly 6 years. Though I've had serious relationships, I never lived with a significant other (I'm rather old fashion about that!) until moving to Paris. So it's completely understandable why I experienced "mild" melt downs for the first 6 months I was here. But it's amazing what you can adjust to given some time...

When I first arrived, we lived in the 8th district with Joe's mom. It was a great place to begin my journey as it was in the heart of everything! Joe and I had some growing pains going from a long distance relationship for 11 months to living together. Well, actually, it's more like I had a lot of growing pains with not having MY own space in MY familiar world. Fortunately, Joe's mom has the patience of angel and delicately imparted her relationship wisdom and support as needed. I admit it wasn't always easy listening to her advice, even if it was given with subtle finger wagging. I tend to become rather defensive in these circumstances with "I'm not a child!". I truly commemorate her bravery in accepting a young, passionate couple into her home. Though it was a glorious apartment, it was a city apartment so privacy was limited. I know what your thinking, but ACTUALLY I was more referring to the passionate "discussions" Joe and I would share as any French/American couple desperately in love trying to understand eachother would. (i.e. cultural and language barriers)

By early summer Joe and I were fairly adjusted, and I realized that our growing pains weren't so uncommon. (I took a tally with friends and family regarding there own experiences and was pleasantly relieved by their equally horrific/humorous stories!) I was starting to get quite comfortable in our situation with afternoons of freedom and evenings splurged with good food, family gatherings, long conversations, laughter and music. Although, sit down dinners every night took a little getting used to. As for the music, Joe's step dad is akin to a concert pianist. So it didn't take long for me to rediscovered my love of classical music. But just as I was getting used to my new living situation, we had to move. So we went from living in a luxurious and serene apartment in the heart of Paris with a grown up couple to a house with 5 other permanent residence and a revolving door of others.

Now living in a house in Paris in itself is unheard of, but living in a house that can very comfortably house two little girls, one 20 something brother, a young couple, a dad and a step-mom is unimaginable. Add to that a nanny, au pair and a crazy sri lankan chef, well you can only imagine how (in Joe's words) "alive" the house is at any moment of the day or night. And then there is the night life! Yes, late at night you can here cackling, music, restless whines and loud voices from the street. No we don't live near a club district, but a jail. Amongst all the luxury of living in this beautiful house with all it's comforts, there is the dichotomy of inmates in a jail just across the way. Don't worry, we are safely separated by a large wall and regular patrolling police cars. Apparently, it's the club med of jails with mostly white collar crimes. It does add a strange sense of surrealism to an already fairy-tale like existence.

Now, I'm sure by this time you are asking, why don't they get there own apartment like a grown up couple? Well, we do have what I call our "love shack", but it's the size of a dorm room just steps away from Joe's school. It was pretty clear early on that we could not survive as a couple living in such close quarters. So while Joe is in school, his family graciously opened their home to the both of us. Lot's of perks when you are adopted into a large family. But with all the perks there are many more concessions.

More to come...

-CityGirl