Paris
It’s our wedding anniversary in September and what better place to celebrate but Paris? This city at any time of the year is superb but September is particularly magical. The trees are beginning to turn, the nights are still warm enough to sit out until the early evening with the sun snaking between those high Parisienne buildings bathing the streets in a warm amber glow.
We’d travelled by train from the Cotswolds where we live, to London and then caught the Eurostar where after less then three hours we had arrived at the Gare de Nord. It was just a short journey with suitcases on a very busy RER but after a couple of stops we’d arrived at the Gare de L’Est. Our hotel, 9Hotel Bastille-Lyon was a short trundle away and thankfully it had a lift as we were right on the top floor. Before long we’d wandered up the street to grab a beer at the L’Europeen It’s a typical Parisien Brasserie with an art deco interior and waiters in traditional ‘uniform’ looking immaculate in their white shirts, black waistcoats and trousers wrapped round with long white ‘aprons’. That evening we had an excellent meal at a small family-run restaurant, Les Affranchis which was only a short walk from our hotel.
Montmartre:
It’s Sunday and we’d woken up to cloudy skies and the ‘promise’ of rain. Our attempt to get tickets to Notre Dame had failed again so we decided to head up to Montmartre. It’s a steep walk up to the top and if it’s a clear day you’re rewarded with a great view – a panorama of Paris. No luck that day, it was hard to spot anything in the gloom. The queue to get into Sacre Cœur was long but we had an interesting chat with a lady who lived in Paris and then an American couple joined in so by the time the five of us had covered several topics focussing on world problems we were going into the Basilica. It’s free to go in and is open from 6.30-22.30. It’s well worth a visit and on a clear day if you want to get an even better view of the city, you can climb up to the Dome. (There is a charge).
After lunch at a cafe where we shared that classic ‘Croque Monsieur’, the rain had stopped which meant we could have a good walk round the area. The artists in Place du Tertre which is only a few streets away from the Basilica were quite busy. It’s fascinating to watch as they sketch portraits of their sitters – such talent. I wonder how much they charge? With that thought we wandered on to Au Lapin Agile where I wanted to take a picture. This famous bar which has a cabaret is famous worldwide and has been entertaining their customers since opening in 1860. These days there’s a flexible arrival time, check the website for opening times as it’s not open every evening. No credit cards accepted and the entrance price including a drink as at September 2025 is 40€.
No visit to Montmartre would be complete without saying ‘hello’ to Dalida. (Picture of this celebrated singer is top, middle above). Dalida, sometimes called “the queen of French chanson,” had a remarkably eclectic career. She was an international phenomenon, recording in at least seven languages and performing on stages around the world. Dalida will forever be associated with Montmartre, where she had a house at 118 Rue d’Orchampt in the 18th arrondissement. After her death in 1987 a square was named after her which has a bronze bust of the singer whose bosom has been rubbed to a glow by years of fondling from her fans. Her grave in Montmartre cemetry is also worth a visit.
This area of Paris is full of character and charm and feels very much like a village. We didn’t see any sun that day but that certainly didn’t dampen our spirits – there’s always a great amosphere in Montmartre.
Later that afternoon we went by Metro to Musée Malliol in the Rue de Grenelle to an exhibition of 350 photographs taken by the celebrated Fench photojournalist, Robert Doisneau – what a treat! Ordering tickets hadn’t been a problem and we were glad we did as there was a queue outside of people hoping to get in by just turning up. All of them were turned away … It was an excellent retrospective of Doisneau’s work in this excellent exhibition space. The Malliol Museum is currently closed preparing for their next exhibition.
Sadly our anniversary meal that evening was disappointing especially as we had eaten there on several occasions in the past, still the wine was good.
Notre Dame de Paris:
Perseverance paid off! After trying several times to book tickets on-line to go into Notre Dame …we made it! I should say it was down to my husband who got up extra early that morning to go onto the web site, seems it’s the only way to do it unless you want to queue for hours.
I’m so pleased we managed to go. What a wonderful place! It’s free admission, respectful silence is requested and it is very busy but my goodness it was worth it. Just wandering around this amazing building which has been a place of worship for 860 years is really quite moving. It’s history, which is fascinating is detailed on the Notre Dame de Paris website but I think it’s worth mentioning here that the fire of April 15th 2019 which destroyed the mediaeval framework and the spire was seen as a national disaster. Millions were raised for the restoration and now today, since re-opening on December 4th 2024 this Cathedral stands as a testament to the skills of all the crafts people who worked on this huge project. I hope that in time there will be an exhibition showcasing some of these artisans, general builders and the like who have achieved this restoration in record time.
We came away having thoroughly enjoyed our visit but also aware that we had a train to catch at midday, the TGV from the Gare de L’Est to take us down to Avignon for the next part of our trip. Provence here we come!
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