04 / A 'bucket-lister' month in Paris
Current Location: Paris – France
Bonjour mes ami!
Can you remember the last time you slept in the same bed away from home, for more than two weeks? For me it’s been a good fifteen years. Back in 2011, I jumped off the life treadmill and curled up in an Indian Ashram for two weeks. Not exactly The Ritz – picture a dorm full of thirty-ish sweaty, curried-up yogis on concrete bunk beds with paper-thin mattresses. Comfortable? Er… no. Memorable? Yes. Life-changing.
It’s now same-bed-day thirteen for us in Paris. We’ve booked a cute one-bedder apartment in the 11th Arrondissement for the month of May, and it already feels like home. A morning routine of a Ceylon Orange Pekoe brew (my only Sri Lankan souvenir), chilling on our 4th floor balcony and gazing the skies filled with criss-crossing jet streams, is one I’m 100% embracing.
Today’s itinerary involved a Canal Saint-Martin stroll and a croissant from Du Pain et des Idées (So. Damn. Good), a coffee from Ten Belles (GOOD), then we headed home and I dived into remote working for my clients back in Oz. On a shorter visit, this could be credited as precious time wasted in a city that offers a million+ things to do, see and importantly, eat. But knowing there’s still seventeen days left to ‘do’, takes the pressure off needing to run around like an over-caffeinated tick-lister.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a solid count of must-achieves before we head off. I’m just extra grateful we have a little more time to do it… slowly. A concert one night, a market the next morning. A meal or three at home, a 20km mindless backstreet meander, a day trip to Versailles, an exhibition, or an evening picnic in the park. Then of course, some work (In case any of my clients are reading).
Enough ‘me’ Substack indulgent rants. There’s many tales still to share, but here’s a few experiences to consider adding to your Parisian schedule.
Marché (market) Bastille
Bd Richard-Lenoir, 75011 Paris
My pupils dilated. Before me lay an abundance of unpasteurised deliciousness – aged compté, farm fresh chèvre, small gooey ash-covered blobs and large slabs of large stinky truffle-veined ones – fromage sourced from many different regions across France. Yum. Next stop, a sea of ocean oddities I’d never seen (or tasted) before – let’s try the rouget (red mullet) merci! Hello big fat green and white asparagus, fragrant, sweet strawberries, and wild, oversized artichokes, all in season. Load ‘em up!
Every Thursday and Sunday morning the tree-lined grand Boulevard Richard Lenoir, just north of the Place de la Bastille is filled with enthusiastic vendors selling the finest fresh fruit n’ vegetables, cheeses, meats, terrines, pate, olives, nuts, breads, baked goods, freshly shucked oysters, flowers and more.
This is a local, authentic market experience and often considered by Parisians to be one of the finest in town. They rush from one stall to the next with dogs and trollies in tow, barely tolerating the snail-paced tourists (us) as they busily action their weekly pantry restock. If you find yourself being ignored like we were on our first visit, it’s because the locals neatly queue at the side waiting to be served. Oh yes and take Euros with you. Many sellers are still cash only.
Palace of Versailles
Place d’Armes, 78000 Versailles
(A bit of a train trip, but it’s still in Paris)
19,000 steps later and we’re home. Just the two of us, and 27,000 other tourists having made the day trip to explore the magnificent former royal residence dreamt about, then built by King Louis XIV – the Palace of Versailles.
The walls are embellished in gold and mirrors, candle-hungry chandeliers, imposing statues and many a painting idolising Louis XIV a.k.a. ‘the Sun King’ and his impressive wins during his first two decades ruling the nation (1643 - 1663).
I distinctly remember that pause and ‘wow’ moment, walking into the Hall of Mirrors for the first time some thirty years ago. At the age of twenty-three and on my kickstarter solo backpacking trip it was all rather humbling. In the 90s, these far away places were other worldly, dystopian, somewhere across the universe that we experienced in school teachings, movies and books.
Today it’s quite different. It’s peak-hour busy at the main Palace as we enter at our pre-booked time slot (make sure you book!). Phone cameras firing in all directions and bustling tour groups on the run to ensure they make it back for lunch. It’s hectic, but it’s absolutely worth snaking your way through and admiring the vast network of heavily decorated rooms and hallways.
It’s also easy to escape the masses. A 30-minute stroll along the Grand Canal/Ocean gets you to the Grand and Petit Trianon Palaces, and the whimsical Queen’s Hamlet, the national-income-emptying playground of a young, naive and somewhat ill-fitting Marie Antoinette. You can spend a few hours here exploring these more intimate spaces, where it’s easy to find a perfectly manicured garden all to yourself.
A Few Shared Moments
Best eats:
Already mentioned – the Bastille Market haul takes this week’s finest eat trophy. More highlights included crispy radishes, pork and peppercorn terrine baked in chunky pastry, breakfast oysters (way to early for me, but Adriano gave them the grinning seal of approval) and post-market brunch.
Long weekend reunion lunch with old friends at Brasserie Martin in the 11th. The classic bistro-style dining was delicious, but it’s the stories and laughs, and the hours flying by, that made it unforgettable.
Best ‘worth the effort’ moment:
The hours spent Airbnb doom-scrolling to find this little gem of an apartment. We’re not leaving.
Flat point:
The first, mediocre croissant. It’s ok… with appropriate Virgo research the bakeries have since got a whole lot better.
Cultural observation:
The French love inhaling nicotine. They are a nation still properly addicted. It’s not just the young ones, it’s grandma walking her fluff ball in the park having her first morning strike-up. It’s guys my age sucking and puffing on their strawberry-infused buzz-sticks. So strange coming from a country where it’s a proper outsider habit. Vive la différence oui?
And… onwards! 💚
OMG - Adriano I'll have oysters for breakfast any time you want. Forget Josh!
Love thinking of you in the 11th. Our last Paris stay was there. Bonne continuation x