PARISIAN DASH

As I write this post I am in France on holiday in need of some R&R but unfortunately the weather here is identical to back home - rain. And as it has rained for the past week, I've had to do what one can only do in this weather - sleep, eat, read and watch DVDs! It was during a rainy day last week that I settled down (under homemade blanket, of course) to watch An Education. If you haven't seen this film you must - Carey Mulligan plays the me I have always wanted to be: smoke French cigarettes, speak French with ease, listen to French music and all with a fabulous bouffant hairstyle. Plus she loves Paris.

Now, I will never smoke and my French language skills are just capable of ordering me dinner, my French music is limited to Edith Piaf and the bouffant hairstyle only comes out at weddings, but I do love Paris. I have spent many years hopping across the channel to the French capital, weekends away, visiting friends who were lucky enough to live here and even working for Alexander McQueen at Paris fashion week. I feel intimately acquainted with this city and inspired by An Education, on a whim I booked two tickets and headed off to Paris the following morning.

As you can imagine I have seen the same tourist attractions hundreds of times and yet I never tire of them. If you visit the city I suggest you head straight for the Eiffel Tower. Brave the queues if you dare to go up this magnificent structure and take in the views of the sprawling city split in half by the Seine. Cross the river at Passerelle Debilly and head straight up to the Arc de Triomphe. Promenade down the Champs-Elysees and shop (if money permits) in the big names like Louis Vuitton and Cartier. Stroll past the beautiful Grand Palais and Petit Palais, take in the Place de la Concorde and then cross the road to Jardin des Tuileries. If the weather is pleasant and you have time to spare this is the perfect place to watch the world go by. If time is short, press on through the gardens and at the end you are rewarded with the delightfully grand Louvre museum buildings juxtaposed with the infamous glass pyramid.

From the Louvre it is worth continuing on to the Centre Pompidou, it houses an impressive permanent collection of comtemporary art and I always make time for a browse round their bookshop and gift store. As Paris is a city best seen on foot I would urge you to continue your journey into the Marais. I love the Marais, it has that permanent lazy Sunday brunch feel, it's cool and laid back with some really great shops tucked away in winding streets. From the Marais you are perfectly situated to cross the river again to Notre Dame, follow the tourists inside but also go around the back and sit in the gardens and catch five minutes of peace away from the crowds. 

Food is never an issue in Paris, there are more restaurants and cafes to suit every budget than you could ever imagine, and yet my favourite way to eat is to pack a picnic and head to the Sacre Coeur. Climb the steps, sit on the grass and eat and drink whilst looking out across the city. The church itself is beautiful and the bustling streets behind it are well worth a wander, buy some artwork or simply sit in a cafe and people watch.

Everything I have written about here can be found in all the guide books. In my next post I would like to share with you a few of my favourite shops that are definitely worth a visit.