Journey in Paris with Theng Theng

Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations.

A good friend told me she spent weeks in Paris and only scratched the surface so I know that 5-6 days was only going to wet my appetite and it’s done that – then fold! Paris is an amazing city. I spent 2 nights in Paris with Theng (an old friend) and another 3 days in Paris with my husband, John.

My second time in Paris was with Theng Theng – a very close friend from high school. It must have been at least 8 years since we last met.

After departing Hong Kong, we arrived in Helsinki airport where John and I did more duty free shopping when we parted ways. He left to Gothenburg, Sweden and well me..to my hometown – Paris :P.

I arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport about 9.30am and took the Air France to Arc de Triomphe where I met Theng. We walked to the hotel and freshened up, then headed out to Champs Elysees.

We wandered along the Champs Elysees, a predictable assortment of upmarket shops and lots of pavement restaurants. This street is the largest street in Paris and it is famous for the shopping. Coming up towards Arc de Triomphe, there were a number of custom modified chopper type bicycles going past. We then stopped by a cafe for some lunch.

  

I thought that eating along Champs Elysees would be very expensive but I was wrong. Theng and I both ordered the set menu for lunch. I had tuna with pasta and Theng ordered steak with fries. The serving was a bit swift but there was just so much for us girls to catch up, we didn’t really let it bother us.

Champs Elysees stretches from Place de la Concorde and the Obelisk up until the Arc de Triomph. It is more than a mile long and has existed since 1670 but it was not until the 50s that the chic stores opened along the avenue.

After lunch we took the metro to Le Musee Marmottan Monet. No cameras were allowed inside the museum and it took us about an hour to finish the very impressive exhibit. For 9 euro it was definitely worth the visit. After we cleared the museum, we decided to head back to the hotel for a break before dinner.

After a short nap, we freshened up and headed out to find a decent restaurant for dinner. Finally after a couple of minutes looking, we found one.

We got back to the dinner after hotel and made short plans for the next day. Alarms are set. I was having an awesome time in Paris. This is such a special city and there is just sooo much to see and do. I was already excited coming back to Paris with John in the next two weeks.
 

On the second day – a pretty good night sleep, we left the hotel to the nearest boulangerie for some breakfast. Of course we yakked a little and prepared for another day of sightseeing.

First stop was the largest Louis Vuitton store in the world located in Champs Elysees. I came across my first rude French sales person. We merely asked her if they had a certain bag I wanted to see. She turned her nose in the air and sharply said I am busy and walked away. Other than that bitch, I have found that most sales people are extremely helpful and nice. 

We passed through the Place de la Concorde and walked towards the Tuileries Garden. Once inside the garden we found Musee de l’Orangerie. Here we saw works of impressionists such as Monet, Rodin and Cezanne. The building was originally, as the name implies an orangerie, i.e. a heated green house for among other things, fruit trees. The museum is mostly known for its two-water lily rooms (Les Nympheas), where 8 paintings by Claude Monet decorate the walls of the round room. IT WAS BREATHTAKING! The paintings use up half of the area of the museum and the longest painting is all 56 ft. Long!

We then walked past the quays along the Seine where we hit up Musee d’Orsay. And it was amazing. Unfortunately the top level was closed for renovation. What the deuce? Closed?

 
After walking like what seems like forever, we stopped by a cafe. I had a cup of hot chocolat and Theng had cup of coffee. They were relatively small cups mind you, but we were there for hours just chatting away. It was really nice catching up with an old friend. 

After all that talking, I guess we got hungry. We hadn’t planned dinner yet so we decided to just walk around until we stumble on a restaurant. We ended up in a nice restaurant. They had an English menu and we made our order. I ordered a duck confit and Theng ordered a plate of salad. We didn’t order any wine this time and just had mineral water.

Our food arrived and it was really good. I had pretty good food in Paris. The duck was surprisingly rich and flavourful. After our main course, we shared a plate of crème brulee. It just hit the spot – perhaps a little too sweet. But you know me with sweet food – I’m a fan!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and talked again until we fell asleep (or at least I fell asleep). We left early the next day...



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