Seeing Paris at night in a 2CV Citroen

I am sitting here in the very wonderful apartment I found for us on AirBnB.com. If you ever travel, really consider this as an option so you can feel like you are "living" alongside the locals.

It's nighttime and I have the tall windows open to let in the sounds of the cafe right below. It's a constant stream of conversation, punctuated by laughter and the 'clink/clank' of plates and cutlery. Cigarette smoke lingers in the air and has found it's way up to our 4th floor.

I've just had a hot chocolate and several chunks of baguette and butter. Let me tell what the last two days have been like:

Day 1....as the plane made its descent over Paris in the early morning, I spotted the Eiffel Tower which looked like a toy. Our driver picked us up in the silver Mercedes-Benz van and dropped us off at the Dupont Cafe across the street from where the apartment is. It was then that I realized that bringing two 42" suitcases, a carry-on and a tote was too much luggage to manoeuvre over the parts of the street that were cobble-stoned. A rookie mistake, I agree. But really, I didn't pack an unreasonable amount of clothes given how varying the weather forecast had been leading up to the trip.

We set down our things, got acquainted with the apartment and then took a walk down Rue du Rivoli discovering a park around a monument and then found ourselves crossing over the Seine river past the oldest hospital in Paris: Hotel Dieux and then in front of Notre Dame with tourists flocking in front of it. We didn't bother to explore it at that time, but it was nice to just happen upon it : )

In the evening, we were met by Vincent of 4Roues Sous 1Parapluie in beige colored 2CV (vintage Citroen, beloved car of France) and her name was "Tante Sophie" (Aunt Sophie). We covered our legs in blankets and were taken on a beautiful twilight and nighttime tour for 3 hours. We climbed the hill to Montmartre and looked out over the city, we saw old windmills, all the monuments, we saw where Victor Hugo lived, where Van Gogh and Toulouse Lautrec had been, we saw the Moulin Rouge, the restaurant from the movie Amelie, we saw the hotel where Jim Morrison had died and at 11pm precisely he showed us the Eiffel Tower as it burst into a sparkly, disco tower of lights!

Being a detail-oriented planner truly paid off in deciding that this would be the best way to be introduced to the "City of Light" and to kick off this type of trip.



Day 2...We both slept about 11 hours, so obviously the traveling had taken a toll on us and we didn't realize by how much. Our first order of business was to find a grocery store and for me to get my unlocked cell phone hooked up onto the Orange mobile network with a plan. We walked a few blocks to discover Monoprix which is like Target where the main floor was clothes and such and the top floor was grocery. They don't have long conveyor belts like the grocery stores back home, instead the cashier tosses your reusable bag at you and you bag it yourself hurriedly while she starts ringing the next person through. Smart and local Parisians come to the grocery store with a covered cart. Another lesson learned.

Fun grocery store find: little yogurts in glass jars with a foil lid that you peel back. Beer is sold in plastic beer bottles. The only pop they seem to have is Coke, Pepsi and some sort of Ginger Ale.

After walking a few blocks in one direction to find the larger grocery store, I found the smaller version " Monop' " just 2 short blocks in the other direction, so we'll be going there from now on.

Later this afternoon after the temperatures started to get more comfortable, we strolled along in our neighborhood, meandering our way over to Centre Pompidou to view some of the contemporary art installations there. There were some amusing things to look at and ponder, but overall probably not worth the entrance fee. However--an exceptional view of Paris when on the topmost floors.

Our 2CV driver Vincent had told us that most of the Parisians live in apartments. So many people hang out in parks together, laying on or sitting on any public space enjoying the weather and being social. On our tour, we saw countless cafes with outdoor seating; everyone seated facing the street (sitting side by side instead of across from one another at tables)...apparently a way to squeeze more patrons into the allotted space for each establishment. I realized that Paris must be an incredible social place to live. It seems that these people must hang out a lot after work and in the evenings.

Vincent also mentioned that every street in Paris has trees on it except for the area in front of L'Opera so that the trees don't disrupt the view of it.

It's so easy to fall in love with this place : )