We started the day with a hearty breakfast at the hotel
(I was devastated to find there was no ketchup) and pioneered across Paris to Charles de Gaulle place/ Arc
de Triomphe. If you ever visit Paris with me, we’ll walk for miles as it really
is the best way to see everything.
We stop off via Galleries Lafayette on
Boulevard Haussmann for squirts of perfume, a photo of the stunning glass domed
roof and to stare at the beautiful Christmas windows. At the Arc de Triomphe we
decide only to walk around under it/ at street level – and not to climb the 284
steps to the top. The view there is tremendous, as all the roads
lead up to the Arc de Triomphe so I was slightly sad to miss out on the serious leg-workout and rewarding view.
After a walk down the Champs Elysees, we find ourselves
(joyfully) at the Christmas market at the bottom. I’d wanted to do the holiday
in December for this very reason – the markets – so was delighted that they’d
set up their Chalet-style huts of goodies by mid-November. It’s better than any
Christmas market you’ve experienced in England – instead of useless wooden
crafts and a pitiful handful of food stalls with nothing to sample, the
boulevard is like being in Christmas town, with smells of paella, tartiflette
(a tray of cheesy artery-clogging stodge), mulled wine, salamis, chocolate
fountains and churros (weird and at the same time amazing sticks of doughnut) and so much
more. Once I’d pulled Ollie away from the salami stand, we head for
Place Vendome (designer heaven), Place de Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, Rue Rivoli (home to the ONLY WHSmiths in France),
and my favourite place for hot chocolate in the whole wide world: Angelina’s.
We ventured into Chanel on Place Vendome which I’d never
done before, and probably won’t be doing it again unless I have money burning a
hole in my pocket - it was definitely an experience though! Ollie seemed quite serious about buying a necklace until he
discovered it was an alarming 45,000 euros. We moved on for a well-deserved sit
down at Angelina’s, (226 Rue Rivoli, 75001, www.angelina-paris.fr/en) and a jug
of their Chocolate Chaud L’Ancienne (which is literally double cream and
chocolate paste).
Later that evening we visit another one of ‘Granny’s
recommendations’. This time it’s a place I only know as ‘Kevin’s place’ as the
owner is a family friend. I had to take a photo of the shop
name just so I would remember it! It’s called ‘Au Tour D’un Verre’ (21, Rue
Trevise 75009), and the last time I ate there at the age of 14, I ordered the
sole and threw a wobbly when it came out complete with skin, head, and a ton
of bones. I still remain very grateful to my Granny, who, ignored my tantrum and patiently removed all the skin and bones (including the head).
Our meal at Kevin’s was even better than imagined – it’s a
small bohemian styled room where the kitchen is part of it and all the
furniture is mismatched. The menu is a chalkboard that circles the room, with a
two course meal at 25€ (lunch is 16€) and menu options changing every other
day or so. We had a beautiful and romantic evening with delicious Beaujolais
red, starting with ceviche, and skagew (raw cured haddock, and melt in the mouth crayfish on
toasts), followed by pork tenderloin and a fillet of cod (which has a
reputation of being ‘stunning’, and absolutely was). Our two course meal served
with wine and unlimited baguette came to 58€. This is another place I REALLY
recommend!
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