Millions, if not billions, of photos have been taken of the Eiffel Tower. So how is it that when you stand atop the plaza at the Trocadero, camera focused on this timeless symbol of romance and elegance, you still believe that Paris is your city? You feel its there for you, and you alone. It welcomes you, embraces you, nourishes you.
Paris is a place very much of the moment and yet it has the ability to hold many of your memories intact until your next visit. Not only does Paris never age, but it also allows you to feel forever young.
The best way to explore this richness of impressions is by foot. Have a general sense of where you want to go, but let your curiosity lead you. Marvel at the symmetry of its architectural glories. Feel the shiver of history when you realize the holes in a certain stone wall were made by bullets during the Second World War. Step back into the golden age by strolling up a grand boulevard and spending an hour at the sidewalk café under the shade of a magnificent chestnut tree. Detour up some narrow lane and find a quaint little bistro with space for only a dozen people.
There are so many neighbourhoods to explore but one of our favourite places to set up base camp is St. Germain-des-Pres. At its centre is the abbey, parts of which were built in the 6th century, and where, on the corner, youll find buskers entertaining the crowds waiting to enter the church to hear a concert. Across the street are the cafés made famous by Jean-Paul Sartre and Ernest Hemingway.
One of the best people-watching banquettes is in Brasserie Lipp, where the whos-who of French politics and cinema gather for choucroute, elevating the lowly ham hock and sauerkraut to gourmet status. We love the sign that welcomes dogs to the table but politely asks their owners not to use the cutlery when slipping Fifi some food off their plate.
Part of the Left Bank, St. Germain-des-Pres is filled with art galleries, restaurants, markets, jazz clubs and clothing stores. Go in one direction and youll end up at the Garden of Luxembourg; go another and youll reach the Seine.
Two mid-priced hotels in the heart of the neighbourhood are the Best Western Grand Hotel de lUnivers and the Prince de Conti.
Perhaps one of the most famous hotels is the most simply named, lHotel, home of the one-star Michelin restaurant, Le Restaurant.
Its not often that a negative review of a hotel rooms decor has made it wildly popular.
My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go, said Oscar Wilde, who lived his last days in LHotels Room 16. The wallpaper won.
