WALK AFTER PARIS

Can you imagine a better place for a date with her husband ?. A few days without any specific plan. One where everything can be done and nothing is needed.
Paris!

For me it's not overrated. Provided and I always say that you will want to see everything you want. This is what my travels look like. I do not focus on minuses, shortcomings, shortcomings. I deeply believe that the world is the way we want to see it.

Let's return to Paris, because it will be today's story. I came here for the first time when I was 18 years old. It was a dream birthday present - 1.5 months in Paris! The emotions I was experiencing at the time were unbelievable, and my stay in France was a good school of life and a really intense French lesson. I had an easier task because I went to my close family. My aunt helped me to cover the most important matters, but she worked every day. She handed me the keys to her apartment, a subway map and a monthly pass. I had to discover the city myself and believe me that I did it all day eating baguettes and yoghurts

Unfortunately, I don't even know where I was at the time, because apart from this metro map and a few euros, I had nothing, but today when I get off at a station, the place usually seems familiar to me and I know where to go.
There was no internet, I did not even have a camera, but I had a lot of youthful energy, facial burns due to the enormity of freedom that I suddenly received and a firm resolve to "pass" absolutely every metro station and see what is above it.
I walked tens of kilometers across Paris. It was really something!
Today I have Internet even abroad, a good camera, Instagram and blog and I will gladly show you my walk in this beautiful city.

This date was my 5th visit to Paris and when it comes to the sightseeing plan I am quite boring.
I keep coming back to the same favorite places, although most of them are obligatory touristic points from guidebooks. I can not help it. I like them now. Besides, I really think that in Paris you don't have to make an effort to admire its beauty and find a quiet street that we will immediately consider to be the prettiest. It's worth seeing these few flagship points, and then swerve as quickly as possible into a side street and walk, walk and walk again.

I am not a Francophile, but I can really appreciate the beauty of Paris's streets, tenements, monuments, music, language, baked goods and wine. I can say only a few sentences in French, although I understand almost everything, and after drinking a few lights of chardonnay I switch to fluent French. I do not know this city as well as I would like, I have never discovered secret climbs to the roof with a view of the Eiffle Tower but I feel good in it, freely and I love to come back here!
I don't visit restaurants that recommend the world, because I eat the best French dinners with my family in their apartment. I won't recommend any hotels to you either, because I'm lucky to be my aunt's guest.
That is why my post today is not a guide. It's just Paris in my lens and an offer to walk around this wonderful city. Perhaps after looking at my photographs you will feel like a Paris weekend.

If you come here for a few days, I am begging you - change your attitude at the very beginning, reduce your sightseeing plan by at least by half. You have to experience Paris, feel this place, sit or lie on the grass in a park, drink wine, take a walk and be surprised to find another amazing monument. If you want to see everything you have heard that you have to see, this city will tire you instead of delighting.

Sometimes it is really good to just stay somewhere, drink coffee slowly, look at people and not have the feeling in ourselves that we lose something without seeing all the attractions that await us in the city.

This is Paris my way. In my lens.

Eiffle Tower. Does that surprise anyone? When we're in Paris and Tomek asks me where we are going first, I always answer "See the tower!" I always want to see the tower first.

A guy who was named Guy de Maupassant when asked why he eats a meal in the tower restaurant said that this is the only place from which the tower cannot be seen. I absolutely disagree with him. I am like millions of tourists from around the world and I love the Eiffle Tower. I am happy as a child every time I see her. I always think, "Oh wow! I'm just in Paris! "

I recommend getting off at the Assemblée Nationale metro station (12 metro lines) , and then walk towards the tower through Universite street (Rue de l'Université) . It was from this place that I took this picture. It is here that we have the chance to avoid the crowds that are already waiting in line to climb the tower.

This time I gave up admiring the panorama of Paris from the Eiffle Tower because I was on it 3 times. I preferred to celebrate our date classically - a bottle of champagne and strawberries consumed on the grass with a tower above my head (no one ever noticed us when we consumed alcohol under the tower, but I don't know if it's legal

).
What I would like to especially draw your attention to and warn you - watch out for tricksters. There are hundreds of them. Ranging from sellers of tower-shaped key rings to women urging you to sign a petition. Keep your wallet and documents with you, never carry them in your backpack, because in Paris it is really not difficult to be robbed. Some guy's hand landed in my backpack and I felt like poking in my backpack. Nothing, however, the poor man did not find valuable, because I carry all my documents and money almost in my panties.

I highly recommend all these old school sachets with which we went in primary school on trips. Mandatory to wear under the blouse

Picnic under the tower is one of the most pleasant moments of the trip. Such luxury

I recommend to stock up on the necessary provisions in so-called neighborhood stores. Shops around the tower have prices 3-4 times higher.
When we were in Paris, the city was unearthed. Some metro stations I knew were closed due to renovations.
The Paris metro, however, is very easy to "grasp" and you will certainly handle the orientation in the field. In addition, these renovations are also a temporary situation.

In turn, such a view of the tower stretches when you get off at the Trocadero metro station (6 or 9 metro line) . This metro station was closed during our visit. Just get off the station earlier and take a walk, or simply walk from the tower to Trocadero Square. You will hit without a problem

In my picture, only the Eiffle Tower, but behind me really wild crowds of tourists. It is worth coming here in the evening, because the tower is lit every day from 21:00 in the winter and from 22:00 in the summer with a thousand lights. Beautiful view. Lots of valuable information in Polish about the tower itself, including ticket prices you will find in this article -> CLICK

From here, from the Trocadero station you can go to the Champs Elysees , right under the Arc de Triomphe .Take metro number 6 and get off at Kleber station.

Our next place that we visit every time was the Sacre Coeur Basilica . We got off at the Anvers metro station (line number 2) . We had to walk the rest of the route on foot, because the basilica is located on one of the Parisian hills. This is where another beautiful panorama of the city extends. It is worth looking inside the basilica to see impressive sacred art. It is good to take another break here so that you can climb further in a moment. On Montmartre!

Montmartre is a district of Paris, full of narrow, winding, cobbled and extremely charming streets. Once it focused the entire artistic bohemia of Paris. Today we will find hundreds of tourists, artists who in a few moments will paint us a portrait, cafes, souvenir shops, but also the most beautiful points for photos, for example on Instagram.

The most popular are the cafe La Maison Rose at Rue de l'Abreuvoir and Consulat at Rue Norvins . They lie in close proximity to each other.

Once you take beautiful photos (I do not recommend stopping for a coffee here - tourists will be a pain) - take a walk around Montmartre. Just turn into the first side street to find yourself in a completely different world. Montmartre in the evening is really magical and extremely atmospheric. If you watched the movie "At midnight in Paris" then include here you will find a similar atmosphere. I highly recommend.
I also recommend posting my friend Jessica on her blog Buszaniem in everyday life. The girl worked hard and created a guide to Paris in the footsteps of "Midnight in Paris" by Woddy Allen.

Another place that I always visit and which is totally touristic, but I have a special fondness for it is St. Michel (metro station Saint Michel Notre Dame, line number 4) . I came back here as a teenager almost every day. I sat on a bench under the Notre Dame Cathedral or under the fountain of St. Michał and I stared at people with impunity. Unfortunately, it was me today

right next to the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens and of course Notre Dame Cathedral , which is due to this year's fire is now available to the public. Do you know that I've never visited the Louvre? Each time I promise myself that I will catch up next time. I always miss that one day that I have to spend on visiting it.

At St. Michel, at Rue Galande is also the famous pastry shop with even more famous puffs - Odette . Those stuffed with chocolate and those with raspberries are worth the sin. They are also a great element of a picnic , which must be done on the Seine . Just go down ... under the bridge! Yes, it's best under the bridge! Here, I also recommend that you do some picnic shopping before in a bigger supermarket or department store. We paid 4 euros for wine in Carrefour in my aunt's estate, at St. Michel for the same - 16 euros.
So wine, camembert, baguette and puff from Odette and other Parisian, crazy pastries and unforgettable moments in this city are yours.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we went to the flea market . Until now, we always went to the one near my aunt's apartment, at the Malakoff metro station (every Saturday morning) , but there are really a lot of them in Paris. Although the prices of all these antiques (or only pretending antiques) sometimes can make you dizzy and do not resemble the prices from my beloved Sochaczew green house, it is worth experiencing such a walk. If only to listen to the French bargaining and insulting each other

Of course, I had to bring some souvenir marked by time and history and I put on a silver "bucket" for prosecco or champagne. I would not be surprised if it came from a restaurant, but it is beautiful, mine and Paris

(more about Paris and my souvenir from the flea market I tell instastories. You will find them in the featured accounts on my Instagram ).

Shortly after the flea market we went to Galeria Lafayette. I've never seen her before. We went there with the intention of seeing this beautiful building, although before I admired the large, gilded vault and dozens of balconies, I first had to shake off a small shock caused by something completely different. Something I didn't expect in such a size. Shopping fever !. It is here that boutiques of absolutely all major brands on the fashion market are located. And if there are products, there are and buyers. In alarming quantities. Mainly Asians, as evidenced by even brass information plates, in many places where the inscriptions are in French and Chinese. It is worth going to the top floor of the gallery to see in advance people the size of ants, who buy, buy, buy ... For example, cream in a mother of pearl box for 15,000 euros.

). Of course you can reach Lafayette and the opera by metro - Opera station, line number 3,7,8 .

And this is the opera house. Behind him is the Lafayette Gallery.

For a walk and overnight stay I recommend a very quiet and charming Marais district (Chatelet metro station) . Lots of atmospheric eateries, walking nooks, niche shops. At Marais we took the last mini picnic. This time, apart from baguette and wine, there was my beloved craime fraiche, 30% sweet and thick cream. I gained about 3 kilos in Paris. I don't regret any of those kilos

I want to tell you about one more thing. Shortly after we landed in Paris, and I uploaded the first Paris photographs to my instagram, I received a message from one of my readers and an invitation to visit our Polish embassy in Paris. Jola devoted us all afternoon, showed us around this beautiful building and told fantastic stories. Our embassy is reportedly the most beautiful in Paris! For me, the most incredible is that although these interiors look like palace chambers, they are in constant daily use. Twice a year, large embassies are held at the embassy: on May 3 and November 11. I asked Joli what to do to see the embassy inside. It turns out that this is not a simple matter. Of course, you can be a Polish community in Paris and then get an invitation to the party from the ambassador himself. You can also write to the ambassador a letter asking to visit the embassy and with a bit of luck get permission and an invitation. For us it was an unforgettable moment. Once again, I am grateful for the opportunities that the blog gives me. One of them is being able to meet my readers live. For example at the Polish embassy in Paris

Just after visiting the embassy we went to hmhhh ... lunch? At lunch, waiters are reluctant to accept guests in restaurants only for coffee. Although all the tables are free outside, we can hear from the waiter that there are no seats.

Jola took us to the mega old eatery Les Deux Magots , in which without any remorse and with wild joy we ate a bottle of cold white wine (my face says a lot), toasts with goat cheese, chocolate fondant, tarte tatin, raspberry tart and strong espresso after all. My taste buds were in the seventh heaven. I recommend this place.

Finally, a few words about safety. I got a lot of questions about whether it's safe in Paris. I answer based only on my own experience: I don't know. Paris is really multicultural and in some places it is sometimes difficult to meet a Frenchman with his great grandfather. Does this, however, make him more dangerous than, for example, Rome?
I told you that at Sacre Coeur some guy put a hand in my backpack and the so-called shady company, but as in every huge city, we keep documents and money with us, regardless of whether it is London or Paris. A policewoman was shot some time ago in my aunt's district (the end of metro station number 13 Chatillon Montrouge or suburbs). These were the noisy events during which a follower of Allah shot at defenseless people in cafes, and then shot, among others this policewoman. And although it shocked everyone, the French are trying to live a normal life and not to be afraid, because if they are afraid fanatics will win. At least that's what my family explained to me.
I try to use common sense in all this. Visiting Paris, I do not think about whether in a moment any Islamic fanatic will blow up with me. The same can happen to me at the airports in Oslo, London or anywhere. I travel with my husband, and when in Paris I was only with my friend. a few years ago, we set the day to come home before dark and we didn't accept invitations to the evening party from handsome Frenchmen (I watched the movie "Abducted" too many times). To sum up - I live in a country where a man can set fire to a manifestation on a daily basis only because he has a different sexual orientation, different skin color or views. So I don't know if Paris is safe. Just as I don't know if Poland is safe. For the time being this is not a reason for me