Welcome back to When Wine Calls “The Winter Grape Tour”.
When we talk to fellow travellers and friends about visiting Paris, we always get a mixed bag of reactions with some saying they did not enjoy it, others saying they have no interest and the remainder, like ourselves loving every minute of their time there and cannot wait to visit again. It is that sort of city.
We were heading back to Paris again where we had departed Europe a few short months earlier at the end of the “The Summer Vintage Tour” but this time it was in winter which we had not experienced together previously. On arriving at Charles de Galle, we were excited that we could have more time to experience the delights of this romantic city walking around the streets and embrace the endearing culture that Paris offers.
Over the first few days the weather was not the best but that did not matter as we wandered around revisiting all the main tourist attractions that interestingly were still being visited by lots of other tourists despite the New Year having come and gone and the January clothing sales still almost a week away – it certainly was a different sight to seeing these attractions in the summer. The Eiffel Tower and the surrunding parkland all had wire fencing around the perimeter for some reason which detracted from the view of this iconic landmark.
Just walking along the River Seine and taking in all the wonderful French architecture, the iconic bridges and their statues, the unique contrasting Louvre Museum complex, The Obelisque de Louxor standing in the centre of the famous Place de la Concorde, and all the quaint restaurants was something we never get tired of.
We also sighted this wonderful sign highlighting bubbles that provided us with a great deal of amusement and is so true.
We walked over to Notre Dame which was still under reconstruction after the tragic fire with expectations that it would re-open towards the end of the year – despite the building works underway there were still hordes of tourists looking at this wonderful church reflecting how much it is adorned worldwide.
During the walk we crossed several bridges and noted the locks that had been attached to the railings in the past as lifelong memories for locals and tourists in this “City of Love” had been removed (purportedly for safety reasons) but were slowly re-appearing with some now attached to lamp posts instead of the railings.
From so many vantage points around the city and along the river the Eiffel Tower is prominent with tourists determined to get a photo with the icon in the background as their personal memory of being in Paris – we were no exception despite having so many photos ourselves from previous visits.
We found a “very French” restaurant nearby for lunch and got very excited that “Foie Gras” was on the menu – for those unfamiliar with “Foie Gras” you have not had pate until you have eaten this uniquely French delicacy and with a quality glass of French wine it was amazing.
On the way back to our guest house we passed this intriguing building that looked like it was still under construction but turned out to be rear of “The Centre Pompidou:” housing the Museum of Modern Art. I am not sure the architecture of the building fits in with the more traditional surrounding French buildings, but it certainly provides a talking point.
We also came across several small electric cars parked in the street like motorbikes providing insight on how the Parisian’s travel around the narrow-congested streets with limited off-street parking available. This type of car has never really taken off in Australia, but it was very cool to see them running around Paris.
At night we went out to dinner and went searching for a local restaurant “Le Bougainville” that the owner of the guest bouse we were staying in recommended. When we arrived the restaurant from the outside presented with the traditional French façade but inside it was a different matter – it was fitted out in a 70’s retro décor – a real contrast from what we had experienced in Paris before, but we had a great night reminding us of how diverse this city is when you explore it away from the main tourist areas
On the way we sighted this great looking wine bar on a street corner and thought it would be a great spot for a night cap on the way home. We were correct and went back there each night we were in Paris establishing a great rapport with the bar tender who was a lot of fun and very interested in coming out to Australia. The bar had a great whisky collection, and he welcomed the opportunity to discuss the attributes of each single malt compared to spending his time mixing up the usual cocktails all night. Pauline made sure he knew how to make a good expresso martini before providing her tick of approval – a lot of fun and good memories.
The weather was still not the best the next day, but we were determined to continue our look around the city. We had booked a set time to visit our favourite museum in Paris, Musee de l’Orangerie which houses the famous Monet Waterlilies murals in all their glory. When we arrived, we were glad we had booked as the line for drop-ins was as long as ever with those people having a considerable wait in the weather before being able to reach the entrance.
The Monet Waterlilies are not all that is on display in this relatively small but amazing museum with paintings by Renoir, Modigliani and other prominent artists also there for viewing.. While many people visit the museum it is nowhere near as crowded as the Louvre Museum (home of the Mona Lisa) enabling you to really appreciate the paintings more at your leisure.
Since we love Monet’s Water Lilies (also known as Nympheas) it was great to be able to spend some considerable time sitting down on the lounges and become fully emersed in the wonders of these murals which run the full length of the curve walls on both side of the viewing halls – a definite must do if you travel to Paris.
We made our way up the Champs Elysees and as has been the case on nearly every previous occasion the heavens opened before we reached the Arc de Triomphe and so we scurried for cover in a nearby restaurant to wait out the storm over a delicious lunch.
When the weather cleared, we headed for the mandatory photo opp at the Arc de Triomphe and could not believe that tourists were standing right in the middle of the busy intersection with cars whizzing around them as they took their photos – this is tourism today.
Interestingly, the large fashion and perfume houses are located along the length of the Champs Elysees all trying to outdo each other with their shop fronts.
At night we headed again for another restaurant that had been recommended to us, but it turned out to be closed so we went in search for another and came across a wonderful small French restauramt “L Eechiquier” that served incredibly delicious food and was inexpensive in Paris terms.
The weather finally improved, and we could walk around with the sun shining. and came across some amazing restaurant facades, laneways and parks as well as a funny reminder of Christmas.
We set out to locate an endearing residential area in the 3rd arr precinct not far from the Monument a la Republique where we had stayed in an apartment with Portia some years ago when we visited Paris for a few days on route to London. It was good to be back to walk along the local streets looking into the wonderful produce at the delicatessens, bakeries, poultry and wine shops that we frequented when we were there as well as a café that served amazing cappuccinos. Unfortunately, the building that housed our apartment had suffered a fire and was no longer habitable.
Next up was to head for what we called “the duck hot dog place” which we were first alerted to by a dear friend a few years back. It is a very small wine bar (with a French name we found extremely difficult to pronounce) with the menu uniquely hanging down from the ceiling. It is a difficult place to locate even when you arrive at the entrance, so we have always loaded the address and a picture of the front door into one of our phones rather than trust our memory. It has such great atmosphere and is run by extremely friendly staff with a great knowledge of local French wines that welcome you to taste and explore all types of different grapes and vintages from all regions across France.
On the day we visited they had not been able to source the required quality of duck to make their signature duck hot dog which was devastating but we found some wonderful alternatives including French pate and cheeses, amazing variety of wines and again had a tremendous, albeit extended afternoon there. It is probably good that we do not live in Paris as it would be difficult not to visit this wonderful wine bar on a fairly frequent basis..
Our short time in Paris had come to an end but in that time we had created even more wonderful memories of this great city. We know we will be back whenever the opportunity presents and will love it again and again. For now, though it was time to say “au revoir” as we headed for Paris Nord train station to catch the high-speed Eurostar to Brussels, a short journey of a little over an hour.
Neither of us had been to Brussels previously but we needed to spend overnight in the city prior to boarding our flight heading for home the next day. We therefore booked a hotel near the main train station to make it easy for transporting our luggage as well as being near the main square which we had read would be all lit up at night at this time of year.
While the hotel was more of a business hotel it was well appointed and most importantly had a restaurant as the temperature outside was the coldest we had experienced on the entire trip. After having a walk over to the square in the late afternoon and seeing it all magically illuminated, we scurried back to the hotel to eat in that night in the warmth of their restuarant.
The next morning, we headed for what Brussels is famous for – its chocolate shops and indulged ourselves in various forms of the most magnificent Belgium chocolate- simply divine.
After buyimg our chocolate to take back we found it just too cold to stay outside and continue to wander so we looked around and found a quirky retro bar in the mall with most importantly central heating throughout, so we settled in for the afternoon before making our way back to the train station and out to the airport to board our flight.
The time in Brussels had been extremely short and we did not get to see much of what the city has to offer but the cameo was worth the effort and with our desire to visit the nearby town of Bruges with its canals, cobblestone streets and medieval buildings in the future we will no doubt be back to explore this city more fully.
For now, it was time to enjoy a few hours in the airport lounge with bubbles while we waited for our flight to Dubai.
We will be staying in Dubai for several days prior to returning to Australia which would provide us the opportunity to escape the very cold weather that had now descended throughout Europe and bask in full sunshine wearing summer clothes, we cannot wait.
Join us as we explore the wonders of Dubai for the first time – until then.
Bruce and Pauline
When Wine Calls 
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