Paris and I - now and then
Why I love Paris + some flashbacks to 1996.
Three years ago I fell head over heels in love with Paris. It wasn’t love at first sight though.
Because I first met Paris in 1996, when I lived in Neuilly-sur-Seine as an au pair in order to practice the French language, which I had studied at school for six years.
Back then, at the age of 21, somehow I wasn’t particularly impressed by the city, probably because I had recently returned from a one year long stay in Rome, and compared to Rome - and Italy in general - Paris seemed a bit too Nordic for my taste.
Although I did explore the city, I don’t have a lot of memories from my stay. I don’t really remember the “feeling”, that Paris gave me back then. Only that, compared to Rome, it all seemed a bit too similar to home (Copenhagen), and a bit too far from the Latin warmth, which I had experienced in Italy.
I left Paris earlier than planned. Not because I didn’t like it there, but I was in love with a guy back home in Denmark, and in the end I decided to return after only one and a half months.
I never came back to Paris - until three years ago. I had had the city on my “to visit list” for many years, mainly because I wanted so badly to use my camera there (For years I had been obsessed with the white Parisian rooftops and the little chimneys), but also because I thought, it would be fun to revisit the city, which I never really got to know.
And so in September 2022 I finally returned to Paris together with my mum and my daughter, and this time it was love at first - well second - sight.
Since then we have been back two more times. In September last year during the Paralympics and again in March for my 50th birthday. Each time we have stayed in the Latin Quarter. The first time at a hotel near Jardin du Luxembourg and the last two times on Rue Mouffetard, which is a bit further away, but still a very nice location and practical for getting around.
I thought it would be nice to share some of my analog Paris photos with a few words about the places I love in Paris and -why not - also a few words about the places which haven’t left any particular impression on me.
This is not going to be a cool insider guide full of hidden gems, because obviously I am not a Paris insider. On the contrary we have probably been as touristy as possible during our three stays, but that’s the great thing about Paris: Everything is so amazing, that even the traditional tourist stuff is cool.
As mentioned we ended up staying in the Latin Quarter (5th arrondissement) for our first trip. It happened rather by coincidence, as we decided to follow a friend's recommendation for a hotel, which was located just around the corner from the Sorbonne and Jardin du Luxembourg. It turned out to be a great location, and it almost immediately felt like “our” neighborhood.
I love the area around the Pantheon, the Sorbonne and Jardin du Luxembourg. Moving further down Boulevard Saint-Michel towards the Seine, the Latin Quarter gets very touristic, but once you reach the river, you are, in my opinion, in one of the most beautiful parts of Paris with the two islands, Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis, Notre Dame, the charming stalls of the Bouquinistes, and of course the river itself. I never tire of the view of the Seine. It takes my breath away, every time I see it.
Speaking about neighborhoods there are two neighborhoods in Paris, which I liked very much the first time, I saw them, but which have tended to leave me a little “blah…” upon visiting them again.
The first one is Le Marais, which is famous for being a bit more authentic and hip compared to the more touristic areas of Paris.
When I lived in Paris in 1996 I remember accidentally ending up in Le Marais one day without knowing anything about the area, and back then I loved it. I found it much more charming than the rest of Paris, and I loved the shops, which were small and independent but not in a wildly overpriced kind of way. (I still have a small bag from the French brand Brontibay, which I bought that day in Le Marais).
I don’t know exactly when Le Marais started to become hip, but it is my impression, that it was a lot more authentic, when I stumbled upon it in 1996. Today I still think, it’s a nice and charming area, but maybe a bit too polished, and it seems to me, that the usual French and international brands are dominating the shops in the area compared to the small and independent labels. Place des Vosges is nice and beautiful, but I much prefer the Parisian parks or even Palais Royal.
Le Marais is definitely a neighborhood, you should visit, if you are in Paris for the first time, but now that I have been there a couple of times, I don’t think, I necessarily need to stop by the next time, I am in the city.
The other neighborhood, which no longer leaves me breathless, is Montmartre. I was very much taken by Montmartre on our first trip, but the second time we went, I didn’t manage to catch the same charming vibe. It was just tourism all over the place, and I didn’t enjoy it particularly.
That being said I do think, Montmartre is one of the most important places to visit in Paris, because the small streets and the many staircases are indeed charming, and seeing Sacré-Coeur is just magical. Also if you, like me, are an Amélie Poulain fan, then you have to visit the locations from the movie, as we did during our first trip. You will love it.
I guess the perfect way to visit Montmartre, especially with a camera, is to get up very early in the morning. This way you will not drown in mass tourism, and I can only imagine the photos one would be able to make. It’s something to put on my Paris to do list.
Some other neighborhoods, which I like very much, are Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Montparnasse. I have only spent a couple of hours in Montparnasse, but it’s an area, which I would like to explore more.
I am not a fan of Champs-Élysées or the area around it, but I do love the Arc de triomphe, which I find very beautiful + I love the view from the top of it. It also reminds me very much of my time in Paris in 1996, since I would always take a bus and then the metro from Neuilly-sur-Seine and get off at Étoile, where I would find the Arc right in front of me, as I came up from the underground.
This reminds me of something funny. As I mentioned above, I don’t have a lot of memories from my time as an au pair in Paris, but after returning to the city almost thirty years later the weirdest memory suddenly popped up. Actually it was more a sensation than a memory. I think it happened the first or the second time, while we were walking down Champs-Élysées. I suddenly remembered the taste of filter coffee with long-preserved milk from McDonald’s. Can you believe it? I know it sounds a bit crazy, but there is a good reason. As an au pair I only had a limited amount of pocket money, and I surely didn’t want to waste them om food and beverages, so very often I would end up at McDonald’s at the beginning of Champs-Élysées, where I would sit and enjoy a cheap cup of coffee with milk, while sometimes writing in my diary (which sadly I no longer have). It’s such a strange thing to remember, but it was a very nice memory, which gave me a good feeling.
Over the three times we have been to Paris, we have managed to see many of the most important things, but of course I still have a long list of places and neighborhoods, I want to see.
We have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower twice. I don’t care, how cliché it is - I love this monument. I love it, when I see it for the first time upon arriving in Paris, I love it, when I get a glimpse of the light show at night. I think it’s a beautiful and impressive monument, which fits the city so well.
I am not sure why, but I am also deeply fascinated by the bridge Pont de Bir-Hakeim, which is located very close to the Eiffel Tower. There is something about it, which reminds me of the past (I am a nostalgic person…), maybe because I have seen it in old movies, maybe because I remember it from when I lived in Paris in 1996. (One day I took the boy, who I was babysitting, to visit the Eiffel Tower, and I remember the bridge and the metro).
For some reason I see this bridge as a symbolic border between the Paris, which the tourists get to see, and the more local Paris which is reserved for the Parisians. This is just an impression, I have no idea, if there might be something for tourists after Pont de Bir-Hakeim, but to me it feels like the last stop. From here you can see the Eiffel Tower, but you are already away from it, you have left it behind, and what lies after the bridge is a bit of a mystery - something only Parisians know.
Yes, mysterious is a very good word for describing Pont de Bir-Hakeim, and I even find it a little scary with the two lawyers, and the metro loudly passing by above your head, as you walk under it crossing the Seine.
We visited the bridge for the first time in March. We walked there from the Eiffel Tower, and I took so many photos, as we crossed it to Passy. I was however a bit disappointed to discover, that I am not the only one in love with this bridge, as it was full of influencers and wedding couples doing photo shoots…
I think my absolute favorite place in Paris is the Jardin du Luxembourg. I love everything about it. The relaxed atmosphere, the beautiful green chairs, the fact that everybody reads, walk or play chess.
One thing I have noticed in general in Paris is, how people seem to be much less absorbed by their smartphones. At cafes and restaurants people actually talk with each other, in the metro so many people read, and the same thing goes for the beautiful parks. I love how they seem to have been made for the purpose of people sitting there in the charming green chairs with a nice book. If I lived in Paris, I would sit here every day…
I also like the Jardin des Tuileries very much, but I don’t find it as charming as Luxembourg.
It’s truly impressive, how many museums there are in Paris. For now we have been to the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Musée Rodin, and Galerie Dior, but I still have several other museums on my list.
So far my absolute favorite has been Musée d’Orsay, for the simple reason that I love the art exhibited here, but of course the building itself is also very fascinating. (It used to be a train station).
Musée Rodin was very beautiful, but I wish I had done some more research on him before visiting the museum, because it would have made it more interesting. After coming back to Italy I saw a movie about him and Camille Claudel, and it made me want to return and see the museum again.
Pompidou was a bit disappointing to me, although I did love the building and the view from the top. However I had thought, that the museum and the collections would be much bigger, and - except for Chagall - the artworks didn’t leave any particular impression on me.
Louvre was too big for my taste, but of course it’s impressive.
As for Galerie Dior I have to say, that it was an experience, which I could easily have lived without, but if you are into fashion, it’s probably worth a visit. To me the most impressive thing about the museum was the wall at the entrance, which displays Dior accessories and miniature dresses in all kinds of beautiful colors.
One of the most amazing places I have seen in Paris happened a bit by coincidence.
As mentioned for our second (and third) trip we stayed on Rue Mouffetard, which happens to be very close to the Grand Mosque of Paris.
One day we went there with the intention of just seeing the mosque from the outside, but when we got there, we realized that it was open for visitors. We immediately decided to get tickets, and I am so glad we did, because it was truly amazing.
The mosque and the inner courtyard were so beautiful with little fountains, palm trees and colorful tile mosaics. We were there in the morning, and it was very calm and silent with only a few people visiting. It felt like a small hidden oasis of peace and quietness right in the middle of the big city.
Around the corner from the Grand Mosque is the Jardin des plantes, the botanical garden of Paris. We have been here twice, and while I was quite disappointed the first time (probably because of the weather and the season - it was in September), the second time - in March - I liked it much more, as everything was beginning to bloom.
It’s a very nice and calm place just to walk around, and although I have seen many botanical gardens, which were more beautiful than this one, somehow it just feels like one of “our” places, and I am sure we will return to it again on future trips.
Another place, which I like very much in this neighborhood, is Place Monge, where you can find a charming food market several days a week. I love to walk around here, take some photos and just take in the atmosphere, which is very local.
As for food and shopping to be honest I have only a very few favorite places. We haven't focused very much on eating out during our trips, mainly because we invested all our energy in walking around and seeing as much as possible, so once we got to dinner time, we were usually so dead tired, that we just ended up at the hotel with something from the supermarket or a sandwich.
However I do have two favorite spots. They are not at all hidden gems or anything special, but we keep coming back to them, because they are nice and simple places with good food, where we can always get a table.
The first one is La Crêperie on Rue Soufflot very close to the Pantheon. We love to come here at all times of the day. For breakfast or a snack we will order croissants or a crêpe with Nutella and strawberries or the more simple version with just sugar, and for dinner we will typically have an omelet or a savory crêpe with cheese and vegetables. Everything is really very good, prices are reasonable, and they are super friendly.
We also like Le Comptoir des Saint-Pères in Saint-Germain. It’s a small cafe/bistro with simple but good food. We always order the vegetable quiche, which comes with a bit of salad, or the vegetarian burger with fries. The service can sometimes vary a bit, but we don’t worry too much about it, because the food is good, and the place is really nice.
As for shopping in Paris I am really not an expert, because I no longer care so much about running around shops. I do have a few shopping traditions though.
The first time we went to Paris I bought a yellow snow globe with the Eiffel Tower inside. On our second trip I got a black snow globe with the Eiffel Tower and the Paris 2024 Olympics logo, and last time I came back with a pink Eiffel Tower snow globe. It seems to have become a nice tradition, and now I obviously need to bring back new snow globes, each time we visit…
I love to look in bookstores and in stores selling notebooks and stationery. One of my favorites is Gibert Joseph on Boulevard Saint-Michel. They have several shops located one after another and dedicated to different things. I always visit the bookstore and the one selling stationery and notebooks in the basement, and I always return home with one or two notebooks and some nice photo books about Paris.
We have visited the famous shopping centers like Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché and Printemps, but honestly I am not a fan. They are too big for me, and I am not really interested in luxury goods.
On our latest trip my daughter also talked me into entering the mall at Les Halles, and I was horrified. Way too big and ugly for my taste.
I am much more into small shops. And Monoprix. Even though I rarely buy anything here, for some reason I really like Monoprix. It’s small and not overwhelming at all, and they have a nice selection of all kinds of things at very reasonable prices, and I like the fact that they have their own brand, that you can actually find things, which aren’t being sold in other places. Yes, I guess Monoprix has become a place, we visit, every time we are in Paris.
There is still so much, I would like to see in Paris. We haven’t yet visited Versailles (it will definitely be for our next trip), and I want to see Monet’s garden in Giverny. I also want to sit at the Trocadéro by night and watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle, and I still haven’t done a proper riverside walk down by the Seine. There are several less famous neighborhoods, which I would like to explore such as Belleville and the 10th arrondissement, there are parks and flea markets, monuments and museums, the business district La Defense (which I visited in 1996, but which I would love to see again), the area around Canal Saint-Martin and so on.
It really does seem, that there is no ending to Paris…
If you have been to Paris, then do share your favorite places in the comments, especially if you have something, you would recommend me to see next time I visit. But I would also just like to hear, what you love about Paris, where you typically go, your favorite neighborhoods, things you always do etc.
I totally agree — it’s incredible how much Paris has to offer. I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on the Jardin du Luxembourg. I was amazed by how beautiful and peaceful it felt. I could have stayed there all day too. I’ve added the Grand Mosque of Paris to my list, thank you!
I’d recommend watching the sunrise at Trocadéro — it’s absolutely stunning and far less crowded then. The Coulée Verte René-Dumont is perfect for a peaceful, green walk. Pair it with lunch at Le Crémieux, which has plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, and you’ve got a lovely afternoon.
Love it 😍 the second photo of the park and sunlight streaming through the trees is just spectacular too ✨