When I am in Paris, I count to five.
Five things that I always do, five ways to spend a day, a week or a month in Paris. Whether there is 24 hours on the clock or a lifetime, these simple pleasures are to me what Paris is all about.
Yesterday, I had one of those “missing Paris moments” and as I let my Francophilia take flight the same five words kept racing through my mind.
Walk, Eat, Parks, Art and Shop.
That’s my checklist.
I know elementary, not rocket science and everybody can think of that. No French surprises there.
And yet, I found the idea that I could fill a day or forever with the same small words made me very happy. Familiarity and constancy in the very best way.
Each day that I spend in Paris I walk, to take in the visual beauty. Whether it’s a short walk or a 5 hour stretch I am forever fascinated by the city.
Observation is the key to understanding a foreign country, walking allows for that. The senses are so much more enlivened when our concentration is centred. Besides, Paris is a walking city. It’s flat, not too intimidating and you know it’s going to deliver.
Eating in Paris is a culinary delight. I know that I take the French way of eating for granted and I shouldn’t but sometimes I forget what is on offer in an everyday way. I am not talking about the Michelin starred experience or on the flip side a bad brasserie meal, sadly we have probably all shared those.
Eating in Paris for me is all about the small bites. The macaron, the pâte de fruits, the chocolates, the pastries. It’s about the fresh produce at the market, the taste of the wild strawberry or the tang of a clementine. A glass of champagne with a plate of oysters, steak and frites in a family run bistro.
The parks in Paris are my true loves.
Every visit, however brief, I manage a stroll.
The layouts, the borders, the planting and the features all inspire me for my own garden and courtyards.
How they make gravel a state of art, I will never understand.
The Tuileries, the Luxembourg, Bois de Boulogne, Parc Monceau, the Jardin des Plantes or the Buttes Chaumont; heaven in their own way. Not forgetting the petite parcs and courtyards, hiding behind closed doors, scattered throughout the city. Secrets that only reveal themselves from time to time.
Art, one could say that Paris is an art in itself.
In Paris there is always something happening, an exhibition that is not to be missed.
A short visit does not always make that possible and crowds can make the blockbusters unbearable.
I will take pleasure in a sneak peak, a dash into the Louvre and a glance at any one of her mighty corridors is enough to make the visit worthwhile.
Sculptures in the Musee Rodin make the flight to Paris all the better.
Did I mention that word shop?
Yes, I do love to shop in Paris. Like eating, it’s the small things. The fragrance, a new red lipstick or a spend up at the pharmacy.
It is about a discovery, finding that special something that I can’t live without.
Have I tempted you to visit Paris?
I do hope so. If you are feeling in a French frame of mind, click over to Air France and watch their video, Paris, City of Light.
You will be counting five before you know it… xv
