Parched in Paris...

In a city of beautiful buidlings, this may be the fairest of them all, the Paris Opera.

No matter how you look at it, Paris is the most wonderful city, but a heatwave here over the last week has strained the friendship somewhat. On the familiar green Pharmacy beacons on every main street, we have seen temperatures up to 36C, and would not be surprised if it has been hotter than that. The city is sweltering, the crowded Metro is overpowering, the streets crowded with locals and tourists, but our hotel room has been blissfully cool and quiet. It's windy too, and the gravel surface has turned the beautiful Tuleries Gardens into an unpleasant dust storm. Some businesses use fans and sprayed water to cool passing potential customers in the hope that they will linger. In the late afternoon (like, 8pm) it was so oppressive and the sky so threatening that, in Sydney, a violent thunderstorm would be inevitable, but there was no such relief here.

Crepes, ice cream and mojitos in s shady cafe quickly became our "go to" refreshment on a hot afternnon.

A Renault Twizzy is the perfect vehicle for getting around and parking in Paris.

Like in London, daylight seems to be eternal in this nothern summer. It's full daylight before 5am, and not really dark until 11pm. With this much sunshine, it's no wonder that Parisian buildings have such excellent shutters on their windows.

Instant portraits are readily available in the touristy art market of Montmartre.

Our drive back into Paris was uneventful and much more relaxed than our departure a week ago. We had to return our car and get to the hotel. We had one interesting realisation - our route in took us around what is probably the world's most famous and notorious roundabout, the "star" at the Arc de Triomphe. It was surprisingly calm, and then we realised why - vehicles already in the roundabout have to give way to those entering. This is the opposite to roundabouts in Australia, and indeed outside of Paris, but it forces drivers in the roundabout to be much more careful.

Our hotel, the Hilton Paris Opera, rendered in Lego in the lobby.

We stayed at the Hilton Paris Opera on Rue St Lazare. Apparently, the building was once the forecourt of the next door Gare St Lazare. Large railway station concourses provide such wonderful opportunities for rebirthing! This is a splendid hotel, with a fabulously decorated lobby bar. Our room was not too big but really comfortable, and the bathroom was to die for.

Protection from the sun and dust during the Paris heatwave.

The hot weather aside, we had a very relaxing time in Paris. We spent a month here 8 years ago, and felt no need to rush around to all the attractions. Instead, we spent most of our time doing much the same as we would do at home. Each morning, we left the hotel without a firm plan, and wandered off. Soon we would find somewhere for coffee, then later, somewhere for lunch. This is our idea of a holiday. In the afternoon, we would look for a "cleansing ale" at a suitable bar. The locals don't seem to have dinner until 9pm, but we rarely could wait that late despite the example set for us at the recent wedding celebrations.

The KB Cafe in Pigalle serves coffee that a Sydney-sider would recognise, and in a delightful location.

The Square Louvois (1859) is a hidden gem in the back streets near the Bourse.

Ceiling beams in the Telescope Cafe off Rue Sainte Anne.

Paris is a great city to walk around, but this time in the heat, we also made good use of the Metro. This user friendly underground railway system is a model for public transport networks everywhere. A dozen or so separate lines criss-cross each other, with trains running every 3-5 minutes in each direction on every line. We were very impressed with the driverless trains on Line#1 - maybe there are others. Despite their frequency, the trains are almost always crowded - we rarely got a seat.

Paris' traditional street facing restaurants are an irresistable attraction to visitors.

One of the most effective public transport systems anywhere, the Metro is mostly underground, but here the No.6 Line passes overhead through Grenelle.

The beautiful square of the Place des Vosges in le Marais is home to many popular lunch spots.

Intricate chimney construction in le Marais district.

Walking Paris is a neverending delight. Around every corner is some unexpected architectural masterpiece. If not that, then a beautiful park or fountain, or an intriguing courtyard or a lively market. The city is much cleaner than we remember it 8 years ago - or do they just spruce up the streets more conscientiously in summer?

We think this lady was performing in Montmartre when we were here 8 years ago!

Dusk cruises along the Seine are very popular, and rowdy!

Pedestrian bridges and nearby are weighed down by love-locks, despite official disapproval.

The Louvre with its infamous glass pyramid is crowded well into the night.

The washing has to get done, this time in Rue Blanche up the hill from Gare St Lazare.

Beggars and buskers abound in Paris. The tourists are fair game. When asked if you speak English, it's best to say "non" or even "nada"! We were accosted with the "dropped gold ring" scam on two occasions. That said, we were quite nervous about Paris in peak season, but the crowds and the crooks weren't as bad as we feared. The Africans who sell cheap Eiffel towers and other grubby souvenirs at popular spots like Sacre Coeur, Trocadero and the Louvre seem to be on their best behaviour though - maybe they are tolerated as long as they don't harass the vistors.

The incomparable view of Paris' rooftops from the forecourt of Sacre Coeur.

The Copenhagen Showband pose for a selfie with their fans at Sacre Coeur.

We were looking forward to seeing the famed Paris Plages, artifical beaches in scattered locations along the Seine, sand and palm trees included. Sunbaking only though, no swimming! But, despite the heatwave, they apparently don't put the sand there and start up the beaches until a week or so after Bastille Day - they opened the day we left Paris! We did see the preparations in place, though, and a few sun-lovers getting in early.

Looking past the steeple of Trinite d'Estienne d'Orves to Sacre Coeur from Printemps roof terrace.

Life in le Marais

Our Le Marais apartment is in la Rue du Marche des Blancs Manteaux, which (for the non Frensh speakers) means the street of the market of the white coats. This area is steeped in Parisian history, which we won't go into here, and we have found it to be a most interesting neighbourhood to live in. Le Marais means "the swamp" which no doubt describes this area before it was developed.

Architecturally, our apartment is in a fairly typical and pretty unexceptional building in the district (photo). We enter a security code which unlocks the door to a lobby. A key then gives us access to a lift and the stairs. We are two flights of stairs up. Incredibly, the lift (which is large enough for one person and a small bag) lets you out halfway up a flight of stairs. Our apartment is directly over a shop, and overlooks a community hall which has just hosted a "Marche Noel". We can see straight into a nice room in which various activity classes are run, yoga, pilates and tango lessons for example. It's great entertainment, which is helpful, because the only English on TV is BBC and CNN news (photo).

The streets of our immediate neighbourhood are narrow, cobbled, and filled with jewish delis, felafel takeaways, tabacs, cafes and restaurants. It'd be hard to go hungry. Within 100m walk, there are two general stores that we have found and are patronising, and a great "chocolat" shop, nearly but not quite as good as Max Brenners in Paddo. The area was extremely busy on Sunday, and the police shut off the streets to traffic to improve the amenity for the myriads of pedestrians. We think the popularity on Sunday is at least partly because of the jewish influence year, which much of the rest of Paris effectively closing down on Sunday, but not here. (Saturday is quiet here though.)



Le Marais is home to the Musee Carnavalet, a free entry museum specialising in the history of Paris. What it really seems to be is two old mansions whose various rooms and sections are decorated with art from and in the style of different periods of Parisian history. The Place des Vosges is in the Marais, which is one of the most beautiful examples of classical bourgeois residential architecture (as distinct from religious or royal constructions). No doubt there's good reason that this Place is in the Rue des Francs Bourgeois.

Le Marais contains the George Pompidou Centre, and is very close to Notre Dame cathedral, and the very popular shopping area of Chatelet / Les Halles, many of the streets of which have been made pedestrian malls. In incorporates the Place de la Bastille, which is where one of Paris's premier markets takes place on Sundays. We filled our refigerator up with fresh produce from this market, severely straining our French language skills, but everyone tries to be very helpful. The BHV department store is in the Marais: how crowded its toilets are on Level 5 is testimony to the deplorable shortage of public loos in this city.

Our neighbourhood is also adjacent to the Ile St Louis and Ile de la Cite (islands in the River Seine) which are where Mike has found it best to have his morning run, in a temperature of about 2C. There are plenty of other runners about to say "bonjour" to, and it's important to watch for traffic, dog droppings and the perils of cobbled surfaces. On the way back, he brings home a delicious fresh (and warm) baguette which is 1E10 at our nearby boulangerie.