It was very nice to get a chance to go to Paris again, without having to do any work this time. There seemed to be dozens of my colleagues in Paris anyway at the same time, for a whole range of international meetings, but I snubbed them all and got on with doing some of the nicer things that Paris has to offer. The weather was a huge blessing, three lovely hot days which really make you realise why
Paris In The Springtime is written about as being so good. In fact, given the amount of walking that you tend to do when on a mission to do things in the city, it was also a good chance to get something of a tan.
I tried to concentrate on doing some things that I'd never done or seen in Paris before, hence a walk alongside this canal, which runs right in the city, but that you might associate more with Amsterdam than Paris. It was lovely for the most part, although I now know where the Albanian beggars of Paris live - they seem to live in tents that are pitched beside the canal, at its less salubrious end.
Also on the agenda during the trip was a journey on the RER, out to Versailles, for a look at the chateau and gardens. Sadly, much of the front of the chateau itself was covered in scaffolding, and a good proportion of the front yard was also being resurfaced and rebuilt. However, despite not looking its absolute best, it is still very easy to see how impressive the front of the chateau is. The back is also impressive, with gardens stretching literally for miles, in fact as far as you can see. I came here
about 18 months ago for a look around, and saw the blingness of the inside of the house - as it was a lovely day this time, we didn't bother with the house, and wandered around in the gardens instead - very nice indeed.
As well as all this, I of course did much of the usual Paris stuff too, including a very nice wander around the Latin quarter, and the drinking of some horribly expensive Parisian beers. But, this was an unusual trip from a number of angles, especially because many of the stereotypes of a Paris trip were not true. The toilets I encountered were clean to the highest standard - this is most certainly not usual. Taking pot luck on a hotel in Paris is always a bit risky, they are sometimes ropey unless you pay big money - we got lucky this time. But more than all that, the food is usually fantastic, but we didn't have a particularly top experience this time. Some good food, but some duff food too, and it was mostly about average - taking your chances with places you stumble across is always going to be a risk, but it was an experience at odds with previous times in Paris, where the food is usually the highlight of the trip. Oh well, there's always next time, and it was a great few days off, whilst all my colleagues were hard at work in the office there.
It was very nice to get a chance to go to Paris again, without having to do any work this time. There seemed to be dozens of my colleagues in Paris anyway at the same time, for a whole range of international meetings, but I snubbed them all and got on with doing some of the nicer things that Paris has to offer. The weather was a huge blessing, three lovely hot days which really make you realise why Paris In The Springtime is written about as being so good. In fact, given the amount of walking that you tend to do when on a mission to do things in the city, it was also a good chance to get something of a tan.
I tried to concentrate on doing some things that I'd never done or seen in Paris before, hence a walk alongside this canal, which runs right in the city, but that you might associate more with Amsterdam than Paris. It was lovely for the most part, although I now know where the Albanian beggars of Paris live - they seem to live in tents that are pitched beside the canal, at its less salubrious end.
Also on the agenda during the trip was a journey on the RER, out to Versailles, for a look at the chateau and gardens. Sadly, much of the front of the chateau itself was covered in scaffolding, and a good proportion of the front yard was also being resurfaced and rebuilt. However, despite not looking its absolute best, it is still very easy to see how impressive the front of the chateau is. The back is also impressive, with gardens stretching literally for miles, in fact as far as you can see. I came here about 18 months ago for a look around, and saw the blingness of the inside of the house - as it was a lovely day this time, we didn't bother with the house, and wandered around in the gardens instead - very nice indeed.
As well as all this, I of course did much of the usual Paris stuff too, including a very nice wander around the Latin quarter, and the drinking of some horribly expensive Parisian beers. But, this was an unusual trip from a number of angles, especially because many of the stereotypes of a Paris trip were not true. The toilets I encountered were clean to the highest standard - this is most certainly not usual. Taking pot luck on a hotel in Paris is always a bit risky, they are sometimes ropey unless you pay big money - we got lucky this time. But more than all that, the food is usually fantastic, but we didn't have a particularly top experience this time. Some good food, but some duff food too, and it was mostly about average - taking your chances with places you stumble across is always going to be a risk, but it was an experience at odds with previous times in Paris, where the food is usually the highlight of the trip. Oh well, there's always next time, and it was a great few days off, whilst all my colleagues were hard at work in the office there.
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