Lady Works in Paris
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
I love Paris in the summer. I love the warm weather, the endless daylight, the leafy green gardens and parks, and of course, the soldes. Unfortunately, since I moved to London I've had the bad habit of visiting Paris in the dead of winter. And while even wintry Paris has its charms, I couldn't help but feel like I was missing out on something by not vising the city in the summer.
Then last month my boss suggested I take a trip to Paris for a couple days to meet with clients. He didn't have to ask twice. I booked my Eurostar ticket to Paris and set about lining up meetings.
Last week I hopped on a very early train at St. Pancras and arrived in Paris at 9am. It was already hot. I walked out of the station and was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of the Paris streets. Part car exhaust, part cigarette smoke, part dust, part crotte de chien, and part freshly baked baguette. The proportions of each scent changed no matter where I walked, but each was and forever will be guaranteed. It was unmistakably Paris. I loved it.
The day was brimming with meetings, so I didn't have much time to see the city. That said, I got to see some very different parts of Paris than I usually visit. I had my first meetings in the 10th, where I discovered a great little farmers' market and a few small parks. My third was out near Neuilly, which I've only been to twice before, and my fourth was in a former Zeppelin Factory that had been re-purposed into office space.
One of the things I noticed about all of my meetings was that none of the companies had signs out front. After I walked through unmarked doors on the streets, I found myself in courtyards full of doors with no identifying markers on them. I had to call several of my contacts just to learn which door they were behind, and even then there were often elevators, stairs, and other obstacles to overcome in my oddessy to find the office. Très bizarre!
Between meetings I managed to grab a quick lunch and a peak in a few boutiques in the Marais. After meetings I collapsed in a heat-induced heap in my hotel room and called a friend to meet for a glass (okay, bottle) of wine.
My friend couldn't meet until a bit later, so I changed into more comfortable clothes and walked from my hotel, which was near Bastille, to the river. I crossed the Pont de Sully to the Ile Saint-Louis, where I couldn't help but stop at Berthillon. Strolling along the medieval streets and eating my beloved gelato in my favorite city in the world, I gave in to the ridiculous smile that kept creeping into the corners of my lips.
I crossed the Pont Saint-Louis, then passed the Notre Dame and all the tourists admiring her. I walked across the Pont au Double to the Left Bank, and continued my stroll up to the enormous Boulevard Saint-Germain. From there I continued my journey to Les Editeurs, one of my favorite cafes in Paris. I had a quick bite to eat there, then took the metro back to Bastille to meet my friend.
By the time I got out of the metro, a freak thunder storm had started. I ran in the pouring rain to the little wine bar my friend had recommended, where I took haven from the elements. My friend and her roommate soon followed, and we spent the next hour and a half catching up over a bottle of wine.
My friend had to go to a dinner party after that, so I was on my own again. Not wanting to go to go back to my hotel, I took the metro up to the Champs Elysees to walk around and check in on my old neighborhood. When my feet couldn't take another step, I hobbled back to the metro to turn in for the night.
The next day was even busier with meetings. After four of them, I had an hour left before I had to be at the Gare du Nord for my train back to London. Not wanting to squander it, I headed to the grands magazins to check out the soldes. I think everyone else in Paris had the same idea. After fighting the crowds to get in the door and up the stairs at Galeries Lafayette, I took one look around and went back outside.
I metroed back to the train station and settled into my seat on the Eurostar. I had a long trip ahead of me. Back to London, then home, then a bus to Paddington Station, then the Heathrow Express, then a flight to New York, then a night in New York, then a weekend in Jamaica!
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