We thought we’d make a trip to the Centre Pompidou, the contemporary art gallery, just around the corner form Herlina’s apartment, but luggage was not allowed into the Centre so we ended up at a bar in the bohemian Marais for a drink (which Herlina would later inform us was a gay bar. No wonder if was so good- service, drinks, great-looking people all around…).
When we tired of the Marais bar, we hopped over the bar under Herlina’s apartment block, grabbing more drinks and a snack to eat (though the snack turned out to be a huge antipasto plate).
Herlina’s boyfriend, Damien, joined us for dinner (more food!) at the crepe place around the other corner.
Saturday morning was spent eating the dozen croissants and other bread-type delicacies that Herlina popped out to get before the two couples separated for the day. Herlian and Damien to do their Saturday errands and us to explore Paris like tourists.
We walked all over the city. From Herlina’s apartment to the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower.
The lines were long at the Eiffel Tower, and the sky threatened with rain, but the top level of the Tower was our destination. We waited in line for about 15 minutes, but when we saw the top level had been close temporarily, the sky had darken a bit more and a slight sprinkling of rain just begun, we made an executive decision not to go to the top that particular day and walked instead to the Arc de Triumph.
You can cross under the busy roads which circle the Arc de Triumph and go into the monument itself. There are great views over Paris from the top.
We had lots of fun identifying various place in Paris, including the Champs Elysee. We also ended up taking lots of snaps with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
We continued our walk down the Champs Elysee, stopping off for something sweet at the Parisian tea salon and pastry institution Laduree.
Continuing on, we headed towards the couture-clad Rue Saint Honore, where you can find shop after shop of the world’s most famous fashion houses. Including the first and flagship Hermes store, which was absolutely brimming with people this Saturday afternoon.
A quick stroll through the Palais Royale saw the sun getting lower and about time we headed closer to Herlina’s for dinner. As we had an hour to spare, we popped into the Centre Pompidou to check out the contemporary artwork and the amazing architectural wonder by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, whose concept for the building was to put all functional stuff eg. escalators and pipes, usually inside the building, on the outside.
This was to free up space for exhibitions and cultural activities, but also to create an architectural statement piece. Oh, and there are great views over the city too.
The Centre’s collection includes some very, very contemporary artwork, but also houses great contemporary classics such as Matisse.
The Bauhaus.
And Phillipe Starck, including my favourite Ghost chair- the perfect juxtaposition between the old world and new (a classic Louis XV style chair modernised with plastic).
For dinner, Herlina and Damien took us to their favourite restaurant with it’s own private garden and original artwork by the restaurant owner hanging on the walls.
On Sunday, Geoff was back to London by Eurostar. I stayed with Herlina and we walked back to her place from the Gare du Nord (train station), stopping at the local markets along the way to pick up some food and see the pretty gardens in the Marais.
Lunch was Herlina and Damien's favourite falafels and Yiddish sandwiches.
I was off later that Sunday afternoon, as the Design Management Institute (DMI) academic conference was to take place over the next two days. The conference was being hosted by ESSEC Business School in Cergy, a university town 1-hour outside of Paris.
