The PerthGirlParis – Paris Guide

After months of writing, I’ve finally finished the PerthGirlParis Guide to Paris. Please download the attached PDF and share it with your friends.

It includes all my favourite things to do, places to go, and my top tips.

PerthGirlParis – Paris Guide

I apologise for the length (30 pages), but it is designed to be read on an iPad/iPhone so you can use the web-links (rather than being printed out).

I hope that it helps you to find something to do in Paris that is a bit off the beaten track. My number one tip for tourists is just to walk around, get a bit lost and see what you discover!

Au Revoir

It is with sadness that I am ending this blog. We have had a personal tragedy and so are moving back home to Australia. Our time in Paris will end very soon.

Thank you so much for reading, it has been a lot of fun writing this and has helped me to get out and about in Paris and have many adventures.

Au revoir!

PerthGirlParis

xxx

Returning To Paris

After such a fantastic time in Perth, I was nervous to return to Paris. Will I go through all that awful homesickness all over again like I did in the beginning? And after 5 weeks of speaking English I was worried that I’d forgotten all my French – is everything going to be difficult again because of the language barrier?

When PerthBoyParis last returned to Paris from an overseas trip, he said that it felt like coming home. He has lived here for almost a year longer than me, but I wondered if that would that be the same for me as well? I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. In fact I was pretty adamant that Perth is, and will always be, my home – Paris is just temporary. So I doubted I would feel that homely feeling walking back through the apartment door.

But as we were in the taxi from the airport, listening to that typical French radio mix of the latest techno music and strange choices like Phil Collins (!) it was feeling quite familiar. The autumn trees along the freeway were beautiful and so colourful – just like when I left them in October, but with a few less leaves on them. It’s really cold here! And the sky is grey, but the light makes everything look romantic.

That first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from the bridge to our place.

Then that first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from the road – I was starting to feel some homely type stirrings inside. The Eiffel Tower – it’s so classic Paris! Where I live now! As we drove into our neighbourhood, everything looked just the same. Those elegant, well dressed Parisiennes all in black with crazy designer high heeled shoes. Lots of hairy dachshunds strolling the pavements. The tiny cafe near our apartment with the group of smokers perpetually out the front. The cute little church across the road from our front door.

And walking into our apartment building, up the familiar red carpeted stairs, digging out our old fashioned heavy front door key, and then going through our front door. It was true – I’ve been proven wrong. I really did feel like I was coming home. All my favourite things are here – my clothes, my photos, my music and books. Over the past 10 months I’ve made this little space truly ours a with a few Paris touches mixed in with some Perth reminders. For now – it is our home.

And even the French came flooding back to me, it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be! I’m sure there’ll be a few homesick times over the next couple of weeks as I remember my trip home. But it’s not going to be like when I arrived for the first time. Not at all!

Perth – My Favourite Things

I have just spent 5 glorious weeks in Perth, rejuvenating my soul. I had an absolutely fantastic time, staying with my family and spending time with my friends.

Before I left, I had compiled a list of all the things I really missed about Perth, and set about doing them all one by one! Here’s a synopsis of some of my Favourite Things In Perth (in no particular order).

1. The Beach

There is nothing more beautiful, refreshing and spiritual than the coast in Western Australia. There is nowhere quite like it in my opinion. Ahhh – vitamin D! In Paris where it has been raining steadily for the past few months, the sunshine was an incredible antidote – it warms your skin and your soul. The sand is white and fine and feels so good when it’s squishing between your toes. The ocean is varying hues of blue from light blue  to aquas, royal blue and deep navy. The sky is that incredibly bright shade of blue that is not all that common over here in Europe.

Peasholm Dog Beach

That smell of freshness and saltiness that you can almost taste. I love to walk along the beach barefoot, my feet in the surf.

Barefoot in the surf, a great feeling!

And we often took our dog to the beach in the mornings for a good romp. He ends up with a little white sandy nose – kind of like a milk moustache! But he really loves it – trotting through the surf and sniffing in the dunes.

My dog enjoying the beach. No doubt searching in the distance for something smelly to roll in or some fisherman’s bait to steal!

Pawprints in the sand.

And I really love swimming in the ocean – bobbing in the waves without a care in the world with the sun on your skin. And when you dive underwater you can’t hear anything except for the undulating tones of the surf. I’m a northern suburbs girl at heart, so my usual favourite beaches are Floreat and City Beach, and Peasholm Street when I’m with the dog. PerthBoyParis loves to venture a bit further south to Swanbourne, Cottesloe and Leighton. We were lucky and managed to fit almost all of them in on this trip.

Swanbourne Beach (early morning, before the nudists arrive!).

 

2. Good Coffee

Now I have lamented on this blog before about how terrible the coffee is in Paris. So within the realms of being pregnant, I made it my mission to consume as much good coffee as was humanly possible whilst in Perth. I definitely have a few favourite places that I used to regularly go to. In warmer weather, I love a good iced coffee. A decent amount of espresso shot, milk, and ice (usually I give the icecream a miss in the interests of seeming slightly more healthy – who am I kidding?!). In my neighbourhood, Mooba is my favourite coffee place. A tiny stall at the Wembley shops, and using 5 Senses beans, they make a mean blended iced coffee, and you can even text them your order when you’re in a rush so it’s ready when you arrive. Yelo at Trigg has a lovely view of the beach when you’re sitting at the open air benches, and once again, a great blended iced coffee. They have some yummy ready made food like croissants, toasties and wraps that they toast for you – the perfect accompaniment after a long walk along West Coast Drive.

Go for a lovely walk north along West Coast Drive starting at Trigg.

And then stop off at Yelo for coffee and a treat, looking at this spectacular view from the balcony.

Cafe Cafe in Subiaco is my favourite pre-shopping coffee destination – serving excellent Illy coffee and great for lunch as well (I’m quite partial to those wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce!). In the city, you can’t go past Tiger Tiger, eccentric and hidden, and they do amazing Fiori coffee. And if you’re doing a spot of window shopping along Oxford Street in Leederville, Greens & Co is my favourite place. The hanging white paper lanterns are so romantic!

3. Breakfasts

There is a distinct lack of good breakfast options in Paris. Although I did recently find a blog talking about American brunches, so I will have to check those places out. It is also very difficult to get proper bacon in Paris – a breakfast staple in my opinion. You can get various bacon-like incarnations, but none are as good as a simple strip of Aussie bacon from the butchers. So I ate my way around Perth almost every morning! One of my absolute favourite places is Donovans, a lovely retro inspired cafe in Floreat. Excellent coffee, a varied menu of delicious home made treats and very kind Irish staff.

I love the wallpaper and the retro furniture at Donovans.

Cottesloe beach is another favourite breakfast spot. The best coffee is at Beaches, and they do a pretty great breakfast too. But the menu is a bit different and more exciting at Blue Waters. And who can go past one of the Fig cafes? Wild Fig at Brighton, and Naked Fig at Swanbourne have lovely views overlooking the ocean, and do a very decent sized breakfast. Sayers in Leederville has excellent coffee and lots of yummy breakfast choices, but is also a great place for lunch with a large variety of quiches and tarts.

4. Lunch Dinner Spots

Soda Cafe and the Soda Sun Lounge are amongst my favourite places for date night in Perth. By the ocean, excellent menus with some really interesting choices, extensive wine lists and lovely staff. I managed to fit in both these places on this trip. Mainly though on this holiday I was craving an Asian fix. I managed to get in Indian (3 times!), Vietnamese (twice – I love Annas in Leederville – those spring rolls are divine!), Thai and Japanese plus a couple of visits to Hans Cafe for noodles. Totally Asian-ed up for the next 6 months I reckon! And I had a couple of really amazing meals at Crown Casino that I’ll post about another time.

5. The Bush

Australian flora is so unique. Dry, tough, brown. It is very different to Europe (where it is so green and lush), and seeing it always reminds me of home. The smell of gum trees. Blackboys. The kangaroo paws were blooming everywhere. I love to walk through Kings Park with the views of the river and the city, and that impressive line of white gums.

White gums.

Gum trees in King’s Park.

Blackboys always remind me of home.

6. Pubs/Bars

Well not that I was drinking, but I did have the odd soda water with lime in a few of my favourite haunts. The Garden in Leederville is a great spot for a pre-dinner drink and people watching – the fashion! Those incredibly tight and incredibly short dresses all the girls are wearing at the moment – how do they sit down?! I love Little Creatures in Fremantle, and PerthBoyParis loves their Pipsqueak cider. The food is excellent as well especially for sharing in a group. The Boulevard in Floreat is another favourite drinking spot where I had dinner one night with an old friend.

7. Beloved Ones

It was so much fun, going from one social engagement to the next, and spending time with all my favourite people. Definitely the best part of the trip was meeting my nephew for the first time. At 8 months old, it was long overdue! I’ve seen him in many photos and videos and of course on Skype, but it is just not quite the same. I was nervous that he wouldn’t like me – after all, he is on the cusp of that really clingy stage that all babies seem to go through. But we got along like a house on fire! He is an absolutely adorable looking baby (and I’m not biased at all!) – always happy and smiling. And a real performer. He loves to show off when he knows you’re watching. His repertoire of amusing tricks include fake coughing, repeating sounds you make, and much to his mother’s disgust – squealing on top note (he does have a big set of lungs for such a little chap). And as hard as I tried to get him crawling during my time in Perth, he was close but no cigar. When you have wooden floors that you can slide along commando style, who needs to crawl? The week I spent with him was so much fun – feeding him meals, helping to bathe him, lots of playing and teaching him new tricks. And working out that he’s allergic to vegemite (of all things! How un-Australian!) when I gave him a piece of vegemite toast so I could film his reaction (all pretty hilarious till he came out in hives!) It was so very hard to leave him and know that whenever I next see him in real life, he will look completely different, sound completely different, and once again, not know who his (favourite!) aunty is. It is, I think, the most awful thing about living so far away from your family.

The other family member that I will miss unbelievably is my dog. He’s a black spoodle who is now 5 years old. We are so fortunate that he is able to live with my parents whilst we are overseas. He has a much better life back in Perth than he would ever have here in Paris in our tiny apartment. He is a free spirit (to put it mildly) and I can’t see him fitting in here in Paris where all the dogs walk so calmly by their owners’ sides, never pulling on the lead. They are all impeccably groomed (not like my dog whom we cut ourselves so he’s imperfect and little shaggy most of the time) And the dogs never seem to have any fun – you don’t see them running around off lead in the parks here. Anyway, back home, my fur-baby gets to go to the beach for a good run a few times a week, lives in a lovely house with a big yard, another dog to play with, and big family where there is always someone around for company. It is definitely the best thing for him. But I miss him terribly over here – so much so that my heart aches. I wish he was curled up at my feet right now as I’m typing, and he’d be someone to talk to on those long lonely days when the weather is miserable and I just can’t be bothered to go out. I had so much fun with him whilst I was back in Perth – we went for walks almost every day to all our favourite parks and beaches. We went out for coffee (one of his favourite pastimes because he loves to flirt with other people) and I got lots of snuggling time with him curled at my side whilst I slept.

My beloved fur-baby.

Much sausage was consumed in the taking of these photos!

I had an absolutely wonderful trip back to Perth, and it has put me in good stead for the next 6 months or so that I’ll be living in France.

 

Exciting News!

Well I have an exciting announcement to make. Part of the reason the blog fell off the bandwagon is that I’m pregnant!

ParisBaby (as it is affectionately known – we did not find out the sex) will be welcomed into the world in March 2013. Here’s a photo from my first trimester ultrasound:

ParisBaby at about 12 weeks.

I felt pretty horrible for the first trimester, as is quite common, although nowhere near as bad as it sounds for the poor Duchess of Cambridge. Is it weird that I’m really excited for William and Catherine (as if they are old friends of mine!)?

Image from http://www.dukeandduchessofcambridge.org

But I’m well and truly into the second trimester now, at around 6 months pregnant, and I’m feeling great again. All is going really well with the baby so far and I have a proper bump now to prove to those French women that I’m not just fat!

We are absolutely thrilled, and this is something I have wanted for a very long time! Although I’m quite obsessed, I will try to refrain from posting too often about baby-related things. I realise it doesn’t interest everybody, although I already have a few funny stories to recount about the French medical system. And oh…the shopping that can be done here in Paris!

Apologies For Being A Missing Person…

Well hello everyone! Long time no see. I apologise profusely. I do have a bunch of excuses lined up but who am I kidding – you don’t really care! Suffice it to say, life generally just got in the way of sitting down at my computer and writing.

I’ve just gotten back home to Paris from a soul-refreshing 5 weeks in Perth – it was very much needed and I had so much fun with all my beloved family and friends!

Things have calmed down now so I mean to make amends and start regularly blogging again. There are so many more adventures to be had! My time in Paris will likely come to an end in the first half of 2013, so the countdown is on and my list of “Things To Do In Paris” must be completed!

But over the past few months I have done some fantastic things, and have been photo-documenting them all. We’ve been on a few long weekends away, and I’ve been continuing to see and do some interesting things in Paris.

So my plan is to keep up to date with the posting from now on, but also to go back occasionally and write about some of the highlights of the past few months. So please forgive me a bit of to-ing and fro-ing. I realise this is a blogging faux pas, but hopefully it’s not too confusing.

If you like me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/PerthGirlParis) you will be able to see when I post the new (old!) posts.

Summer Peaches

The stone fruit in the local markets is still outstanding this summer. Huge stands piled high, and so cheap compared to Australia!

Peaches, nectarines, all sorts of different plums – purple, green and yellow, apricots and of course cherries.

But peaches are my absolute favourite stone fruit. You can get yellow flesh, white flesh and donut peaches here at the moment.

I love to eat them when they’re fresh and almost too ripe, skin and all – usually standing over the kitchen sink! There is something so decadent about that delicious juice running down your chin.

Here are some photos from the markets this morning, for Karen, who requested them after I made my peach cake the other week. Perhaps now I’ll need to try and make a peach tarte tatin.

Nectarines, my second favourite stone fruit.

 

These are the ones I have been buying each week.

 

Donut peaches.

Burberry Kids Fashion

So this week as I was walking past the local childrenswear store in my neighbourhood, the window display was all about Burberry. I love peering through the window and being astounded by the prices. It’s hard to imagine real people actually shopping here! But I’m sure they do.

So what is on offer this week then?

Your precious daughter can wear some ballerina flats for 205€ along with her tartan Burberry shirt (120€) and of course a classic trench coat in black (329€). Très chic!

Your imaginary daughter decked out in head to toe Burberry.

Your very trendy son can wear a puffer vest (180€) over his checkered Burberry shirt (135€).

Your trendy imaginary son.

And the baby can have a complete Burberry outfit with a T-shirt and leggings for 284€, and you can even add in some tiny baby ballerina shoes for 120€ if you like.

And what else would the mother who has it all need? A Burberry nappy bag – a bargain at 845€!

For all you Mum’s to be – a Burberry nappy bag is a must!

Lido

The Paris experience is not complete without visiting a cabaret. Coming from Australia, where burlesque seems to be really trendy at the moment I was definitely keen to see one of the cabaret shows whilst I live here.

Dita Von Teese. Image from www.cwomen.com/dita-von-teese.html.

And I am a fan of Dita Von Teese – I really admire the huge effort that she must put into her image – the hair, the makeup, and especially the clothes. She always looks so beautiful and polished. There is something about black winged eyeliner and red lipstick!

I chose the Lido over the perhaps more famous Moulin Rouge, because it is really close to my home and not near all the dodgy sex clubs of Montmartre and also because a friend who has seen both said they thought the Lido put on a better show.

The Lido poster. Image from www.lido.fr/us/

Here are the details for the Lido:

• Website: www.lido.fr/us/
• Address: 116 bis Avenue des Champs-Élysées, 8th arrondissement
• Metro: George V (line 1, yellow)
• There are two shows each night (Monday to Sunday), 9.30pm and 11.30pm.

There are a few options for tickets. You can just see the show (without any drinks included, and the worst seats in the house) for 80-90€ per person. A champagne experience costs 95-105€ and includes half a bottle of vintage French champagne (and better seats). You can also choose to come earlier (at 7pm) and have dinner first. The show and a 3 course meal with half a bottle of champagne can cost between 150€ and 300€ depending on which menu you choose. The food that we saw (desserts) as we came in looked gorgeous. You can buy tickets online (and print them at home) from the Lido website or purchase them from the venue itself.

Now here’s a bit of history for you. The Lido opened on the Champs-Élysées in 1946 (in contrast to the original Moulin Rouge which started a bit earlier in the late 1800s). Back in the early days, a formal dinner followed by the show was the standard programme.

The dancers are still called the “Bluebell Girls” today, after one of the original women involved in the business – an Irish dancer called Margaret Kelly, but nicknamed Miss Bluebell because of her blue eyes. She was the madame of the dancers (the Bluebell Girls), and choreographed the show at the Lido for 40 years.

The entrance to the Lido on the Champs-Élysées.

You must dress up to be admitted. Not like some unlucky Asian tourists in Crocs and shorts complete with huge Nikon cameras and their day’s worth of shopping bags – we saw them arguing as they were being declined entrance! And fair enough if you ask me, because the venue is absolutely sumptuous. As soon as you walk through the door, with handsome tuxedoed men ushering your through the hallway you feel pretty special. There are enormous chandeliers and lush velvet curtains. Images of the show adorn the entire wall as you walk down the hallway.

The entrance of the Lido.

The venue itself is an enormous amphitheatre yet still seems intimate. Many more chandeliers, red curtains across the large stage, and a vintage bar at the back that looks like it’s straight from an old fashioned movie. You can just imagine Cary Grant there, sitting on a barstool and sipping a martini.

Looking down at the stage and seating area.

And the area where the guests are sitting actually moves up and down on a giant elevator for certain parts of the show – it was a little strange during the show to feel yourself moving, and realise that it was you and not the stage!

Looking back at the crowd waiting for the show to start.

The current review at the Lido (since 2003) is called “Bonheur” (translates to happiness) and has the central theme of a woman discovering happiness through different themes such as women, Paris, India and the cinema.

The main character is the singer who in the very beginning flies across the room in a feather cloud to land on the stage. She sings throughout the entire show, sometimes in English, sometimes in French. She had a fantastic voice, and didn’t falter once, even during some impressive dance moves at the same time. And she was (of course) beautiful – like a 1950s Hollywood movie star with platinum blonde hair, bright red lips and slinky sequinned dresses.

The main character of the show – an amazing singer. Image from www.lido.fr/us.

There were many different scenes in the show – in fact, according to the website there are 23 different sets. And those sets are unbelievable and quite elaborate. All sorts of moving contraptions. Lots and lots of lights. Paris was depicted in a scene set on the rooftops with a Grease like situation of a group of daggy male be-suited cats, the cooler (think Danny Zuko) gang cats in black leather and sunglasses and the sexy female pussy cats who are trying to decide which guys they lust after the most.

An extravagant scene from the show. Image from www.lido.fr/us.

The water section was really impressive with a huge water tank with water fountains all around it – I don’t know how the dancers don’t all get wet! There was even a beautiful waterfall curtain across the entire stage.

At one stage you are even transported to India, complete with a life sized moving elephant model (I was just glad it wasn’t a real elephant), and coming from beneath the centre of the stage, a fire ladened 5m tall Indian temple. These costumes were incredible – Hindu goddesses with multiple arms, elephant masked men and amazing jewellery.

India complete with a pretend elephant. Image from www.lido.fr/us.

Then finally old fashioned Hollywood movies was the last theme with tuxedoed men in top hats and sequinned girls. The costumes in this part were exactly how you imagine a French cabaret to be.

Channeling old fashioned Hollywood glamour. Image from www.lido.fr/us.

And speaking of costumes – they were really incredible, and my favourite part of the whole show. According to the Lido website, there are more than 600 costumes and 150,000 sequins and 150,000 pearls! I can believe it, and there was also a hell of a lot of feathers. All of the costumes were so intricately detailed, and some of those head pieces must be so heavy. We were sitting right up close to the stage and so it was fascinating to see the detail in the costuming right up close. They were extravagant, colourful and really really impressive.

As well as the singing, and the dancers, there were little acts in between some of the scenes. A comedian and a Spanish looking man with an amusing moustache on a dancing horse. There was a very talented circus performer with a diabolo who did some fantastic tricks and used up to three at a time. He even did it in complete darkness with glowing diabolos and a laser light show which looked quite spectacular. But my favourite act was a man doing an aerial silk performance – it was fantastic and quite unbelievable how strong he was – his core strength was completely enviable!

I had an absolutely fabulous time at the show, and would recommend it to those of you visiting Paris. It was so much fun to get all dressed up and see such a fantastic spectacle.

Information in this post is from the Lido website.

 

Roses

I’m a lucky girl – PerthBoyParis gave me a beautiful bunch of roses, from our local markets this week. Now how can I encourage this to happen more often?