A Quick Trip to Paris
Here at The Snowflake Collective we're not really into insta-happy travel guides. We want stuff about your local area, things you think are overrated or underrated and a lot of not so perfect photos. Shay did just that for us when she headed over to Paris for a quick break.
I initially didn't want to tell people about my quick trip to Paris with my boyfriend because it doesn't seem to get any more cliched than that. But by the time it rolled around, I couldn’t wait to escape from the two-hour long lectures where half the class scrolls through Facebook, absorbed by life-changing videos of kittens and pizzas. Slightly hungover from POP, I hopped onto a one hour flight where I drooled on Toby’s jacket, wolfed down half a bar of chocolate, and fully embraced my inner basic bitch.
Paris was, however, much prettier than I expected and irritatingly it lives up to the hype.
Here’s a breakdown of my two full days of excessive walking and eating. I even took deliberate care not to take over-the-top photos (or is this just an excuse for poor photography skills) to give you a realistic overview.
Yes for some reason I am squatting in front of the great artistic pyramid.
Day 1:
We started the trip with a cycling tour via BlueFox Travel so that I could relive the glory days of the London-to-Paris bike ride where I fell so many times I deserve an award. Having spent half an hour walking through dingy streets the night before to get to our Airbnb, I optimistically set my alarm for 7.30am and failed spectacularly. I contemplated not showering so that I could have 10 more minutes in bed. Holidaying shouldn’t feel so much like Uni.
I envisioned our cycling group to become unintentional friends, bonding over ignorant comments on cultural landmarks (we did snicker over King Louis XIV of France’s stockinged calves, but the tour guide was not pleased) and taking a cheeky group photo at the end, promising to keep in touch. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. Regardless, at €35/per person (and €30 if you have a valid student ID), this tour is at least €10 cheaper than some of the other top-rated TripAdvisor tours (yes, I am one of those people who obsesses over TripAdvisor. Life doesn’t get better than TripAdvisor. Except Google maps.)
I picked a bike named Macaron, and it did feel slightly fancier riding on a named bike, almost like a modern-day horse.
We covered places including the Louvre, Museum D'Orsay, the Grand Palais, and cruised along the Seine River. It's amazing how much you can cover in 4 hours when half cycling and half precariously wobbling. I can’t get over how people can comfortably cycle next to cars without worrying about the fact that they can casually crush you within seconds. Imminent death aside, we learnt that the Notre Dame took 200 years to build while the Eiffel Tower took 2 years. We also marvelled at the scale of the Place de la Concorde where people were publicly executed, but they’ve now replaced the guillotine with like, an Egyptian Obelisk (don’t worry, I had to google obelisk too).
It was grey and windy, but at least you don’t have to worry about your sunglasses falling off your face whoop whoop #brightside #silverlining
Overall, the cycling tour is highly recommended as an introductory crash course into the main monuments, and you also feel like royalty gliding down the streets past mediocre walking tourists.
We then went to the Marché des Enfants Rouges, which was touted as the largest covered market in Paris. It was like 4 rows long. There are quite a lot of shops in the area of Le Marais though, and also more museums if you’re an artsy kid. I found that the Chinese here more commonly set up jewellery shops than Chinese takeaways. I guess the smell of fried rice doesn't mix well with baguettes and cheese. I must also have said bonjour very well when ordering an éclair because the lady subsequently spoke French, but unfortunately that was the limit of my repertoire.
On a side note, I discovered that the French spends most of their weekend drinking espresso while smoking and people watching. So if you want to be classy like the French, I've got yo’ back.
We got into the Louvre for free (on Fridays after 6pm, if you're aged under 26), which made the experience that much better. If you’re undecided on what pose to strike outside the Louvre, the “in” thing right now is taking photos of yourself “holding up” the glass pyramid. Toby and I were going on about how too much attention was paid to the Mona Lisa, but he subsequently pushed to the front of the queue and took a selfie anyway. There was also this headless winged sculpture that was incredibly popular, and it seemed like half the people snapping photos of it had no idea what it was.
When your friend is drunk af
When you’re having one of those days
We also spent ages following the signs for the African, Asian and Americas exhibitions, which were unfortunately tucked away in a quiet, pristine corner of the Louvre. It's such a shame that large, internationally renowned museums only provide a cursory feature of sculptures that provide a glimpse into cultures vastly different from the Europeans.
Day 2:
We started the morning by trekking walking to Sacré-Cœur. We were in such a serene part of Paris and after wheezing up some stairs, we were greeted by beautiful houses, old couples leisurely strolling and of course, doggies.
Cheeky man coming out from the wall
When we reached the domed white church, I was surprised at how crowded it already was on a Saturday morning. I may have to rethink my idea of early. The area was filled with cafes and painters trying to get you to sit for a portrait so that you can hang it in one of your many rooms for visitors to marvel at. There was even a pink Starbucks. Thankfully we didn’t arrive via the metro, but the route from there to the church was like a meat packing district.
VID: It was too foggy to have an overview of Paris, you are better off indoors eating a Nutella crepe and googling images of scenery.
After lunch, we headed to Saint Chapelle, well-known for its original stained glass, and curiously the only attraction we decided to pay for. Toby got in for free for being an EU citizen, so enjoy it while it lasts lads.
We queued for ages (by that I mean it must've been 20 mins but when you're sleepy and bloated from tartine and steak tartare, it gets too much to handle) due to "technical difficulties". The only distraction was this baby in front of us that had the best idgaf face while hanging from her mother's carry straps.
Personally, Saint Chapelle looked much better in pictures. It was way smaller IRL than I thought, so that stripped away much of the grandeur for me. We watched a 10-minute video on its restoration, which seemed to be a lot of effort so you know, well done to the team and all. But €10 can also buy me a lot of croissants.
This was an obligatory snap I took with minimal effort, which still looks better than me after an hour of getting ready every morning.
In the evening, we walked to Trocadero for a night view the Eiffel Tower because when in Paris, do what the tourists do. We sat at the benches near the Aquarium, which was much emptier than where the rest of the crowd were. We got lucky and only waited 10 minutes for a quick light show on the hour, where the Tower sparkled like diamonds and lit up the city (which happens to have a building height restraint). Pretty decent for a large tower made of some iron.
Food
A whole section needs to be dedicated to food because it is France. We had the best baguettes at the Rue Cler Market on the first day. They look like ordinary baguettes yet taste more buttery and light. The French also puts mustard in the tuna mayo, which elevates the flavour for all tuna lovers out there. Just me? Cool.
After searching “cheap restaurants in Paris”, we found Bistrot Victoires, where you can order quality steak (with freshly charred thyme) and duck confit for prices around €10.90. I don’t know where else in Paris gives such good value for money meals, and this place was constantly packed throughout our meal.
It was a quick snap-and-go before the locals judge us, but you can see the decent portions. Plus free bread. Fuck I’m hungry.
We also tried steak tartare somewhere else and I am surprised by how much it taste like…tomatoes?
LOL at starters the size of mains
On the second night, I needed to pee really badly (there are not many public toilets in Paris and my bladder size is a disgrace to human evolution) so we quickly entered into a restaurant for dinner, not realising that it was a crepe shop. This was my favourite meal – the savoury crepes were crispy and cheesy while the sweet ones were chewy, light and melt-in-your-mouth. I didn’t take down the name, but I’m sure you can get crepes everywhere provided you’re not picky like me and cast everything off as touristy and rip-offs. You can’t go wrong with crepes.
I made an effort not to put too much effort into perfecting my photos, so please appreciate.
The image of the French carrying baskets with baguettes sticking out is also true, often with the top bitten off as well. But who am I to judge, the one who walks down the streets with pastry flakes coming out from her mouth.
Ending off with cocktails that have Nutella.
Important note:
After all this joking around, it’s important to say that although I thoroughly enjoyed Paris, I became aware of a hard truth that I need to bring to your attention.
While walking about Paris, I noticed that many of the homeless at the metro stations were Muslim women. It wasn't until we were in Champs-Élysées and I heard a kid on the street shouting that I noticed his cardboard sign had the word "Syria" and it confirmed my suspicion. I've never had something like this affect me so much: these people have risked their lives and everything they owned to escape to Europe. Yet these men, women, families, who probably led similar lives to us before, are reduced to kneeling on the streets in front of us - people who have the privilege of not being affected by the conflict at all and being able to ignore it, simply by virtue of being born in a different country.
This crisis is real. It is still happening right here and now. Whilst we’re getting caught up in the details of Trump’s latest twitter meltdown, the bigger picture is getting lost. If you don’t take action, then nobody else will.
- Shay Xiao
