Destination: Paris, France (October 2018 Edition– Part 1)

When it comes to the French capital, Paris has it all: museums, historic monuments, parks, restaurants and cafes…it’s no wonder that it attracts all sorts of people (art lovers, history buffs, major foodies) to visit and experience what the city has to offer for them. As I’m sure I’ve written before, you could spend a whole lifetime in Paris and still not see everything that there is to see.

I’ve been to Paris at least 20 times (includes both proper visits and layovers) throughout my time in France, and I always find myself drawn back to it time and time again. Even if I’ve seen the main sights and attractions, I’m exploring the lesser-known places– during my recent trips, I’ve been trying different restaurants (French and other cuisines), as there are plenty of cool and delicious places at just about every corner you turn.

My trip to Paris during this past October vacances was a pleasant one: I spent five nights there, as I combined city sightseeing with a couple of day trips to nearby cities. Besides the fact that I wanted to stay domestic for my first holiday of the year, I also chose Paris because there was a temporary art exhibition that I was dying to see, which of course gave me a reason to head over.

I’d spent a weekend in Lyon prior to Paris, and I left on Monday morning to take a six-hour Flixbus journey up north. I arrived in the French capital half-past 17:00– due to daylight savings ending just that weekend, it was already fairly dark as I headed straight to the metro to take it to my hostel.

Upon checking in and dropping off my belongings in my room, I headed back out to get dinner in town. I took the metro once more and got off in the heart of the city. Paris was absolutely glowing as I crossed the Pont Neuf: it’d been a while since I’d seen the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, and despite it being nothing new, I still stopped to admire it in all of its iconic beauty.

As I wrote, I’ve been visiting Paris recently to have a more-diverse palate of food. While it’s true that other cities in France have restaurants that serve different cuisines, they’re much more limited (and lesser quality) than what I’ve experienced in the French capital. My first night in was no different, as I got Taiwanese food near Odéon. Being of Taiwanese descent (and growing up with the food), I was surprised to find a Taiwanese restaurant in Paris, and I was more than curious to try it out.

The restaurant was tiny (probably fits no more than 25 people), but the ambiance was warm and inviting. It’d been a while since I had Taiwanese food, and I was more than eager to order more than one plate to try! Also had been a while since I practiced Chinese, which I did use while ordering lu rou fan (滷肉饭) and gua bao (割包).

I was especially concerned about the legitimacy in taste and quality of these dishes (since France is notorious for bastardizing Asian cuisine), but I was super pleased to discover that the Taiwanese food was actually legitimate! I greatly enjoyed the rich braised pork sauce in the lu rou fan (although it could’ve benefited from a tad more sauce), as well as the fatty, succulent pork belly in the gua bao. I admit, the meal was overly-pricey for what could otherwise be gotten in Taiwan, or even Los Angeles (at least half compared to the 26€ I paid that night), but for a taste of home, it was completely worth it.

Following dinner, I headed to a jazz bar not too far from the restaurant, where I met up with some assistant.e.s for drinks and company; we’d messaged each other on Facebook a couple of days prior, as we were all traveling and happened to be in Paris around the same time. Although it’s been a while since I’ve been an assistante, I had a good time getting to meet new people and seeing how their experiences were. I spent the night wandering with them around the Odéon and Beaubourg (the 6th and 4th arondissements, respectively). We ended the night by getting a drink right next to the Centre Pompidou and splitting ways afterward. I returned to my hostel, tired after a long day of traveling and sightseeing.

I had a full day in Paris the following day. After a leisure breakfast in the hostel, I headed out around 10:00 to explore for the day. Weather was rainy that day (and mostly during my stay), as I fought through the rain and wind to rue de Mouzaïa, where the Mouzaïa district is located. Situated way in the corner of the 19th arondissement, it’s a calm, quiet neighborhood with a row of pretty, bucolic villas in an otherwise village-like quarter. Interestingly, it’s also known as the quartier d’Amérique (“America’s district”), as some American expats had established themselves in the area during the 19th century.

Admittedly, I didn’t know about the Mouzaïa district until I looked up off-the-beaten-path places in Paris online. Despite the shitty weather that morning, my visit there was pleasant, as the district is a quiet respite from the bustling, traffic-filled quarters elsewhere in the city center. The villas were absolutely charming, and the overgrown plants along their walls were still flourishing in the autumn weather. I’m told that there are other “micro-districts” like Mouzaïa in Paris, and I’m keen on checking more of them out whenever I return to the city!

From Mouzaïa, I took the metro towards the heart of the city, where I’d hoped to try Berthillon’s famous ice cream (there’s always a time for ice cream, even in cold, rainy weather!). Unfortunately, the shop was closed for the holidays, so I couldn’t try it out– I’ll have to try again the next time I’m in Paris, and perhaps when the weather is better!

I’ll be recapping more of my time in Paris in the next post, so look out for the post!

 

— Rebecca