Paris

Walking around in the Capital of France

In the time from September 6, 2023 till September 9, 2023 I have been in Paris. It’s been the first time since 1996 and my first trip alone since visiting Moscow in 2011.

Before I booked my journey I already began learning some French with Duolingo. The French people were known to be very proud of their language and that they barely spoke or knew any English. And it shows some respect for the country you are visiting if you know at least some words in their language. Unlike Russian language French was far more related to Latin, English, Spanish, and German, the languages that I either speak natively or that I have learned in school.

Sustainable and on a Budget

My goal was to travel sustainable and on a budget. Means that I didn’t want to spend a lot of money and to avoid traveling by car or plane. I took a Flixbus from Bielefeld (Germany) to Paris (Bercy-Seine).

The good point here was that it was an overnight-ride from 10pm to 7:30am. I was solely worried about the Bercy Seine Bus Station which had terrible reviews on Google, just mentioning safety, cleanliness, and drugs. Just in case, I bought myself an Apple Tag before leaving for the bus if somebody would deliberately or accidentally take my luggage. But there’s no need.

After two stops in Düsseldorf and Cologne we arrived and I was postively surprised about the bus station. And Paris. After taking my luggage I went up the stairs left from the outdoor gym and I Paris as I would have never imagined it in my dreams.

What I saw was a Paris that mixed old and new, history and modernity. It was a nice ‘Bienvenue’ to somebody who just arrived in Town.

It was time to walk to the Tourist Office at Hôtel de Ville to pick up my Paris Visite metro ticket. With the ticket I am able to travel by train, metro, and bus in different zones of Paris. I have picked it for 5 days (4 days weren’t available and mixing 3 day tickets with a 1 day ticket made no sense financially) for the zones 1 to 3.

Because the office opened at 10am I decided to walk around and saw more of the beauty of Paris, but also its shadowy sites: Notre Dame and old, beautiful buildings, but also homeless people and the “traces” the homeless left in the night. With that in my mind while standing in front of the logo of the Olympic Games — and thinking of the reviews about Bercy-Seine — I hope that the municipiality of Paris will not chase away the homelss, but offer them real help to find a safe home and a job again.

While crossing the Pont d’Arcole I already saw the towers of the Cathédral de Notre Dame. The cathedral from the 12th century was still under reconstruction after a fire threatened to destroy it. Paris wants to restore Note Dame for the Olympic Games in 2024.

After some walking around I entered the Tourist Office of the City of Paris and received my metro ticket. It was just a little piece of paper, but it was powerful and it’s worth the price.

The people at the entrance were nice and so were the people in the office. Some spoke English, that’s helpful. With the ticket in my back I entered the Metro Parisiean and travelled via Metro Line 1 from Hôtel de Ville to Château de Vincennes, switched to a bus that brought me to Eugène Voisin — Marché from where I would arrive at my hotel Ibis Budget in Saint Maurice after a short walk. Saint Maurice, I must say, looked like a stereotype of a French suburb with the small businesses, its architecture and all. I just loved it. The hotel, by the way, was affordable when I booked it in late July 2023 with 86 EUR a night. It offered a bed, a bath-room, and a window. That’s fine. Two stars were enough for a hotel where I’d spend the time just to sleep and to take a shower.

After the check-in, unpacking, and changing clothes I was ready to explore Paris.

“Culture Shock”

Due to Google Maps I knew that the next train station was not too far away. The train station Joinville Le Pont was just a bit more than half a kilometer away. While I was walking the way I had the first cutlural shock when I saw people crossing the street while the traffic lights were red. Unimaginable if you live in Germany. But if you don’t want to look like a tourist, do it like the natives.

Originally I wanted to see the Champs Elysee first. However, I decided to ride further. To La Defense. It was a good decision.

La Defense is a modern business district, according to Wikipedia “Europe’s largest purpose-built business district” , will blow you away if you weren’t already from the first impressions you got from the way to the Tourist Office.

What makes this district so special is not just the purpose of the district nor the skyscrapers everywhere, but that it’s aligned to the the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. Sitting on the top stair of the Grande Arche, you can spot the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Avenue Charles de Gaulle.

And the Arc was my goal. I then though that the Avenue Charles de Gaulle was the famous Champs Elysée. Today I know that the Arc separates two avenues.

But I didn’t go straight to the Avenue. I went left and right to take photos everyhwere. It was fascinating to see the modern buildings just kilometers away from the historic center of Paris. Modern architecture next to history. And both co-existed very well, expressing France’s own understanding as a Grande Nation that is aware of its history but still advances through sciences and trades.

One thing that I wanted to do this time, unlike during my previous travels, was buying food and beverages in supermarkets rather than “tourist” stores. This, of course, was easier in Paris than if you are travel maybe in Montego Bay. In Paris you will always find a Franprix, Carrefour, or others. It’s also cheaper than buying water from the many street vendors selling you the .30 EUR bottles for 2 EUR or more. It was great to know that there’s always a store around the corner when walking in Paris during severe heat warnings. Whenever you need it, you just buy one or two bottles of water et voila, you have the supplies you need.

At Arc de Triomphe I had to realize that I didn’t eat enough for the day. I’ve been walking at least 15km then. Some medics in the metro helped me to regain energy. Obviously, I wasn’t the first one struggling with the heat that day. I decided to eat now rather than later and had dinner near the Arc.

Glamour and Trains

The next day I wanted to start with a French breakfast: a baguette. Across the street was one of many “boulangeries” (bakeries). It cost less than a Euro. With the baguette in my backpack I started today’s tour: l’avenue Champs-Elysée. However, I didn’t go straight, but left at Chatelet Les Halles.

The coolest experience when taking a ride in Paris’ public transport system is what you see when you leave the station. You see castles, beautiful buildings, parks. At Les Halles I saw Le Bourse de Commerce right accross a modern building under which you arrive when riding to Chatelet Les Halles, a shopping mall.

Here I saw one of the other nice things Paris has to offer: water cooling. Everywhere in Paris you find cooling islands, water dispensers, or fog creators. On days like these where it is 33°C hot in an urban environment, cooling is important. More important, you can refill your water bottles for free! This is great even for the homeless.

Generally, you’ll recognize that Paris tries to make the shift from traditional city to a modern city and wants to be sustainable. It has many parks to offer, it offers a well-planned public transport system with trains, subways and electric or bio-gas-fueled busses and many bicycles. Apropos bicycles, if you visit Paris for the first time, you will realize that bikes have their own lanes and their own traffic lights. As a pedestrian you will not just cross the street, but also the lane for bicycles.

The trains and subway trains are coming regularly and the stations are well organized. I don’t say that you don’t need to walk a bit more, but due to the system in Paris you usually can’t take the wrong train, because every line has its own platform. And It’s a pleasure to sit in the trains which are clean and rarely too crowded.

Walking through the streets you will find little restaurants everywhere, often crowded and pouring on the charm of a France that we know from the movies.

Au café — On voit n´importe qui — Qui boit n´importe quoi — Qui parle avec ses mains — Qu´est là depuis le matin — Au café

À Paris by Francis Lemarque

Though I wanted to visit the Champs, I also had another destination in my mind. The Louvre. Home to Mona Lisa and other paintings. Traveling on a budget and with few days in Paris I didn’t buy a ticket. But you can get into the Louvre if you just want to see the famous pyramide. You only need a ticket for the museum itself.

After walking around the streets near Palace d’Elysée — well protected by the local police (and surely the military is also there) — I soon made it to the Avenue Champs Elysée. It went straight to the Place de la Concorde which was surrounded by installments for the Rugby World Cup that happened in France two days later.

But it looked awesome. The avenue’s wide with many trees on each side and you could easily spot the Arc de Triomphe. It felt so different to walk there in comparison to other streets, famous or not.

Walking up the street with an ice-cream in my hand I was amazed by the beauty of the buildings. Paris conserved the charming of its history and mixed it with modern life.

People there were both, tourists and native Parisians who did some window shopping or dined in the restaurants. And there were the stores run by luxury brands like Cartier, LVMH, Victoria’s Secret, and others. Definitely nothing for a budget trip, but impressive, specifically when you see the waiting line in front of one or two stores.

In the smaller streets you will also see other expensive brands, some seem to be only known if your checking account is several digits long.

Aux Champs-Élysées. — Aux Champs-Élysées. — Au soleil, sous la pluie, — à midi ou à minuit, — il y a tout ce que vous voulez — aux Champs-Élysées.

Les Champs-Élysée by Joe Dassin

Changing the street side, I got another ice-cream. Yes, it was hot and the city of Paris recommended to drink a lot and to eat some cooled stuff. Or ice-cream.

I took a short metro ride and left at Louvre. This station was cool. The station was mostly covered by black, marble-like stone and had some expositions, like sculptures of, a.o. Marie-Antoinette, the wife of France’s last king before the French revolution of 1794.

Les Bleus in Parc des Princes

What I definitely wanted to see in Paris was the nation’s national soccer team, also known as Les Bleus. France’s male team around Coman, Griezmann, and Mbappé played really well and on this day they had a match against Ireland in the Parc des Princes, the stadium of Ligue 1 champion Paris St. Germain. Originally, I think, France would have played in the Stade de France in the north of Paris. But this was being needed for the Rugby World Cup (the opening match between France and New Zealand’s All Blacks was nice).

Shortly walking around, talking to some Irish fans wondering about a German who cheers for France (and Ireland — French jersey, Irish wrist), I entered the area with my ticket and I witnessed two surprises. The text on my ticket said that the ticket (le billet) must be printed. However, others just used their phones. Also, I read not to take a backpack to the stadium. Surprise, some people took their backpacks into the stadium. With their laptops!

After the national anthems — Amhrán na bhFiann and La Marseillaise — the game began and immediately the atmosphere changed. Was it already great and cheerful, the audience began to push its team and commented every action on the pitch.

The Irish fans, though clearly a minority in the stadium, were audible and didn’t give up the team, even after the lagging behind 0–2. But Ireland fought hard and was a respectable opponent for the two-time world champion.

A little advice: when in the stadium and you are thirsty, you may buy a drink once for 6 EUR or more. But then you can do it like everybody in the stadium did. Refill your cup over the sink in the restrooms. This is literally Eau de Toilette, but far cheaper than paying so much for drinking.

After the much the stadium emptied quickly and the audience split up into smaller groups crawling through the many small streets around the stadium. It still was very warm and you can imagine that, when you are entering the crowded metro, air quality won’t improve.

Tour Eiffel

Maybe one of the best known landmarks of Paris is the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel). The tower was built for the world expo 1889 and wasn’t so popular among Paris’ inhabitants first. But over the first it became more and more popular and turned into a symbol for the city by the river Seine.

I went from Arc de Triomphe straight to the Eiffel Tower, crossing a bridge and while walking it wasn’t difficult to spot the tower once you are now longer on a street lined by high but beautiful buildings (a.o. the Yves Saint Laurent Museum).

Before I left town for my trip I have already booked tickets to get onto the Eiffel Tower. You can choose between the first, second, or third level, between stairs and lift. And be aware: when I have been in Paris you could only book tickets for the top online and it was recommended to buy tickets in general on the Eiffel Tower page. The first impression however was some kind of disappointment, because the tower’s area is surrounded by walls. It’s not like you can easily go from one side to the other by just walking under the tower. You need to go through security checks and it’s recommended not to bring large backpacks or even strollers.

But before I went around the tower and — be aware — there are young ladies trying to get your data (signature, address etc.) for — as they say — deaf people. I told them that I don’t sign but that I will donate once back home. Well, the lady who I was talking to tried to push me. No chance. My advice: don’t sign anything.

After the security check it was time to get up. As sporty as I am I took the stairs to make it to the second level. However, I forgot that I don’t always feel good in higher altitudes, though you had grid structure and (hand)railers everywhere, it was like “oh no, next time I take the lift.” But it’s worth it. The view is awesome and just thinking about the achievements of engineers and workers in the 1880s leaves you with awe. Also leaving you with awe are the prices if you buy something to drink. As you can imagine, taking up something to drink is not allowed. A little smoothie bottle then was expensive. Let’s not talk about the prices.

I took the stairs for the second floor. And It’s unbelievable what you can see. You can see a Paris that — despite of La Defense — is not crowded with skyscrapers, but almost “flat”. And you can spot all the different arrondisments, the mixture of old and modern architecture. Sous le ciel de Paris… You can spot Sacre Coeur, you can look over the roofs of the buildings that have witnessed centuries of history.

Back on the ground I crossed the Pont d’Iéna bridge and went to Trocadéro. Though not really understanding what Trocadéro really is, a castle, originally a museum, was it nice to have a look at the Eiffel Tower again. But it was finally time to return to the hotel and to grab my bag. I still had destinations to visit.

Breton Food and Montmartre

I wanted to visit Montmarte, Sacre Coeur, and eat in a French restaurant again. And I decided to visit a Breton restaurant, La Cantine Bretonne in the 19th Arrondisment.

As usual, first it was a bit complicated to order some food without proper French, but the gentleman did his best to communicate with me in English and I did my best to speak French. Voila, it worked. And I promise to come back with better French skills.

The urban environment between the restaurant and the Stalingrad metro station (no joke, the station’s name really is Stalingrad) is beautiful. Urban art in many places, little parks and you can walk aside a bassin. And because it was the day of the Rugby World Cup opening you saw groups of French people everywhere, wearing the jerseys of their team. And me, wearing the jersey of France’s national soccer team, was expected to cheer. The reaction was funny when I told the people that I don’t understand most of their sentences and that I am from Germany. But I guess they liked to see that — looking back in our history — somebody from Germany cheers for le grande nation.

After reaching the bassin’s end — I wouldn’t be surprised if Paris would use it for some kind of competition — I entered the metro in Stalingrad again and went straight to Sacre Coeur.

My former neighbors told me that Sacre Coeur and Montmartre are beautiful spots in Paris. When you leave the metro and reach the surface again you will very soon spot a crowded, busy street with lots of tourist shops selling mostly the same stuff. I didn’t buy it as I didn’t want to look like a tourist.

At the end of the street you can spot the famous Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. The basilica was built in 1914 and lies directly to Montmarte, a famous quarter for artists.

Going up the stairs (there’s also a lift) you come across some street vendors. Be aware of the ones who start tying a cord around your arm. They don’t stop and ask you for “paper money”. I was so lucky that I didn’t have any paper money with me.

I didn’t go inside Sacre Coeur. Instead I went to Montmartre (if you view the image of the basilica above again, it’s on the left on the image). First, you will see narrow side streets with smaller than usual houses built in another century. Second, you will recognize that today’s tourism has taken over Montmartre. It wasn’t what I expected, a district or quarter for independent artists, but mostly a beautiful quarter that was filled by stores selling almost the same stuff that I saw in the street when I left the metro station. It’s a pity, because I can imagine that in the past this little piece of Paris was indeed inspiring for artists from around the world.

But I liked the view on Paris. Did this spot look not that high when standing on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, I then got another look and saw the roofs of Paris again.

After the trip to Montmartre I wanted to go back to the center of Paris. With Paris’ good public transport I arrived at La Nation. I was already curious where the station is — where in Paris. The station was decorated with photographies and stories from France’s successes in sports (mostly soccer I’d guess), so I thought it’s somewhere near a stadium or the headquarters of the French Football Federation. But no, I was totatlly wrong. La Nation, the name came from the woman leading the masses, the revolution on a famous painting. It was the young, blonde woman with the red cap.

La Nation’s statue was located inside a park inside a huge roundabout. People gathered there to relax, play, listening to music, and to exercise.

With no real destination in my mind I was walking around, exploring the streets and alleys of Paris at dusk. It was a nice play between dimming sunlight and shadows and seeing people getting ready for the weekend.

Paris is a large city, a big city, but wherever you are, it felt like home everywhere. It wasn’t like Berlin, Dubai, or Moscow where you are walking around and people are living for themselves. No, here, that was my feeling, people are a community in every street.

And the city is very diverse. You find Asians, Africans, Arabs, you see Hindhi, Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

After some kilometers I wanted to find a place to sit and to eat. Bars were already crowded, some advertised that they have airconditioning. I thought it would be a nice idea to watch some rugby with the French, or people from New Zealand who’d play against France tonight.

I picked Le Bastille, a restaurant directly at the Place de la Bastille and ordered my first ever Cesar’s Salad. Tasty. I was just surprised by the price of the meal in comparison to what I have paid for my order at Le Vin Coeur at the Arc de Triomphe. Anyway, it was great and I enjoyed the evening and the chance to sit.

Nogent sur Marne, la Grande Mosquée

The day of my departure has come. And it meant that at least I wanted to see some locations on my list before I leave. It was a good choice to pick Flixbus, because the bus would depart at 10pm, so that I could still spend the day in Paris.

I had to check out before 12pm and my idea was to leave early so that I can walk while its not that hot. And it was time to walk — marcher — straight to Nogent. Why? I wanted to see a place where you find something France is famous for and that is not the Eiffel Tower, not LVMH, no cheese. No, it was la Légion Étrangère, the French Foreign Legion.

The Legion is known for hard, rigorous training, home to those who leave life and past behind them. This is the romantic description of an elite unit that accepts foreigners to serve in the French military. Those who do this have to train hard (two-day Kepi march, between 60 and 80 kilometers) and quickly learn French. The Legion is about determination.

When I stood in front of Fort de Nogent in Nogent sur Marne, I was in awe. Though a high, ancient wall stood between me and the fort, I was able to hear somebody who probably was a drill sergeant shouting. Two or three times les ports opened and cars left. I sat there for a couple of minutes, packed with a sports bag and a backpack, wearing only my black shorts and a shirt. Some local residents passed by. How many young men have they seen who joined or wanted to join the legion? Did they think I wanted to join?

Before I left a gentleman left the fort. Out of curiosity I’ve asked him if he’s a Legionnaire. He wasn’t, but he was a regular French military servicemen (L’Armée de Terre). We soon have recognized that talking was a bit complicated, because his English was barely existent and my French wasn’t sufficient yet. But: Google is your friend. We picked our smartphones and began to write our texts into Google Translate. It was helpful and better than talking with hand signs.

Returning to the station Nogent sur Marne, I was thinking about the Code d’Honneur, the Honor Code and it’s meaning.

Chaque légionnaire est ton frère d’arme, quelle que soit sa nationalité, sa race, sa religion. Tu lui manifestes toujours la solidarité étroite qui doit unir les membres d’une même famille.

Article 2 of the Code d’Honneur de Légionnaire

It means that legionnaires have to treat each other respectfully, like a family member, regardless of nationality, ethnicity (or race, if you want to call it so), or religion. And that they support each other.

The one point, “regardless of his religion” mattered when I arrived at my next location: the Great Mosque of Paris.

The Municipiality listed the Mosque among many places to cool off (‘It’s hot in Paris’, Paris je t’aime, accessed October 17, 2023).

And indeed, the Grande Mosquée de Paris in the 5th Arrondisment was a true beauty. It was a nice, bright place and you got free water from dispensers to cool down, so you could enjoy the ornaments everywhere, mosaics.

But the highlight was the courtyard with its green and blue. Just seeing it made you peaceful and relaxed. And the fountains allowed me to cool my hands and arms. I stood there for maybe half an hour before I left.

I went on, because I still had time to spend. I walked through les Jardins des Plants, a huge park at Seine River with a zoo included. In the park I was sitting for a while again. Carrying two bags in the head wasn’t comfortable. After a quick meal I went westward along the river and the Institut du Monde Arabe that was part of the prestigious Sorbonne University.

Crossing may previous route again, I saw four huge men wearing camo uniforms. I looked at the patches on their arms. Légion Étrangère. These soldiers were legionnaires. And they looked impressive. Huge, strong guys. Voluntarily you wouldn’t attack them, comparable to the police units that I have seen in Panama City.

I spent the rest of the day walking through the city and walked through a neighborhood that looked a bit like Chinatown in Paris. But I also saw the areas of Paris that weren’t so beautiful. But they were, they are the reality of Paris. Paris is not just luxury, not just landmarks, but also average people living day to day or living a normal life in a capital city.

It was time to return to Bercy. In the park I saw how tourists and homeless people shared access to water dispensers. The tourist needed water to brush his teeth, the homeless refilled the bottles with water before trying to sleep, and I washed my hands, cooled my wrists.

At the open-air gym young men exercised. Each already had a muscular torso. One saw me looking at the sixpack. I pointed at it and pulled up my shirt to show him my onepack. We both laughed. And my journey ended where it began. In Bercy Seine. And I hope to return one day. Paris is a beautiful city. Merci, Parisiens.

Sous le Pont de Bercy

un philosophe assis

deux musiciens, quelques badauds

puis des gens par milliers

Sous le ciel de Paris

jusqu’au soir vont chanter

l’hymne d’un peuple épris

de sa vieille cité

Sous le Ciel de Paris by Edith Piaf