It wasn’t as straight-forward as it usually was to get there, but after a fascinating flight above Øresund Bridge and a few hours in Copenhagen airport, I was finally on my way to Paris. The transition between Sweden and France is always confusing. I end up speaking Swedish in Paris and mix French with Swedish when I return to Stockholm. But even so, the city is so familiar and so pretty still. 

After a short stop in the French countryside, some laughs and a first night of restful sleep in a long time, it was time to head to the city. The sightseeing was cut short this time, with a late afternoon and an early morning to cross as many places worth revisiting from the long list of landmarks that I wanted to see again. The evening meant a quick stop in Père Lachaise to visit Jim on an evening when the sky was on fire, a kebap at a small place in Place de la Republique, catching up with my goth days by visiting La Fontaine des Innocents and finally facing my fears and entering Centre George Pompidou, a building that I found terrifing the first time I saw it, but don’t ask me why my 21 years old self decided that. It’s still scary but it was rather cool to enjoy the view of the city from its top floor. The last stop of the evening was Notre-Dame de Paris. Surrounded by construction site walls covered in posters of its story, the church is just as beautiful and imposing. What an empty spot it would have left in the heart of Paris and how lucky we are to see it still standing! 

The morning meant spending at least 10 minutes staring at Tour Eiffel with a cup of coffee wondering why I like it so much. This was continued by a visit to Montmartre, a bit of cardio trying to get out from the metro in Abbesses (deepest metro station in Paris). Montmartre was flooded by tourists. The cozy streets, cafés, quiet squares were as crowded as ever. Walking around the steps and esplanade in front of Sacré-Coeur was a slalom among tourists and occasional merchants trying to take advantage of them. On a crowded day the neighbourhood loses its charm but keeps its beauty. 

And after a tour de force around the city, it was time to go and spend the next 3 days in Bercy, though not before enjoying delicious onion soup and crêpes at Terrasse Bercy, where Clyde the Cat was kind enough to allow us to sit next to him at the table. The area of Bercy is famous for various reasons, one of them being Accor Arena. Why was I so interested in this arena will be the topic of my next post. Bercy Village is close by, a small commercial area with a history of once being the World’s leading wine market. It’s a nice walk but also a bit of a tourist trap. However, if one wants to dine at a nice restaurant or discover wine cellars and study wine, then it’s probably worth spending more time there. On the way to Bercy Village, and to the left side of the Parc de Bercy, one runs into the building of Cinémathèque Francaise. A few months ago I rewatched Hugo. It made me realise how much I miss visiting Paris. It also gave me the soundtrack for this trip, Coeur Volant. While walking down the sidewalk and passing the Cinémathèque, my eyes fell on a billboard of Georges Méliès’ Le Voyage dans la Lune, a piece familiar to some as the inspiration of Smashing Pumpkins’ video for Tonight, Tonight. And so the circle was complete and, after the stroll around the neighbourhood, it was time to leave Paris and board a TGV to Stuttgart. More about that soon!