I traveled to Paris, France in April 2012 by myself hoping to learn more of the French language. I have been taking lessons for a while and I know that immersion is the best way to learn. What I didn't account for was the fact that many people in Paris speak English and so it is not the best place to practice your broken French.
The best thing I did on this trip was to rent a room in an apartment from a French couple who live in Paris. I asked them to speak French with me and that was basically the only opportunities I had to practice French. It is very easy to leave your hotel or apartment for the day and never speak to another person. Parisians are used to tourists and I found that when I'd try to order my food in French or buy a museum ticket, they quickly noticed me struggling with the language and would automatically speak English to me.
When I arrived in Paris I had been instructed by my host, Brigitte, to take the RER to the Nation station. The RER is a train that runs
underneath the Metro. It extends into the suburbs of Paris and makes less stops than the metro so it is a better solution for commuters and passengers going longer distances. I took RER Line B from the Paris airport (CDG) directly to the center of Paris to the Châtelet-Les Halles station, changed to the RER A and got off at my station, Nation. I arrived at my apartment after a quick walk and rung the bell for Brigitte. She greeted me at the door and we squeezed into the typical tiny European elevator and rode up 5 floors to her apartment. After a quick talk I went back to the metro station and rode Line 1 to the St. Paul station in Le Marais. Le Marais is a neighborhood I was somewhat familiar with, so I was a bit frustrated with myself for not going somewhere new, but I had 8 more days to go somewhere new and there were museums I wanted to go to in the neighborhood.
The first museum I went to was
Musee Cognacq-Jay. This museum opened in 1929 but is housed in a building from 1575:
The Cognacq-Jay is a small museum, but it is free and I highly recommend a visit. One of the reasons I love this museum most is because it allows you to go inside such an old home. Some of my favorite items from inside:
The top floor:
Just two blocks over, I arrived at my second museum of the day,
Musee Carnavalet. This museum is dedicated to the history of Paris. My favorite room in this museum was this gilt-paneled room:
Two more blocks in the same direction, I arrived at Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris. Maison Victor Hugo, a museum that preserves the home that Victor Hugo lived in between 1832-1848, is located here. I sat on a bench for a while and did some people watching.
Leaving Place des Vosges out the southern end I walked down a very charming street, Rue de Birague, where I saw these giant legos!
Next I walked into Église Saint Paul-Saint Louis (Église means church in French):
I had been told by several people to get a falafel from a famous place in the Jewish quarter of Le Marais,
L'as du Fallafel so I headed that way. I must say, it was the best falafel I've ever had and I ended up coming back a few days later.
Down the street I stepped into Église Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux:
Hôtel de Ville:
One of my favorites from my trip--just married and walking down the streets of Paris:
Presidential elections were going on in France:
and the eventual winner:
To see all my photos from Day 1 click
here.
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