No matter how beautiful the place is and how excited and full of energy and positive vibes you have for the trip, if the rain comes, it comes and it will dampen everything.
Ugh. Everyone just hates rain, right? I do. We were rained down in Paris on our second day and our plans of visiting Ile de la Cite and the Notre Dame Church have been thrashed down the bin. We have no choice but to duck away from the pouring rain.
But before the heavy downpour came, we experienced some minor showers, which were quite doable though. I mean, you can still walk around and sightsee. The light showers won’t melt you down. But then bad news, the weather took its turn in the early afternoon…
Rain showers are a bit okay in my book, although it surely is a pain for us women because they destroy our hair and the at least 15 minutes work done to it, but still, I can survive and make amends with the help of a hat. The problem was, I forgot to bring a hat with me to Paris. So Pinpin and I managed to shop a little black hat for me just outside the Louvre. The hat is a fusion design between a French beret and an American beanie. I am not sure if I really liked it but I am keeping it for a while.
Our next item on the agenda for the day, which was after our typical French breakfast (the Petit Dejeuner) at Bistrot Vivienne and checking out the beautiful Galerie Vivienne, was to visit another vintage covered shopping gallery nearby, the Galerie Vero-Dodat. There are actually a number of old world charm shopping passages in Paris and I wish to visit all of them, but for this trip, I only managed to see two. I will have to check the rest for my next visits.
Galerie Vero-Dado is situated not too far away from Galerie Vivienne. The location is quite close to the Louvre which is our next destination after this. I also just realised after the trip that a Louboutin workshop is located in the Vero-Dodat. How could have I missed it? I am not the type to buy extravagantly priced shoes but it would be interesting to see the shoe company’s workshop.
I think the black and white diamond marble flooring of Galerie Vero-Dodat is the main draw. It just springs out against the deep mahogany colour of the brown walls and glass windows with brass accents. As with any passage the roofing is in glass work giving light and the illusion of space.
This covered passage is relatively small and short but comes highly recommended if you are into art and architecture.
At the Louvre I was toying with the idea of visiting the museum. I am perhaps one of the very few tourists who has been to Paris many times and has never been inside the Louvre! I really want to go but get turned off every time when I see the long queues. On my next trip perhaps, I will buy a ticket online (must be possible) and come early or at the end of the day. That said, I haven’t seen the Mona Lisa yet.
Pinpin and I just walked around the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries. She was quite ecstatic saying she was here earlier, and what she meant by this was the day before.
Pinpin arrived earlier than me in Paris as I had a very important meeting to attend to in the Netherlands and can only leave in the afternoon, which means I will arrive in Paris in the evening. So girlfriend Pinpin was left on her own and she did a great job entertaining herself. She managed to see all the major sights in the first arrondissement by hiring a handsome trike guide who took her everywhere and for a good price. Well done, girl!
After walking around we decided its time for a break, perhaps a chocolate drink break at Angelina, one of the patisserie icons in Paris. They have a branch on Rue de Rivoli, just a few minutes walk from the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries. However, when we arrived, we were greeted by another long queue.
Don’t you just hate all these queues? Unfortunately, they are very common at popular tourist sites in major cities.
We wanted to go to Ile de la Cite and the Notre Dame Church so we decided to just buy a mille-feuille and share this together. Perhaps we’ll eat it somewhere on a bench or by a historical bridge on the River Seine. Then afterwards we will hit a cafe terrace in the little islet and have coffee there. So we promised we’ll have the famous Angelina chocolate drink another time. Which we did by the way when we went to Versailles. Angelina has a branch at the palace as well, but that is another story to tell =)
The Angelina branch at Rue de Rivoli I must say is gorgeous. I would love to come back here another time. We managed to visit their loo upstairs and I got the opportunity to quickly take a few photos.
But before reaching the islet we got poured down and hard. We rushed to a corner cafe and stood there under the stretched canopy of what seems to be an empty and wet terrace. We didn’t like going inside because the cafe didn’t really speak to us, so we just waited outside for the rain to stop.
My initial plan was to eat the mille-feuille I bought in Angelina on a bench in Ile de la Cite, and then afterward we would have coffee somewhere, but with the bad weather I don’t think this is happening. The rain was not stopping at all and its pouring harder by the minute. So, what to do with the pastry? The carton box cover is slowly disintegrating…
Well, we ate the mille-feuille whilst standing under the canopy of an empty cafe terrace on the pouring rain. LOL. Improvise.
It was a very delicious pastry though and I am glad I shared it with Pinpin because half was just good enough. I like that the cream is just sweet enough, not cringy sweet. Just right for someone who does not have a sweet tooth. Sometimes you need a sugar kick every now and then, but just a little.
Nevertheless, after eating the pastry we waited and waited for more but the rain was not stopping. So I told Pinpin that we have to duck somewhere and I will have to check a much nicer cafe than the one we were temporarily sheltering in. I really felt we deserved better so I am not settling for less! I also did not like that the cafe was too crowded.
So yup, I surveyed the Quai Francois Mitterand under the heavy rain for a much better place. I was searching for ambiance and less crowds. Luckily, I saw a quite nice cafe on the corner, very near to the celebrated Parisian bridge, Pont Neuf. The cafe, in question, is in fact named after the bridge, Cafe Du Pont Neuf. It looks very Frenchy from the outside and not too busy. It has the typical Parisian red accents on the lamps and the French-style wicker tables and chairs. I thought that with the rain, we cannot get anything better than this.
So we decided to have our very late lunch here at Cafe Du Pont Neuf and stay for a while as well until the weather clears up.
Pinpin is eating healthily these days and prefers a salad with goat’s cheese and toast while I am going French. I ordered a portion of escargot and a plate of Brie cheese, with a lettuce side and baguette bread. I also decided to pair the lunch with a local French wine. You need some wine for rainy days like this.
We actually liked the cafe and enjoyed the lunch as well. So the morning, late lunch and afternoon went as normal, it was saved from the wrecking rain.
The afternoon was almost over and the next thing on our agenda was a needed nap in the hotel. Also because it was still raining a bit, although not as bad as earlier, we could certainly use some downtime to prepare for a long evening activity later. Pinpin is also having serious jet lag bouts, so the woman has to sleep.
But before going (we are taking the metro), we are stopping at Place de la Madeleine to buy our late night Parisian Cabaret Show tickets in Champs Elysees. *grins*
So we’ll do some ZZZZzzzz’s first, and then see you in Champs Elysees on my next Parisian post!
Travel Period: December 2017
Destination: Paris, France
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Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.