Hot spots in Paris for Bujah

(above: Paris pop in the park behind the Eiffel tower, at a special event for handicapped people of non-French background)

As you might recall I had mixed reactions to Paris when I visited it earlier in the year. In fact there were some complaints that I had been a little harsh. Well, no more! I have joined the legions of Paris-lovers! It happens that Bujah will be in Paris for the first time this Friday so I thought I would compose a Paris best-of for her. I went to Paris again for 10 days in September, but haven't got around to that part yet in my summer of Rowth series, so I'm going to get a bit out of order here.

This is a list of my hot spots but it doesn't repeat things I mentioned in my three earlier Paris blogs (the first few blogs I did).

French
One of the reasons my trip to Paris was less enjoyable that it could have been in Janurary was my lack of French. Actually I did try and learn some using the great BBC online French Steps course but I didn't finish it and I didn't repeat each exercise as many times as I could have.
Here is the French Steps URL:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/lj/

And here is the link to the Wikitravel French phrasebook.

http://wikitravel.org/en/French_phrasebook

It's a bit hard to do a best-of of Paris because there is so many sights that most people will do anyhow.

Things you'll probably do anyway

Eiffel tower: and the park behind it
Louvre and Orangerie (I only saw the outside!)

Other things
Place des Vosges and the Musee Carnavalet in Marais
Palais du Tokyo: The art gallery and the cafeteria downstairs

Walks
Belleville to Goutte d'or through Strasbourg-St. Denis: world cultures in Paris
Up to the top of Montmarte from Barbes Rochechouart metro on a sunny Sunday
Along the Seine from the Bastille to the Eiffel Tower
Rue de Menilmontant - up the top of the hill there are cute little cul de Sacs that look like houses in the countryside - down lanes with gardens. You might need a guide to find them all though. Still it's nice up the top of the hill.

Food!
Markets:
Marche d'Aligre - place de Aligre, metro Ledru Rollin - has good wine and cheese shops in the streets near the market.
Marche Bastille - the high end of town.

Ile St. Louis cafe: La Charlotte de l'Isle at 26 Rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île - get the hot chocolate or the chocolate cake, this is a very cosy place on what can be a very cold and damp island.
Boulevard Belleville for Couscous, Algerian cakes and groceries


(above) Tunisian cakes at Le Bague de Kenza bakery, just off Rue Oberkampf, 106 rue Saint-Maur, Paris 11e.

Cheeses: Roquefort, tete de Moine, anything with the word Moine 'monk' in it - those monks can do no wrong! They are craziest about Roquefort in Marseilles (Roquefort sandwich, pizza, pasta etc.) but it's better in Paris.

Cafes/bars
Rue Oberkampf for groovy bars (Republique)
La Fourmi - corner Rue des Martyrs and Boulevarde de Rochechouart (Montmartre/Pigalle)

Sport in the Latin quarter:
Hammam de la Mosquee de Paris (steam baths: open for women10am-9pm Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat and Friday 2-9)
Piscine Pontoise-quartier Latin, a beautiful indoor pool from the 20's(?) that's not too cold. You don't just get a locker you get a whole room and a man who opens it for you. But you will have to bring a funny hat or buy one from the vending machine.

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/france/paris/overview.html

Things I would still like to do but didn't:
St. Denis hammam and market
Jardin Botanique Latin quarter
Clubs on a boat: La Guinguette Pirate
Eat every cheese I didn't try yet