No regrets for Paris this time

I was able to redeem myself this time in Paris.

When I was in Paris last month, all I did was stayed in the hotel room and went to a mall nearby with the free shuttle bus. No wine, no city tour. I was disappointed with myself after leaving France, telling myself I should just visit the city no matter what. Staying in the hotel room the whole day is not really that rewarding for me since I am here to see and explore what the city has for me.

This time around, I managed to get my French wines and heading out to the city. Instead of going to the Eiffel Tower and some of the more famous spot downtown, A couple of friends and I went to Montmartre, slightly out of the main city area.

From the hotel, we took an uber to reach to our first stop - Basilica of Sacre-Coeur.

I heard that during Summer or when the weather is much better, the view of Paris is way better than this.

While we were freezing ourselves with the wind and drizzle, why not have a cup of hot wine for 5 euros.

The owner was so lively and entertaining while we were getting our drinks. Not bad for a cold weather. Definitely woke us up after that.

While we were standing outside of the church, of course there would be some people hanging around the area trying to sell some souvenirs or some scams going on. Yes, Paris is very famous for different street scams.

The scam group found near the church was those asking you to sign for some donation thing and then would ask you to 'donate' a certain amount. Nope, not gonna fall for that.

However, here comes the interesting part where the phrase 'Pigeon Effect' was coined.

The moment the police car showed up, they were like pigeons scattering away from the scene. Less than 30 seconds, the area was cleared. By the time the police arrived at the scene, no one was left in sight. I must say though that the policeman in Paris are really well built and handsome too. Why don't we have that in Malaysia?

After the police left, the scammers and street sellers were back again. It is like a cat and mouse game.

Let's get inside the church.

We head down to the street to find the street art. One of the highlights of Montmartre. But first, let's head to the shop that has some sculptures made out of just chocolate. I am just there to get some macarons.

Maison Georges Larnicol

Got mine for 7 euros.

Another main objective was to get some crepe in Paris. There isn't a particular shop that we wanted to go to. Just exploring the area to see what would fancy us. Check out some of the prices as well. You can have a savoury or sweet crepe.

We stumble upon this shop that looks quite old school. There wasn't a queue or anything fancy about it. Just walked in after seeing the chef was cooking something delicious through the window.

Le Tire Bouchon

The whole wall and ceiling were just covered with notes upon notes, as well as money notes of different currencies. Simple yet gives out a cozy feeling. 

 It is never too early to have a drink. The bimbo in me did not know that this is actually a french beer.

 We have ordered 3 different types of crepes, all savoury though.

The Classic (DIY) - ham and cheese

The Special - ham, cheese, mushrooms, tomato sauce

The Tire Bouchon - potato, bits of bacon, raclette 

Remember the dish that I mentioned early that we saw the chef was cooking through the window?

We asked the person in charged what was that dish and if it was in the menu. Apparently it was their own food. Little did we know, the person in charge / owner brought us a plate after we finished our crepe. I for one thought that he was only joking when he said he would bring us some.

It was so delicious. We even got a refill and extra sauce with bread on the second round. We cleaned up the plate real good.

A picture with the person that brought us the stew. Such warm welcome we got in the cold.

Inside this shop were 3D paper light arts. The exhibition starts at 7pm. We got there too early. Actually, we just came across this shop while walking after our meal.

So pretty

Next, we were on our way to find the Wall of Love. Try to spot your language.

More walking before we call it a day.

Oh! I have yet to watch the movie. The entrance fee to get into Moulin Rouge is at a minimum of 127 euros. Let me just keep that trip inside for another day.

It was indeed a fulfilling trip this time. Did not waste my time away in the hotel room. Glad that I was invited to go on this little adventure to see a different place in Paris.

Here's a short short short montage.

Till then, tata ~