Bonjour,

It's late Sunday afternoon, and freezing outside! Part of me is looking forward to Christmas time in Paris, but mostly the cold means that spending my spare time wandering through Parisian streets and Jardin du Luxembourg etc is becoming limited. Soon all there will be to do is shop hehe!

Friday evening some friends and I decided to try out a bar called Panic Room in the Marais. It was recommended in my guide book which has so far proved trustworthy. Although I had a good night, the bar was different to what I was expected, although I'm not too sure exactly what is was that I was expecting! How was it different? Well first of all the majority of the crowd (and it certainly was what you'd call jampacked) undoubtedly belonged to the gay community, and was male. Being three straight girls, we felt somewhat out of place. During my trip to the toilet I witnessed the beginnings of flirtations between the handsome, chisselled French men behind me, and at one point one of them turned to me and, in French, said what I guess to be something along the lines of "I think I'm in luck, he's gorgeous" to which I could only smile and nod.

But what disappointed me was the price of the cocktails, at 8 euros 50 each it wasn't what I'd call cheap. I ordered a mohito and whilst the barman was very nice and patient with my petit French, the one I had in Andy Whaloo at 10 euros was much, much nicer. I stuck to beers after that.

Saturday evening we treated ourselves to dinner in Paris at a Sushi restaurant by the Pyramides metro. I think it was called Sushi Shop and it was pretty good. The atmosphere was upmarket and relaxed, and the prices weren't too bad. Afterwards we took the metro to Invalides and walked towards the Eiffel Tower, arriving in time for the lights to sparkle wonderfully. After munching on yummy French crepes, we decided to spend some time in the gardens by the tower. This was a mistake, if ever there were was a place to find French chavs, this would be it. We eventually left the area and, as it was tres foid, went home without taking the night bus for once.

This morning I attended a classical music concert at the Salle Pleyel in Ternes with the family. The concert was short (1 hour) and intended for children, with frequent explanations and interruptions. I enjoyed it a lot, although the children weren't quite as convinced! Afterwards I visited my Aunt and Uncle and we had a lovely French lunch complete with wine, cheese, coffee and dessert. 

As you can see I've had a lovely weekend, here's to a good week!

Nathalie xx