A small observation on how to (not) get ripped off in Paris.

Bonsoir,

Yesterday I had the oppportunity of showing next year's potential au pair around (who happens to be a friend of mine from England) in Le Vesinet with my host family, and taking her to Paris in the evening. Faced with a wide choice of where to go and somewhat short on time, I opted for the Place du Tertre which boasts a fabulous view of the Sacre Coeur and is a main bustling square of Montmartre, complete with creperies, restaurants, bars, shops and wandering artists. The museum of Salvador Dali is a mere few steps away from the Place du Tertre but unfortunately for me is closed until 2012 due to refurbishment... but I digress.

My friend was surprised at the hilly landscape of Montmartre and the many steps we took to get there, but this after all is its beauty and the view over Paris is like no other. We partook in some vin rouge at one bar, then meeting my Parisian friends at a bar right in the middle of the Place du Tertre. I can't remember the name of it but I can tell you NEVER to go there. Sure, the view was nice, the waiters were dressed in cheesy Parisian attire complete with berets and there was live music, but the bill added a bittersweet edge to the evening. I tried a Kir for the first time, and it was delicious (a Kir is a French cocktail consisting of creme de cassis, otherwise known as blackcurrant liqueur, topped up with white wine), but it cost me a pretty penny. It was 10 euros. And the beers my friends ordered cost the same. The bill came up to a total of over 40 euros for the 4 of us for one run of the mill (it wasn't champagne!) drink each. Oddly enough, the week before I had eaten at the Place du Tertre at a restaurant called Chez Eugene, and the prices there were reasonable, about 12 euros per meal. My advice: ALWAYS ask for the menu (la carte) before ordering.

Nonetheless it was a lovely relaxed evening, and Sacre Coeur is beautiful at night as you can see for yourself, although at a certain time of night a host of drunken idiots appear spluttering words like "charmant, les filles!" at you whilst holding broken and almost-empty bottles of whisky. Mais alors, c'est Paris!

A bientot xxx