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livartproject · 6 years

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photo by @livburgos

So you think I’m just click-baiting with that headline? You say one can’t NOT spend loads in Paris? It’s practically their national sport, right? But we discovered you CAN spend half a day in Paris under 15 Euros (roughly Php 1,000 ) each. The city is chock-full of wonderful sights and interesting spots that you can just lollygag about and still feel like you had the best day ever. You will need some preparation of course, like packed snacks and water for everyone, and a picnic basket if you plan to extend until dinner time. That will indubitably require money. But if you do your own grocery shopping and food prep, it will easily cut your costs into half. Since it is advisable that you buy a carnet of tickets for the bus and Metro in advance, you can cut that out of the daily costs as well.

STOP # 1: A Grocery Store. Monoprix is our family’s favorite

photo c/o mappy.

You can find a Monoprix in almost every other block and it’s not so expensive. It will be cheaper to go to a market or a bigger supermarket chain, of course. But because we just got there, the nearest convenience shop will do. Grab a couple of sandwiches and biscuits. If you’re planning a picnic dinner, grab some croissants, cheese, and cooked saucissons.

A croissant costs E1.40 to E3.00 and a simple plate of cheese (good for sharing) is around E8.00-10.00. You can prepare a light dinner for a family of 4 with about 30 euros. Compare that to a pre-fixe menu dinner costing E14.00/each at the cheapest, then you can see what I mean by cutting your costs in half. Also, please bring your own bottle of water.

STOP # 2: Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe was constructed in 1806 under the orders of Napoleon. He wanted to dedicate it to the French Army who helped him conquer most of Europe. If you walk towards it, you will see that there are writings inscribed on its walls — these are the battles undertaken by the French Empire, and the generals who took part in them. My sister and I were pleasantly surprised to find there was even a General named Burgos! How we are related might be an adventure for another time.

From Trocadero, you can take a leisurely pace through Avenue Kleber for about 22 minutes towards the Arc. But the sun was still high and it was sweltering hot, so with our pre-bought tickets, we decided to take the Metro instead. The ride took about 10 minutes and you can take the Charles Gaulle – Etoile exit and climb up to the majestic view of the Arc. The first time I saw it, it took my breath away. It is grand as grand could get. You can cross underground to get to the monument and see for yourself how tiny the Arc makes you feel. Out of all the landmarks I saw in Paris, this is the one that left the most impression.

STOP # 3: Champs Elysees

To get to the most famous shopping street in Paris, all you have to do is cross the street from Arc de Triomphe. This wide, boutique-lined street may seem like an anti-thesis to your no-spending goal. But if you are a simple traveler with modest travel budgets like us, Champs Elysees is the last place you will blow your hard-earned cash in. What you can do, however, is to window shop, which will always be free. Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tissot, Ralph Lauren… you name it. If it’s high-end fashion, it’s probably there. My sister and I even got in line to check out Prada. She had the intention to buy, but moi? Haha, I am merely an observer of the weird habits of the fashionable set. I was never a fan of shopping, and not even Paris was able to change that.

STOP # 4: Laduree Champs Elysees

Ok, this is where the buck stops. Resisting Prada is easy. But just walking past scrumptious macarons and pastries as if nothing happened? Never! I told my sister, let’s just peek in. And this is what we saw.

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My resistance crumbled. I succumbed to buying a small box of macarons (for sharing) costing E18 and a strawberry-raspberry pecan tart called Harmonie which cost E7.10. BUT — if you have stronger willpower than I do, you can easily just look in and mark out the stuff you may want to try later. But if you have a sweet tooth (or have a 5-year-old with you), better skip this one for now, eh?

STOP # 5: Tour Eiffel

Embarrassing as it may be, I expected the tears that came to my eyes when I saw the tower. What I didn’t expect is how conflicted I was about how the tower looks. When you see the Eiffel Tower it just sends your head reeling with the realization that YOU REALLY ARE IN G*DD*MN PARIS! Paris looks like any European city at first glance, but when you finally see THE tower, that’s when things seem to click into place. Everything you see after that takes on a special flavor because no matter how crappy your day was, you can be sure you are still in Paris.

But then again, the Eiffel Tower seen in harsh daylight, truth be told, is a bit underwhelming. It’s a prettier, taller version of our local Globe or Smart communications tower. My first thought was, “I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but… that’s it?” I am glad we rounded up on it again nearer to 6pm. Once dusk hits, the tower lights up all twinkly against the purple, orange and blue hues of the darkening sky. THEN that’s when your jaw drops. Oh my G. The Eiffel Tower at night is pure magic.

However, apparently it is ILLEGAL to post a photo of the Eiffel Tower taken at night, and a blog counts as social media distribution (ikr???). I guess you just have to take my word for it. Here’s a short piece on why sharing images of Eiffel Tower all lit up is illegal.

SCAM ALERT: My husband got scammed at the foot of the tower, when some pretty Caucasian girls (argh, men) aggressively asked for him to sign a petition to help some poor kids, and he did. Once he signed, they asked for a donation because he signed. He couldn’t just sign and not donate. By the time I got to him, he was lighter a few euros already. (double argh, men). Watch out for this, and just say No thank you.

STOP # 6: Parc du Champ-de-Mars

Dusk along Champ du Mars. And cropped from the photo is what could be the base of just another lit up cellphone tower. :p

Photos of the Eiffel Tower often miss out on one thing. The damn thing is just so eye-catching that people tend to ignore the tree-lined avenue leading up to it. Champ-du-Mars, for me, is a jewel of a place. It used to be a military training ground (since the other end leads up to the Ecole Militaire) and then was used by the end of the 18th century as fairgrounds. These days, it’s a beautiful park where the kids can play (there are 2 playgrounds on site), see the fountains, and spread a mat and soak in the vibe. If you plan to have a picnic, you could consider this one of the places to go to. Just make sure you stake a spot early enough in the evening. When we were there, at the tail-end of tourist season (August), the park was just swamped with humanity. If it were me though, I would take the picnic to nearby Jardin de Luxembourg and have a more peaceful day about it.

Hey, it’s not like I can move the Eiffel Tower to Naga City while I take a photo of the carousel, eh?

The high point in Champ-de-Mars for me is the carousel. There are a number of beautiful carousels in Paris, but this one I consider the prettiest since you could also get the Eiffel Tower in the same shot. This is the first time my son rode a carousel, and he spent his time wrapping his head around the circling horses with maniacal grins and the grand, candy-colored carriages. It was too new — he cried. But momma sure had a great time!

Baby-friendliness Ratings

Arc de Triomphe is accessible by bus, Metro or walking. If you have a stroller with you, taking the bus and walking may be your best bet. I have not seen any diaper changing areas in the train stations, nor did I find the restrooms clean enough. Because of this, I have marked it quite low in terms of convenience. Will your kid like it? S/he may, if old enough. Best for kids 4 years and above.

Champs Elysees is accessible the same way as the Arc de Triomphe but may offer more conveniences in terms of restrooms (inside the boutiques). We didn’t check for diaper changing areas specifically, but the restaurants peppering the walkway is bound to have a clean restroom. As for piquing kid’s interest, I’m going to go ahead and say, nah. So many miles and not a toy store in sight.

Tour Eiffel and Champ de Mars can be accessed via bus, Metro and walking in friendly streets that have functioning stop lights. There are stairs to contend with so you may need to fold up that stroller and use the baby carrier instead upon reaching the start off point at Café de l’Homme in Trocadero.

There are washrooms far way down in the middle of Champ de Mars, so if you need to do some diaper-changing, you may opt to just lay down a mat right on the grass.

Will it delight your kids though? I’m betting on it. They can run around, there are creperie stands all about and the carousel is bound to amuse the kiddos. Prepare to stay a while.

At this point, your afternoon has sweetly transitioned to cool night. The perfect time to take a leisurely stroll back to the hotel. Paris at night seems like a different beast. It’s more romantic, with a dash of danger. We’ve seen a number of madmen (as in mentally-challenged or drunk individuals) roving about, with their choice of potion in a bottle wrapped in brown paper bags. They are mostly harmless, and the French police always seem to arrive at the nick of time, anyways. Another thing we noticed is a lot of people are smoking weed. We just walked away to keep my son from the sickly-sweet aroma. We still felt safe, but happier if we were back in the hotel.

And rest we did in the comfort of Hotel Longchamp because our time in Paris is still young. The next days will bring more adventure and discoveries. I really hope you stick around and see if it will help you in your future adventures in the City of Lights.

Smell ya later,

Bee

Spend Half a Day in Paris Without Selling Body Parts: An Itinerary So you think I'm just click-baiting with that headline? You say one can’t NOT spend loads in Paris?

#Kids in Paris #Paris #Paris on a budget #Travel with Baby

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livartproject · 6 years

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I have read a number of brag blogs. I hope you don’t confuse this blog with them because I like to think my inspiration stems from a genuine love of travel. I make no pretensions about my financial capacity. I rarely go on a trip under my own steam; I am financed in one way or another by my work or my family. So what I am sharing here depicts the real struggle of someone who is blessed to travel, but limited by a very finite bank account. This what you call the Broke-ass Guide to Paris: Foodie Edition.

Ernest Hemingway wrote this quote in his book A Moveable Feast, which is a memoir of his life as a broke young man living in Paris. He wrote of days of not having eaten anything and then days of surprising bounty. In much the same way, being a foodie in Paris is also a moveable feast. There are the famed restaurants that will cost you your whole month’s salary for a dinner for two, and then again, there are the small cafes and bolt-holes that are equally, if not more, sumptuous and all for the cost of a few euros. Wherever you go, there will always be that feeling of being in a feast because in Paris, food is not just for your taste buds, it engages all your other senses as well.

My best tip is to look at your budget and decide how much you are willing to shell out per day for meals. Some days you can cut back on snacks and opt for a fancier dinner instead. For our own trip, we had a budget of €40 per day per person. Not shabby, but also not enough to go on a binge. We survived mostly on croissants, subs, McDonalds and sushi (because our hotel has an awesome sushi place beside it). But we also splurged a handful of times for a nice sit-down dinner in a proper café while people-watching. And all of them were delicious, McDonalds included. Must be the ambiance!

You should also download the app The Fork. It shows you the best-rated restaurants and cafes near your area, and you could even use it to reserve your table. Read more about The Fork here.

Foodie Level: Broke-Ass

Asians = Rice, right?

But you will be surprised how many days you could survive without it in France. Even if you barely have two cents to rub together, you are bound to stumble unto something that is both delicious and filling. If all you could really afford is a €10 per meal budget then I suggest you cast your sights on street food. (Hey, I did say I was a foodie, not a gourmand!)

Croissants

The ones we tasted in Manila (French Baker anyone?) has a chewier consistency. So imagine how heavenly the ones from a nondescript little bakery tasted — crumbly on the outside but melts like butter inside. And you could actually taste the salted butter in the mix! My son was wild about the chocolate and almondine ones. There’s no one place we could recommend since it’s the small unknown ones that seems to taste the best. Keep your eyes open when you’re out and about, there’s bound to be a boulangerie near you possibly harboring the best tasting bread you have ever tasted in your life. A plain butter croissant usally costs €1.45 to €2.00, while fancier ones can go as high as €3.00.

Crepes

The French are a bit snobbish about their crepes. There are a number of “best crepes lists” in Paris — so many in fact that I decided to just ignore all of it. You can, of course, try to line up at Café Breizh or swing by Creperie Broceliande. However, the crepes we ate were situational. We were simply hungry and holding out for a posher next meal so we decided to eat a crepe as a snack. My favorite one is from a small stall in Montmartre, because the sugar crepe was just the right sweetness, the edges a bit toasty, and the center was meltingly pure bliss. Yummers. Crepes were between €2.50 to €4.00 each.

Sandwiches, Wraps and Salmon

I found a new love for wraps in Europe. This is not your usual 7-11 or Ministop sandwich. The ingredients are fresh as heck. The lettuce always has crunch, the cheese always Brie or Emmental, the salmon always sinful. I am not a wrap snob and very happy to eat from Monoprix as much as in a café. Do not turn your nose up on those convenience store aisles. They contain treasure for the cost of only a few euros. Best for breakfast or lunch because the sandwich products are made daily and stocked every morning (except for the frozen section, obvs). you could grab a wrap for as low as €4.90.

Foodie Level: Middling

We were able to try a couple of sit-down restaurants or cafes which we consider as not fancy but respectable.

Le Malakoff

view from the side street c/o google maps.

Le Malakoff was just 5 minutes away from our hotel, and after traveling from Geneva all morning, we were simply famished. We ordered steak and fries, salmon, a chicken dish and a pasta dish for me. My son loved the “French” fries. My sister liked her steak. It was alright for the prix-fixe menu cost of about €15 each.

Paradis du Fruit

Paradis du Fruit at the corner, and right beside a kids’ bookstore.

Our next culinary exploration was in Paradis du Fruit at Saint- Germain-de-pres near the Seine (and with a clear view of Notre Dame). My friend, L, took me and my sister out for lunch and suggested this place. It was only the end of August and the weather was still nice. The restaurant had set out tables and chairs out along the pedestrian lanes and we got seated outside. This one I loved. I think, if I live in Paris, this will be my go-to comfort food spot.

Mama Rosa Coco

L, sister and moi.

L had a salad. My sister ordered the Mamasköl which is chicken in vanilla sauce with bananas and raisins, with a side order of rice and salad. It sounds weird, but it is absolutely heavenly. I had the Mama Coco Rosè which is also chicken but stewed in coconut and red curry with a side order of rice and salad as well. The curry had apples in it, which was weird at first but it worked so well!! I did not regret my choice. I loved it so much, I have tried recreating the dish when I got home (to complete failure). Do try this one when in Paris. The dishes range from €13.90 to €16.00. Not bad, eh?

Café Chappe

When visiting Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, you will have to use the stairs. A LOT. Halfway down there’s a funicular which we tried out for fun, and even then, we still got hungry. So we parked our behinds at Café Chappe just one turn right after descending the Sacre Coeur stairs. We ordered our Cokes with lemon slices, and a number of pasta dishes. I got a lasagna and to be honest, I have quite forgotten how it tasted. What I remember is thinking that I wish there was more of it. Or maybe I was just really hungry with all the walking we did. The price range was somewhere between €12 to €16 euros. I will give this a skip next time though.

Yushi

Yushi on your left, Hotel Longchamp Elysees on your right.

Yushi has a proper sit-down place, and right behind it is the take-away section for pretty much all the sushi you can eat. For €8.00 for a medium tray of mixed sushi, it was our actual go-to place in Paris. It helped that it is literally beside our hotel! I love sushi, so you can imagine how happy I am that I can access them anytime between 11am and 8pm. We have had sushi for lunch and dinner a number of times because the variety changes but the quality is consistent. Now, I know that unless you are staying in our hotel, finding this place may be a bit of challenge. There may be decent Asian diners in other parts, but we just considered ourselves lucky we were living beside one. If you do check in to Hotel Longchamp Elysees (and I recommend you do), you won’t be hankering for rice because Yushi has got you.

Berthillon Ice Cream

Let me rephrase that, it’s The Berthillon Ice Cream. It’s famous and rightly so. This is the best Ice Cream in Paris. The shop reminds me of a Harry Potter set and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they have Butterbeer on the menu (I checked, they don’t). There are lots of flavors on the offer, but I made sure I got a Cafe. The true test of an ice cream shop is its Coffee and Vanilla ice cream. Very few out there actually tastes like real coffee without tasting like Nescafe. No surprises that Berthillon got it absolutely delicious.

Here are the flavors the day we went there:

And there is my order before digging in. I was tempted to get seconds, but I’m diabetic. The first cup was already too sinful. 😀 Do visit for desserts after dining in Paradis du Fruit (it’s just on the other side of the bridge), or after your walkabout at the Notre Dame Cathedral (just a couple of blocks down after the bridge). To avoid getting lost, Google Maps is your friend. 😀

Foodie Level: Modest Posh

Bistrot Paul Chene

We were supposed to try 2 posh restaurants (in Paris) but only ended up with just one. Bistrot Paul Chene was just around the corner from Hotel Longchamp and I had been eyeing it since Day One. On our last day in Trocadero (before moving nearer the shopping area and the Opera House), we decided to have our lunch here. The family had mixed emotions, but I happened to love all of it. Paul Chene was an institution that closed down about 3 years ago, but re-opened in 2017 under the new management of Sebastian whom we met and who personally helped us order from the menu. We got the prix-fixe meal costing €24.90 each, and we got a couple of steak sets and salmon sets (again). Did not disappoint because I found the salmon rich, tasty and flaky soft while the steak was perfectly medium rare. I think my husband’s dissatisfaction is mostly about the price (because so far, this had been the most expensive meal we had in Paris), but other than that, I found it faultless. Don’t believe me? Read the reviews here.

Salmon Fantastic

Steak Perfection

Cafe de L’Homme

The one that got away was our reservation at Café de L’Homme. This is THE café to go to with its amazing location facing the Eiffel Tower. The food, I was told by my sister who has eaten there in previous trips, was sumptuous. The price even more so. But worth it because as you dine, you see this:

photo from The Fork.

However, it has a reputation for having snobbish waitstaff, especially if you are not dressed in your finery. The dinner we reserved there was after our Versailles fiasco, and we were all bone-tired and irritable. It could have been amazing. But maybe, I could have ended up biting someone’s head off. If you have the budget and the patience, do make a reservation ahead of time.

Baby-Friendliness of Restaurants and Cafes

You have to be prepared for the fact that very few establishments in Paris are truly baby-friendly. Most of the petit-cafes are small and it will be a hassle to go to with a stroller. No baby high chairs to be found anywhere (unlike in Switzerland where we were always offered a seat for the petit-cherie). However, the menu itself almost always offers a Kid’s Menu (with the exception of Paul Chene). Usually fries with filleted sole, or fried chicken and waffles — at a slighter cost than the adult fare. The restaurants usually have their own washrooms, but small and cramped ones. No space to lay down a diaper changing mat for little “accidents.”

What worked for us is to train my son to wake with the rising sun. He found it easy to transition to Western hemisphere time, and his body functions followed. He usually goes #2 around mid-morning, and then late evening before sleeping. We just timed our foodie adventures in between that. At this point, may I just wax poetic about what a little champ my Dylan was? He is built for adventure like his mom, that one.

Dylan and his first ever taste of a Macaron.

I hope you found some good nuggets nestled in that long essay up there somewhere. And I would love to hear other mom’s recommendations about that fab café you and your family went to and just loved! Leave your story below!

Smell ya later,

Bee

A Broke Foodie in Paris I have read a number of brag blogs. I hope you don’t confuse this blog with them because I like to think my inspiration stems from a genuine love of travel.

#Eating out with baby in Paris #foodie in Paris #Kids in Paris #Paris #Paris on a budget #Travel with Baby

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