32. My Top Five Shops in the Paris’ 5th; The Marais

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Before we arrived in Europe, I spent hours reading up on the best shopping in Paris. I scoured the internet and my favourite reference books, and wrote down the addresses of a dozen bookshops, stationary shops, and of course, shoe shops. Inevitably, we didn’t get to them all. But here are my top 4 in the 4th; a few of my favourites that were mere minutes (via scooter) from our apartment in the Marais.

in pursuit of | The Marais

Boutique shops selling everything from designer olive oil to designer ballet shoes are hidden in the maze of 4th Arrondisement backstreets.
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31. Mont St Michel in One Day

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Sleepy Paris, still dark as we creep out of our building in the dim hours just after dawn, not wanting to miss our (very early) bus… a second time.

Our attempt to find the Tour Offices the previous morning failed miserably – the maze of foreign streets in combination with a flimsy tourist map left us frustrated and helplessly lost. After asking a nearby hotel’s concierge for directions, we managed to find our coach just as it trucked off loudly past us, the driver paying no attention to our flailing arms – a desperate and futile attempt to redeem our disastrous morning.

With that in mind, I suggest you find your Tour Office before your departure date. This is one of the lessons I learned early on – scout departure points the day before a trip; a warning I myself didn’t heed on this occasion! Luckily, we were able to pay a small fee and reschedule our booking.

Our destination today is Mont St Michel, the iconic floating fortress off the Western shore of France. I have always had a fascination with Brittany and Normandy – a seemingly misplaced piece of mother England in one of her long-time rivals – so I wait with nervous anticipation on the giant coach that is ferrying us there. It’s a four hour drive, so if you’re planning on doing the same, I suggest you take a good book!

in pursuit of | Mont St Michel

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30. The Phantom and the Paris Opera; Palais Garnier

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As a little girl, I was fortunate enough to be taken to the theater each time an Andrew Lloyd Webber production rolled into town. My favourite by far was The Phantom of the Opera, based on the gothic novel by Gaston Leroux. (Yes, even as a child, I couldn’t resist the mystery and romance of the genre!)

For those who weren’t as privileged, it is a macabre and tragic love story between the masked Phantom, a disturbed and disfigured man (thus the mask) who lives in the cavernous crypt beneath Paris’ Opera, and the young Christine, an up-and-coming singer. Here’s a snippet of the two from the recent, self-titled movie starring Gerard Butler as yours truly:

Complete with gothic candles, organ music, and dark, winding, castle-like corridors, you can see why I was a little obsessed. I’ve now seen the show in theaters around the world, and learned to play the score end-to-end on the piano.

So of course, when I discovered that Paris’ Palais Garnier was the very opera house that inspired the story, I had to visit the iconic building.

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28. Nine Top Tips for Visiting Marie Antoinette’s Versailles

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The Château de Versailles is a name that brings to my mind both the pinnacle, and the demise of the French monarchy. It is simultaneously the most glorious of all palaces, golden and gargantuan as the centerpiece of the town of Versailles… as well as the most shameless; the most decadent and indulgent trophy home of it’s time.

in pursuit of | Versailles

We visit on a cold, wet and grey Autumn day (not too dissimilar from today in fact). Funny – the way I always end up at this palace in the rain… still, it sets the mood, as the stormclouds gather above, casting a rather fitting, grim shadow over the dark history of Versailles.

in pursuit of | Versailles

While it is a sight not to be missed when visiting France, the buildings that comprise the Château de Versailles and their surrounding grounds require serious planning if you intend to cover it all in a single day. The palace alone spans 67,000m2, before you even get to the gardens – which more than doubles the distance you have to cover. So believe me when I say you’ll need every minute of daylight afforded to you, and you’ll need to use it wisely.

The following are 9 simple suggestions for an itinerary which I hope will help make your visit an efficient and memorable one.
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