an afternoon in paris

I had to hop over to Paris on Monday afternoon for a last minute meeting; Paris is one of my favourite cities and it's always a joy to visit, especially at this time of year. My meeting took place just around the corner from Place Vendôme, so I had time to pay a quick visit to Goyard on the Rue Saint-Honoré. (All I want for Christmas is personalised luggage, you see...) Afterwards I had a few hours to kill before catching my train home, so I decided to have a wander around the Marais and St. Germain, sparing half an hour to feast on steak tartare and hot chocolate in a sweet little bistro. I had just enough time to take a trip to the Louvre before boarding the Eurostar - I've been so many times before, but it's such a magical place, it always feels like it did when I was thirteen or fourteen and visiting for the first time. It's quite a romantic thing really, passing the Inverted Pyramid in the Caroussel du Louvre, climbing the great stone steps up and out into the nighttime air of the Napoleon Courtyard... The striking modernity of the great glass sparkling pyramid against the piercing black sky... Oh, Paris... Until next time!