Day 1 – Getting settled: République & Bastille


Today, we arrived in Paris. The main projects today were to get acquainted with our new neighbourhood, and find some Parisian sustenance.


Our apartment, found on airbnb, was right beside Place de la République, a large public square and major Métro station (pictured above). As we would later find out, this square was the site for spectacular evening events and concerts. More on that later!

I experienced my first Parisian "expresso" at Broken Arm, a lovely café a couple blocks west of République. Not only was the coffee delicious, but they had an amazing lemon tree on display.



After a few errands and little nap, we strolled south along Boulevard Richard-Lenoir and got our first glimpse of Place de la Bastille. This public square is the original site of The Bastille, a fortress-turned-prison which was stormed by the public – and ultimately destroyed – on July 14, 1789. This was a pivotal event of the French Revolution, and the date is commemorated annually on Bastille Day, France's national holiday. We were lucky enough to participate in this year's festivities - more to follow on Day 11...

Today, nothing remains of the original fortress except for a small piece of stone foundation that can been seen at the Bastille Métro M5 station. Pictured behind the patina monument is the Bastille Opera House, built in 1989.



The evening was capped off with a delicious dinner at L'Alchemiste. Pictured below: roast pork chops and potatoes with a maple reduction, garnished with chives and pistachio. We enjoyed so much amazing food over the course of two weeks that I could create an entire blog dedicated to Parisian cuisine. I promise to keep the food posts to a minimum  this meal was exceptional.



It hasn't even been 24 hours, and I already love this city.