Day2With all disappointment I’ve had to accept that this summer I’m not stopping by Croatia! This is due to an Air Strike by French controllers at the airports which leads to a cancellation of the flight. As a result, I’m staying longer in Paris and take the advantage to visit more places especially those that I’ve never been to before like Montmartre.

I’ve met my friend at Saint-Michel where we had a quick lunch waiting for my cousin. We’ve taken the Metro towards Blanche to alight for Moulin Rouge!

Moulin Rouge is a famous cabaret in Paris. According to Wikipedia: “Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance”. More information as stated on the encyclopaedia: “The house was co-founded in 1889 by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close toMontmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the redwindmill on its roof”.

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After taking some pictures in front of this landmark and meeting a friend from Denmark, we’ve started walking towards the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur. On the way, we’ve walked along some small streets animated by street performers and souvenirs shops. At the top of the hill, there is an amazing view over the skyline of Paris. From East to West, from the Georges Pampidou Centre till La Defence and from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower, every single landmark is seen from the top. We kept walking around and took the Metro at Anvers Station.

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Later that night, I’ve had a dinner in a Lebanese restaurant “Reflet du Liban” around Le Marais. This restaurant’s decoration, music and food has taken me on a journey to Beirut, which is by the way, a city that is at the top of my list of countries to visit in the Middle-East! The food was great served with some traditional starters like Moussaka, Hummus or Falafef. The main courses include various grilled dishes made of Beef and Chicken. The dessert was Middle-Eastern pastry and Moroccan tea. The whole dinner as part of a reduced price from an offer costs 20 euros.

The next day, I’ve taken the Metro with my cousin towards Trocadéro for Eiffel Tower. We have planned to climb to the clouds by getting to the top of the Eiifel Tower. After few minutes queuing, we’ve reached the cashier where we bought our tickets for 13 euros each by lift with a reduced price for under 24. The first lift took us to the 2nd floor of the tower from where the view was already stunning! We could see the whole city like a Lego. The second lift took us to the extreme top of the tower from where you could see much further across the city. It feels like a Monopoly game from the top. The view was great but in comparison with the 2nd floor I would say that the second floor’s view was much better as it was not windy nor too high to enjoy an amazing view. Still at the top, we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to my cousin and another woman coming to celebrate her birthday there. The way out from the tower took less time than getting in as people stay much longer to enjoy the view in both floors.

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Finally, it was not too bad staying longer in Paris despite various circumstances that made my stay worse like the bad weather. I’m expected to fly back to Morocco on Thursay 13th June if by luck the flight don’t get cancelled again.

More information about France in French from a Moroccan perspective can be found here.