A Poet and Artist in Paris

We went to Paris for 4 nights 21-25 January 2017. Athol was invited to share his poetry at a reading at Berkeley Books hosted by Poets Live - the longest running English poetry event in Paris.

It's quite a bit of travelling from Oxford to Paris. First we must catch a 10 minute bus ride to the Oxford City Centre, then a 10 min walk to the Railway Station. Then catch a 1 hour fast train to Paddington Station in London, then take the underground to St Pancras Station, then take the Eurostar to Gare Du Nord in Paris (2.5 hours), then catch a taxi to our self catering apartment near Champs Elysees.

It was freezing cold even saw some sleet. Most days the max temperature was 1 degree and the nights were as low as -5! We stayed at a little self catering apartment, luckily there was an M&S and grocery shop nearby.  Champs Elysees is a posh area in Paris with boutique stores and restaurants. The Arch de Triomph is right on top.

It is tricky getting around as most people speak French. The last time we were in Paris was for our honeymoon in September 2009. This time it seemed a little easier as more people could speak English and there was even some English on the menus!

On Sunday we took the bus to Trocadero which has a square which has the most spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower.

We walked to the Balzac Museum however they were closed.

On Monday we took the Metro (train) to Notre Dame Cathedral, a beautiful cathedral! Remember the Hunchback of Notre Dame???

Entrance is free to view the cathedral, so there's always a queue to enter. Worth the visit!

There is a nice little garden at the back with benches.

Just a short walk away there was Shakespeare and Co. and haven for book lovers.

On Wednesday night, Athol shared his poetry at Poets Live at Berkeley Books. Fellow poet Khalil Anthony also shared his poetry. Athol got to meet the great poet Retabile Mashilo. It was a great night!

Paris is a beautiful city!