10 Things One Ought To Do In Paris

Speaking about Paris one can’t help thinking about the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame and the Arch of Triumph. But there’s another Paris, away from crowds of tourists and flash guns. Here’s a list of original things one can do in a French capital:

1) To order chicken-soup with noodles for €4 in one of the Chinese restaurants. To understand which dishes are the tastiest one should have a look on what the Chinese eat themselves and then to ask a waiter to bring you the same. Bear in mind that the menus are in Chinese only and the waiters hardly speak French.
2) To visit a local market. Paris offers a great variety of markets: from bourgeois to the cheap ones. Go there right before closing time (that is immediately after noon). The salesmen will gladly give you fruit and vegetables for €1 as they need to get rid of the products at the end of the day.
3) To take a steam bath in the mosque’s bath-house (2bis, place du Puits de l’Ermite). You will be offered a black soap that is made by a secret formula. Don’t need to hurry. After the washing enjoy mint tea with oriental sweets and idle in the sun.
4) To pop in the La Villette Park and find a small bamboo summerhouse. To sit there for a while feeling the fascinating atmosphere of the place. Then to have a picnic with cheese and champagne on one of the lanes.
5) To swim in the Pontoise swimming-pool (19, rue de Pontoise) as the heroine of Juliette Binoche did (do you remember «Blue (Three Colors Trilogy)»?). This is one of the most beautiful swimming-pools under the glass roof. You don’t need to show any certificates of health. All you need is a swimming cap. By the way, the pool works until 11 pm what is very uncommon for Paris.
6) To feel the Bohemian atmosphere of Paris and to have a free drink at the opening day in Tokio Palace (13, avenue du PresidentWilson). This is a museum of a modern art that hosts different exhibitions once in a month. The entrance is free. The palace is huge so it’s possible to realize the craziest projects like knight tournament in a glass retort.
7) To attend the main Parisian cold store – Les Frigos (19, rue des Frigos), a present habitat of the local artists. Nearby there’s a place called Les Voutes where one can order some home-made dishes. Then go to a concert, visit a cinema or some performance that take place there almost every day.
8) To visit «Mamie», a shop where one can buy a fine vintage bag or a pair of shoes.
9) To go out Paris. To visit some abbey, to look at the cells, stroll in the park, walk along forests and fields. The tranquility of this place will help you get rid of the daily stresses.
10) To enjoy a croissant and coffee in one of the numerous Parisian cafes. Choose the one where Parisian music is played. So you will feel the atmosphere of a Hemingway Paris!

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