TRAVEL. FRANCE
Picnic in Paris
An experience to add to your bucket list
This is not your everyday picnic. This is the picnic you want to cross off your bucket list. A picnic by the Eiffel tower in Paris. Preferably with your girlfriends and definitely with some wine.
It’s Apero time! What is Apero, you ask.
An Apero is your pre-dinner social event of drinks and appetizers before the actual dinner that takes place at another location if dinner ever takes place.
This social event is something you want to experience more than once. To fully immerse yourself in the French culture of wine, good cheese, spectacular views, good conversation, and whether or not you like this there will be cigarette smoke floating in the air right by you. But don’t let that stop you from this experience.
I had the opportunity to experience this event once a week for a few years. Staying fit was part of my routine because there is no way I was going to pass on cheese, croissants, bread, and butter. All of it was all so worth living with amazing people for so many years.
A social dinner in Paris starts late, so an Apero is inevitable. You will quickly notice when walking around the streets of Paris in pure enjoyment that around 8 pm the restaurants are packed with people eating. You will not be the only one walking around trying to find an open restaurant to feed your hungry belly after a day of touring this historical city. Restaurants will be open, good restaurants will be available, you will find something to enjoy.
As a flight attendant for the past 21 years for a major Canadian airline, I had the possibility to see many different cultures and customs. Experiencing food, languages, architecture, traditions, music, art, gardens, history… It’s a privilege to have experienced such richness.
The beauty of traveling is to integrate yourself into that country’s culture and try to live like the locals. Whether you are there for a weekend or a year. The point of traveling is to live something different than your everyday routine, the same imagery that rolls out in front of your eyes like a repeated movie or the same sounds that you have now tuned out as it has lost its luster.
When in Paris, you live like a Parisian
Living like Parisians in my eyes is very glamorous and relaxed. To live and let live, to walk around with your head held up high, to drink wine because it is less expensive than water, to socialize, admire the beauty of nature and art, and indulge in cheese and bread. No time for calorie counting.
It’s time to experience the ultimate picnic
The first time we ever picnicked by the Eiffel tower we must have been eight to ten girls (all flight attendants). It was a gorgeous sunny day, we couldn’t have asked for better weather. Everyone had food or wine in hand to share amongst all of us. It isn’t about you it’s about all of us.
We had a blast, an evening to remember.
You have to be somewhat organized to head out to a picnic. Do not panic, it’s not complicated. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have all the things you need to create the perfect picnic because it’s not about perfection it’s about the social, visual, and gastronomic experience.
How to create the picnic if you’re only visiting for a short while? Here is my flight attendant tip.
If there’s something that flight attendants are good at is to improvise to make things work. It’s a skill that is quickly cultivated at an early stage of our career and carried through for the rest of our lives everywhere we go. It’s quite fascinating to see in action.
This is what you want to do next time you head out on your next Parisian picnic.
Make sure you have a small backpack.
Now if you don’t have one, don’t worry. You can find a small bag and even a blanket to sit on at a great price at Decathlon. Decathlon is an outdoor sports store with all your fitness and sports needs. I’ve seen flight attendants come home with a folding camping table on their return flight home, oh wait that was me!
OK, I’ve heard of flight attendants contemplating bringing an inflatable paddle-board in flight but they changed their mind because of the sheer size of the item to try to fit into the cabin. Not me!
So finding a small backpack and returning home with it isn’t a bad idea. Plus, it’s affordable.
Now, grab the paper coffee cups from the hotel
If they’re not in your room, ask for one or more from a staff member.
Go see the hotel concierge and ask for a wine opener, if one is not already in your room. Otherwise, you can find excellent wine with twist tops.
It’s time to head to the local grocery store
There’s a market on almost every second corner; this is not an issue. You want to go in and buy a variety of cheeses preferably one that is already sliced, cubed, or bite-size. You will find some, don’t you worry.
You want to do the same thing with saucissons. Saucissons are charcuterie meats, there are various flavors, pick your favorite or try something new. Olives, crackers, chips, fruit, dip or guacamole, macaroons, chocolate are a must. Really grab your favorite finger foods but don’t leave out the cheese, wine, or bread.
Buy an inexpensive plastic container
Why? To put the awesome salty butter you are about to buy that is worth every single penny in your travel budget. Now spread that butter all over the warm, fabulous baguette that you bought that you had no trouble finding because bakeries are everywhere.
Before you walk out of the grocery store make sure you ask or find some cutlery and a few napkins. You will need it.
Now, if you are celebrating, it’s always a good time to celebrate. You may want to buy some bubbly. Wine, bubbly, and cheese are very inexpensive. Let go of any diet you may be on or release yourself from guilt. This is a guilt-free trip. Besides, it wouldn’t be very Parisian of you to not indulge. Simply let go and have fun!
It’s now time to head out to Jardins du Trocadero
This garden is located right in front of the Eiffel tower. This spectacular garden on a slope with a huge water fountain in the center that is in direct view of the tower. This garden is located across the street from the tower but you wouldn’t want to be sitting right next to the tower as you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the famous structure that is known around the globe and that lights up at night.
Beware and do not fear you will see the local military wandering around making sure that everyone is safe. Do not be alarmed, you can drink wine in the park.
The wine is flowing, the food is tasty, the conversation is continuous and laughter is in the air. I have always enjoyed picnics by the Eiffel tower. Even if we are sipping our bubbly in a paper coffee cup on a warm summer evening, sitting on our blanket or on the fresh-cut grass the view of the tower illuminating in our eyes with sparkle the pure joy in our hearts is an energy and connection we should all experience in life.
These picnics are one of many favorite evenings in Paris.
I don’t believe I’ve ever had a bad time in Paris actually. Even on a cold, cloudy, damp, rainy day, I’ve always found ways to enjoy Paris in some form. Sometimes it is as simple as devouring a great dessert. Enjoying the walk to the bakery, admiring the historical architecture and statues, listening to people talk, picking out the perfect dessert which has always been difficult to do. Have you ever been in a bakery in Paris with rows of delectable desserts sitting pretty waiting for you to pick only one? Impossible!
There is so much to do and see in Paris. And I hope you can experience it all one day.
Yes, you will go see all the famous museums, you will go up the Eiffel tower, you will hop on a boat down the Seine, you will walk in many magnificent parks, you will go up the Eiffel tower, eat in fabulous restaurants, have a cup of coffee with a croissant. However, you must at some point slow it down and picnic by the tower. It’s a must.
It will be a night to remember because you will have slowed down, you will be fully present. And when you are fully in the moment with all your presence, especially as a tourist which can be difficult to do at times, as some tourists tend to go running around from one attraction to the next like a crazy nut.
This picnic will have you living in the moment with all of your excitement that you made it to PARIS, by the Eiffel tower, with a baguette under your arm and a bottle of wine in hand. VOILA!
TIPS:
Make sure you keep your bags and possessions in front of you. There are a lot of pickpocketers.
Beware there are no toilets in the garden, so locate one as soon as you can. If you are eight people, each with a bottle of wine, the nearest toilet is a good thing to know.
When you run out of wine you can call it quits or as it starts to get dark, locals walk around with buckets filled with ice and beer. They aren’t shy to approach you and will sell you whatever they happen to have. If you feel you can still go on, don’t be shy to continue your celebration. If not, simply let them know you are not interested. They are not bothersome.
Be safe and take a lot of pictures.
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