Saint Tropez, yay or nay?

In May, I spent a week in Saint Tropez. I stayed in the best five star hotel in town, ordered room service, went to private beaches, lounged at the hotel pool, ate in restaurants where a hamburger costs 28 euros ($38) and a glass of orange juice costs 8 ($11). 

Oh yeah, except I was the nanny for a very wealthy and demanding family. Even so, it was a pretty good work week, as far as being a nanny goes. When else do you get paid to lay on the beach and work on your tan while "supervising" an eight year old playing nearby? 

Still though, Saint Tropez, famed as it is, isn't my favorite place on the Côte d'Azur. I adore Nice (it is nicer!) I'd give Cannes a second chance, and I still have Antibes on my wish list, but Saint Tropez? Eh. Here are my "yays and nays" of "Saint Tropay." (Because it rhymes. Get it?)

Yays

The Hotel

I stayed in the Byblos, one of the fanciest five star hotels in town. La classe, quoi. I had my own balcony, the bathroom was more sparkling clean than my kitchen, and the maids were so tidy that when they folded and put away my scarf, I couldn't find it for days. The breakfast buffet was to die for. Normally, I would have stuffed myself to capacity each morning, but I was just coming from a fantastic delicious wedding where I had already stuffed myself wayyyy over capacity (I ate so many hors d'oeurves, not only did I not have room for dinner, I literally wasn't hungry for days. I know in English we call that gluttony, but I think I can get away with calling it being gourmande - someone who enjoys and appreciates food - in French.)

Check out the Byblos' room service menu. They even have a menu chien, if you're willing to pay the price. 

And then when you order that 20 euro soup.....

Ta da!

I was also in love with the bathroom. I wanted to live in here. Mostly because it was so beautiful, not just because the tub was the only place no one could bother me. 

Also, added bonus - we had a peacock friend who hung out by the pool. 

He even posed for photos. 

The Beaches

This was one of my favorite parts. Go to beach, lay in the sun near eight-year-old playing with friends, occasionally man a paddle boat with four kids under ten - oh wait, that wasn't one of my favorite parts.  But the beach, I loved. Check it out. 

          

                 

View from the paddle-boat

              

Visiting Saint-Tropez-ians

We got to visit the house of some wealthy friends (theirs, not mine) and I took photos of their mint-green kitchen and paradisiacal backyard when no one was looking. Shhh.

It's beautiful

I wouldn't want to own a boat (I don't even really want to own a car) but they have boats a-plenty in Saint Tropez, and they sure are pretty, especially at sunset. 

 

Nays

Transportation

I never would have guessed that just getting to Saint Tropez would be such a challenge. First of all, there's no train station (really unusual for France - normally all but the tiniest towns have train stations) and there is no airport. If you're lucky, you'll sail in on your yacht, if you're not, you'll take a cab or car from the nearest train station (one hour away) or airport (two hours away). (Or you could drive in - duh - but brace yourself for the cost of parking.)

The cab ride from the nearest train station (Gare Saint Raphael) cost over a hundred euros and rendered me deathly, dry-heavingly car sick with it's bumps and turns. I was so grateful when I arrived at the hotel after nine hours of travel (vive la grève SNCF!) and my boss told me to order room service and watch TV.

It's expensive

Saint Tropez is expensive. I know, shocker. Food, lodging, shopping, beaching - everything is très cher. I'm sure there are ways to do Saint Tropez on a budget, but my question is, why? 

It's a beautiful place, but it's not the only city on the Riviera. Why not go somewhere else on the Côte d'Azur (with a train station) and save all that cash you would have blown in Saint Tropez? 

It's... eh. 

I don't know how to express it. Saint Tropez didn't draw me in. I'm not an expert, and there's certainly much more to the city than I had a chance to see in my short, shackled time there. But the thing is that I really had no desire to see more of it. For whatever reason, I'm not inclined to return to spend more time there. 

I'm glad I had the opportunity to go to Saint Tropez, and even gladder that it was on someone else's dime! Next time, though, I think I'll skip it - beautiful as it is, I don't think Saint Tropez is a city I could ever love. 

Paris Flashback: Christmas windows of 2012

Even though I prefer living in Lyon to living in Paris (more on that later) no one does Christmas window displays like Paris department stores. Here's a flashback from my life in Paris last year, Christmas in Paris 2012.

Lights at Le Bon Marché

Le Bon Marché, Rive Gauche. I miss bringing home Christmas goodies from the Epicierie! Do you know how hard it is to find Christine Ferber jam in Lyon? 

Printemps, on Boulevard Haussman, was nothing short of spectacular

Dior was the official sponsor

They even had a window display featuring one of my favorite perfumes. La classe.

Not only did these ladies move, they were ice-skating.

The snazziest, jazziest flamingos in all of Paris were celebrating Christmas right here at Printemps

These windows always draw a crowd - I had to push some kids out of the way to get a decent photo.
(jk, jk)

Shoddy photo, I know, but can we talk about how much I want this dress? And a unicorn?

These guys are blurry because they were dancing! This little guy in the front is literally kicking up his heels. 

Over at Galeries Lafayette, they were dancing too...

...but I think they went to a different ball

Speaking of going to the ball, inside Galeries Lafayette was Cinderella's carriage (which, apparently, you are not allowed to ride in)

But most spectacular of all is the iconic Galeries Lafayette Swarovski Christmas tree

And the stained glass ceiling

When is the view of department store cosmetic counters ever so lovely and lit up? 

Galeries Lafayette, beautiful inside and out

Now I live in Lyon, and I miss the Christmas displays of Paris (but not the Christmas crowds.) 

                                  Did the grands magasins of Paris top last year? 

The best pizza in Paris: Golosino

On a cross-Atlantic plane ride at the end of 2012, I sat next to a nice Canadian gentleman who had been living in Paris for eleven years. He told me that the best pizza in Paris was at Golosino in the 5th arrondissement. 

Other people (who have never eaten at Golosino, I might add) argued their favorite pizzeria was the best in Paris, but they were all wrong. Wrong, I tell you!

Here's why I had a major coup de coeur for Golosino:

It's authentic

You walk in, and everyone is speaking Italian. It's so awesome. My Italian sucks, but I love to listen to it. And while I'm absolutely not an expert on what makes something authentically Italian (despite the diluted Italian blood swishing in my veins) I'd say that it's a good sign when all the staff and half the customers in a pizzeria are conversing in Italian, wouldn't you agree? 

It's affordable

No trendy overpriced pizzas here! A pizza will run you about 10€ or less (8€ if you get the margherita), and they're big! One is definitely enough for two people. They also have calzone, stramboli, minipizzas, and more for between 3-4€, and takeout lasagna and pasta for around 6€. 

It's delicious

Yum yum yum. I don't think there's anything mediocre on the menu, but if I still lived in Paris, I would work my way through every single dish, just to be sure. 

Capricciosa pizza = deliciosa pizza

It's un-pretentious

This is a hole-in-the-wall lunch and takeout place, not a fancy restaurant. If you eat in, you grab a stool at the little counter, but many people choose takeout (emporter) instead, and thankfully - customers are many, but space is limited. (Picnic in the Jardin des Plantes?) 

If you can't finish your pizza, there is no shame in taking the rest to go! If you know about my French pet peeves, you know this is huge! In fact, the Italian guy who kindly boxed up my uneaten slices said he didn't understand why this isn't "done" in Paris - apparently it's fine in Italy. On the other hand, my French chéri said it was "la honte" (so embarrassing) to be seen carrying leftovers! 

Practical Information

I've only visited the location right off Rue Mouffetard (4 Square Vermenouze Paris 75005) but apparently there's another near the Jardin de Luxembourg (8 Rue Gay Lussac Paris 75005), both in Paris' 5th arrondissement. 

They are closed between 3pm and 6pm during the week as well as all day Sunday. Check the website for the Saturday hours of your preferred location. 

Oh, their website! It's http://golosino.fr/.  You can browse their menu and call to place a to-go order, if you like. 

Buon appetito! 

Parisian Places: La Promenade Plantée & Jardin de Reuilly

If you've ever been to New York, you may have visited the High Line, an abandoned railway turned into a long, walkway-shaped park where you can stroll, picnic, and admire a view of the city and

art of sorts.

Strolling 

Art of sorts

Well, in Paris, they have La Promenade Plantée, or La Coulée Verte (why does it have two names? I don't know) another abandoned railway-turned-park in the Eastern part of the city that actually predates New York's High Line by a good chunk of time.

When the weather is nice, the Coulée Verte is one of my favorite places to walk and talk with a friend. It's like being in another world - you're lifted up and out of the city, away from traffic, away from buildings and businesses, away from velibers ringing their bells and les vieilles trying to trip you with their enormous rolling market caddies that take up the entire sidewalk - all you can see is picturesque Parisian rooftops and blooming flowers. And sometimes graffiti. 

Picturesque Parisian Rooftops

Bloomin' flowers on the Coulée Verte

If you keep walking, you'll eventually come to Jardin de Reuilly, a big lawn, essentially. You can usually find friends picnicking, families playing, and people soaking up rays (watch out - it's not always the people you want to see who are baring the most skin!)

And here's something mind-blowing. If you take the little walkway to the right that goes just around the pelouse and then down the stairs which lead to a park exit, at the bottom you will find the most amazing public water fountain I have ever seen. 

You press a button, and fresh, cold water shoots out and fills up your bottle. And you have a choice between, get this, regular water and sparkling water. Sparkling water! Am I the only one who thinks this is amazing and totally worth a trek across town?

Because trek we did. I found out about this miraculous modern-day sparkling spring through Instagram after I had already left Paris, and so on my next trip back, I insisted on coming back, down the Coulée Verte, to the Jardin de Reuilly, on a hunt for this magical eau petillante. 

It would have cost less than a euro to just buy a bottle, but what's the fun in that? 

Practical Information

How do I get there? Well, if you're in the middle of Paris, get yourself to Bastille, and then find the opera house and plant yourself right in front. Face the opera, and walk left. Follow the sidewalks left left left, around to the side, and down the subsequent street - keep going, keep going, a block or two away from Place de la Bastille, and then look to your left - the non-descript stairs take you up to the beginning of the Coulée Verte. Voila! 

Metro: Bastille and Ledru Rollin are closest to the west entrance, and Montgallet is closest to Jardin de Reuilly.  Gare de Lyon and Dugommier are not too far, and since the walkway continues all the way to the Peripherie (4.5 kilometers!), Daumesnil and Bel Air are two more metro stops in proximity. 

When can I go? The Promenade Plantée opens at 8:30am and closes anywhere between 5:45pm and 9:30pm depending on the time of year.