Today I want to share my experience of a trip to work in Paris with you. If you travel to Paris on business, there are lots of ways to work in some fun experiences and sightseeing opportunities between meetings.
Work in Paris
I love Paris in the summer. I love the warm weather, the endless daylight, the leafy green gardens and parks, and of course, the soldes.
Unfortunately, since I moved to London I’ve had the bad habit of visiting Paris in winter. And while even wintry Paris has its charms, I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing out on something by not vising the city in the summer.
Then last month my boss suggested I take a trip to work in Paris for a couple days to meet with clients. He didn’t have to ask twice. I booked my train ticket to Paris and set about lining up meetings.
Train from London to Paris
Last week I hopped on a very early train at St. Pancras station and arrived in Paris at 9am. It was already hot. I walked out of the station and was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of the Paris streets.
It was part car exhaust, part cigarette smoke, part dust, part crotte de chien, and part freshly baked baguette. The proportion of each scent changed as I walked, but each was and forever will be guaranteed.
It was unmistakably Paris. I loved it.
Meetings in Paris
The day was brimming with meetings, and with all my work in Paris I didn’t have much time to see the city. That said, I got to see some very different parts of Paris than the ones I usually visit.
I had my first meetings in the 10th arrondissement, where I discovered a great little farmers’ market and a few small parks.
My third was out near Neuilly, which I’ve only been to twice before, and my fourth was in a former Zeppelin factory that had been repurposed into office space.
One of the things I noticed about all my meetings was that none of the companies had signs out front.
After I walked through unmarked doors on the streets, I found myself in courtyards full of doors with no identifying markers on them. It made my work in Paris a bit confusing.
I had to call several of my contacts just to learn which door they were behind, and even then there were often elevators, stairs, and other obstacles to overcome in my odyssey to find the office. Tres bizarre!
Between meetings I managed to grab a quick lunch and a peak in a few boutiques in the Marais, one of my favorite areas to stay in Paris.
Sightseeing in Paris
After work in Paris I collapsed in a heat-induced heap in my room at Castex Hotel and called a friend to meet for a glass (okay, bottle) of wine.
My friend couldn’t meet until a bit later, so I changed into more comfortable clothes and walked from the hotel, which was in the Marais near Bastille, to the Seine.
I crossed the Pont de Sully to the Ile Saint-Louis, where I couldn’t help but stop at Berthillon to get some of the best ice cream in Paris.
Strolling along the medieval streets and eating my beloved ice cream in my favorite city in the world, I gave into the ridiculous smile that kept creeping into the corners of my lips. Getting some sightseeing in after work in Paris was a great bonus.
I crossed the Pont Saint-Louis, then passed the Notre Dame and all the tourists admiring the beloved Paris landmark.
I walked across the Pont au Double to the Left Bank, and continued my stroll up to the enormous Boulevard Saint-Germain.
From there I continued my journey to Les Editeurs, one of my favorite cafes in Paris. I had a quick bite to eat there, then took the metro back to Bastille to meet my friend.
By the time I got out of the metro, a freak thunder storm had started. I ran in the pouring rain to a little wine bar my friend had recommended, and I took shelter from the elements.
My friend and her roommate soon followed, and we spent the next hour and a half catching up over a bottle of wine. My friend had to go to a dinner party after that, so I was on my own again.
Not wanting to go to go back to my hotel just yet, I took the metro up to the Champs Elysees to walk around and check in on the neighborhood I lived in when I worked in Paris for a summer in college.
When my feet couldn’t take another step, I hobbled back to the metro to turn in for the night.
Paris Soldes
My next day of work in Paris was even busier with meetings. After four of them, I had an hour left before I had to be at the Gare du Nord for my train back to London.
Wanting to make the most of it, I headed to the grands magasins to check out the soldes.
I think everyone else in Paris had the same idea. After fighting the crowds to get in the door and up the stairs at Galeries Lafayette, I took one look around and went back outside.
Working in Paris
I took the metro back to the train station and settled into my seat on the train from Paris to London. I had a long trip ahead of me.
That was because I was traveling back to London, then home, then taking a bus to Paddington Station, then boarding the Heathrow Express, then hopping on a flight to New York, then spending a night in New York, then spending a weekend in Jamaica. Not bad for a day’s work in Paris.
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