Lonely Planet India - August 2016

T

RY to imagine the City of Love from
an eight-year-old’s point of view.
A big metal thing where you had
to stand in a really long queue.
Some scary stone building with too
many people inside called Naughty
Dam. Way way too much walking. And a boring big
building with a picture of some woman who smiles
like a teacher who knows you haven’t done your
homework. Why on earth would you want to see that?
Instead it’s simpler to not march the kids all
over Paris and leave them in the room for some
well-earned TV while you explore. Apart from Paris's
many many attractions (you really don’t want me
to list them here) you can go shopping at the Galeries
Lafayette great even for the non-shopping men
because of its wonderful architecture and because
of the superb Indian restaurant on the roof. I wouldn’t
normally worry too much about Indian restaurants
when I’m travelling but I’m here on a very wet
very chilly day and La Porte Des Indes serves up
a completely heartwarming lamb broth samosas
and French-Indian food from Pondicherry that
separate it a little from those places called Taj Mahal
or Gateway of India that masquerade as Indian
restaurants. Really even if you don’t like shopping

Paris

it’s worth coming here just for this food.

And if you manage to get the kids to bed early

enough Paris will still have a lot for you after the sun

sets. Wrap up warm and go up the E i f f el Tower on

the last elevator to get it all to yourself (and swoon

as it does its hourly sparkle all around you). Or go

to the Lido one of Paris’s famous (and slightly

infamous) cabarets. Yes there is a certain quantity

of topless ladies here staring too long at whom can

earn you flinty looks from women of your marital

acquaintance but it’s all tastefully done and

definitely spectacular. The latest show Paris

Merveilles includes some glorious singing great

dancing and even ice skating – it’s the scale of

things that gets you from the engineering of the

moveable stages to the choreography and the effects

behind the clowns’ acts. You also get a good dinner

and champagne with it and the incomparable

experience of finishing and walking out to see

about 200 old Gujarati men and women lining up

for the late show and wondering what they think

they're going to see in there. There really is a lot

of jiggling you know.

And well if the wife decides to prove she’s worth

10 of those cabaret floozies you’re the winner again.

That’s why you came to France in the first place non?

EASY EUROPE FRANCE FOR FAMILIES

Paris's cabarets might not
be for everyone but they’re
spectacular and definitely
entertaining