31.5.13

Le Bal Masqué

I have been waiting for this weekend to arrive for about four months. Ever since the beautiful NT announced that she was coming to visit me I have been counting down the days, crossing them off on my calendar and making list after list of fun things for us to do together. The day finally arrived and believe me it was fantastic. NT has been far to busy studying and loving life in Boston this year to think about all of back at home (well in Paris) so this reunion, after 12 months of painful separation, was greatly anticipated and well worth the wait. 


Isn't she just the best?

What better way to celebrate her arrival than with a masked ball! We donned out ball gowns and dug out our masks (or hand made them) and took our "carriages" to find our prince charmings.






By midnight the masks were off, our true identities revealed, our inhibitions released and scandal prevailed. Champagne was flowing and the vintage record player was spinning. Dignified waltzing quickly descended into dancing madness as the high heels were kicked off. 







A fantastic night of decadence and dancing and a fantastic way to welcome NT to the city of light. We are very happy to have you!

Mood - Perfectly content
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28.5.13

Le Petit Cler

Paris is famous for its food and fashion and these are two very good reasons why this city is the best. Without a doubt the best place to find food in Paris is Rue Cler in the 7th arrondissement and it just happens to be a hop and skip from my front door. Not that I am biased. Along Rue Cler you can find everything from an American Diner to a michelin starred bistro and the best creperie in the city (in my opinion). The best fromagerie in Paris is also along this road and the whole street is packed with fresh fruit and vegetable markets, wine caverns and even a few chocolate shops. A foodies paradise. 

Le Petit Cler deserves a special mention in my opinion and is my choice for a Sunday afternoon coffee stop. The heated patio looks over the street and is perfect for people watching and the food is simply delicious. Basic french cooking at its best, simple and effective. This is where you can find a French onion soup and perfectly cooked steak. I love observing the fascinating clientele and have come to recognise a few regulars, including a lovely and very glamourous old lady and her little dog Noisette who share a gin and tonic and coffee. 

I particularly enjoy spending my time with the beautiful IS and there is no better place for a good catch up with friends while soaking up Parisian atmosphere. 










Mood - Sleepy

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22.5.13

Catacombs

I see the city of Paris every day walking the streets on my way to the metro, meeting friends for an early evening coffee or walking back home after dinner. Whenever I fly to London I always pick a seat on the left hand side of the airplane so that I have fabulous views of the city from above as I fly over Paris. However, I have never seen Paris from below, and when I say below I mean underground. Well, I mean, there is the metro, with its never-ending maze of tunnels and tracks, passageways diverting off to new places and its diverse array of passengers. I travel by metro almost everyday, and as much as people say that taking the metro means you miss out seeing what's going on above, I almost think that there is just as much going on underground. On the the surface you see the city, its monuments, parks and buildings, however underground, the metro platform becomes a stage for all the city's performers and it's the Parisian people that make it come alive. I have seen everything on the metro, loved-up couples, a cat, several buskers, a bomb disposal squad, a granny wearing the biggest piece of bling I have ever seen and even a sofa. 

But there is another way to venture underground in Paris. One dark and dreary Sunday back in January AM-S and I nervously descended into the underground passageways of Paris that form the Catacombs.







What started out as a dark winding tunnel, that bent slowly downwards further and further into the earth,  turned into an underground cemetery packed floor to ceiling, as far as you could see, with neatly stacked human bones. This sounds eerie and completely weird and in a sense it was. The remains of 6 million of the city's inhabitants were placed into the tunnels just after the French Revolution because the cemeteries were overflowing and a new place was needed to store the dead. Years later and the bones were neatly organised, tiling the tunnels with human remains as well as the artistic imprints of the workers, paying homage to the dead. 









As much as this is a place of mourning and a cemetery, it is also a work of art, and the sheer endlessness of the passages absolutely amazed us. Instead of feeling sombre we were just both absolutely overawed by how incredibly moving, peaceful and interesting this place was. 

For me seeing underground Paris was a new venture, a new angle to seeing the city. Not necessarily the most cheerful of visits but definitely just as interesting as watching the daily blend of Paris's moving mass on the metro platforms. 

Mood - Interested 
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12.5.13

Exploring the 7th

I have made it my mission to explore every sector of Paris, not just the famous monuments and the pretty neighbourhoods, but the whole city. I am aware that this is a big task and an almost impossible feat. Luckily the layout of Paris naturally breaks up the city into bite size chunks, dividing it up into 20 arrondissements that spiral around the Seine. Each quarter is very distinct and varied, each offering their own little part of Paris and this is what I hoped to find and to capture. I decided to start with the 7th arrondissement, not only is this my home and my area for a year but it also houses la Tour Eiffel, the biggest symbol of Paris and therefore a good beginning for my journey. 

This is my depiction and view of the 7th. 


The Eiffel Tower




Hotel des Invalides




Ecole Militaire



Musee de Quai Branly



Musee Rodin 




Other pretty things 











A few of my 7th favourites 

Patisserie - Le Moulin de la Vierge - 64 Rue Saint Dominique 
Restaurants - Les Cocottes - 137 Rue Saint Dominique
            - Diner - 24 Rue Valadon
            - Cafe Centrale - 40 Rue Cler
            - Le Recrutement - 36 Boulevard de la Tour-Maubourg
Florist - Julian - 15 Boulevard le Tour Maubourg 
Coffee Stop - Bar du Central - 99 Rue Saint Dominique 
Chocalatier - Michel Chaudun - 149 Rue de l'Universite 
Luxury food shop - La Grande Epicerie - 39 Rue de Sevres
                 - Petrossian - 18 Boulevard le Tour- Maubourg 
Cinema - La Pagode - 57 Rue de Babylone 
Bar - l'Eclair - 32 Rue Cler


Mood - At home
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