Facts and fabulousness

I finished my book this week and I was very sad to have come to the end of it. I was reading "Paris, Perfect Gems of City Writing", a collection of extracts about Paris, life in the city and its weird and wonderful inhabitants. I love leafing through guide books and finding new things to see and do and discovering the best a city has to offer. However, another great way to fully discover a place is to read novels or pieces of writing about the city, set in the city or by one of the city's residents. The same can be said for films. So, over this past year, I have been compiling a list of all my favourite films and books that use Paris as its subject, as the never-ending viewpoints on the city are infinitely satisfying to discover. 

The following extract for me depicts so perfectly and so simply the diversity, uniqueness but also sense of familiarity and tradition in the sense that all over the city in a million different cafes, bars, shops and houses there are a million different and unique people but they are all united by their living in the beautiful city of Paris. 

"number of squares: 670

number of streets and boulevards: 5,975

length of public highways: 5,959 kilometres

number of municipal buildings: 318

number of fountains: 536

number of public monuments: 40,000

number of shops: 62,546

number of buses: 4,364

number of bus routes: 275

number of bus stops (banlieue excluded): 1,754

number of taxis: 14,900

number of traffic lights: 10,800

number of cafes: 2,050

number of hairdressers: 2,845

number of beauty parlours: 67

number of funeral parlours: 157

number of pigeons: 60,000

number of dogs: 200,000

number of public conveniences: 498

kilometrage of visitable underground tunnels: 300

number of individuals resident in the city of Paris: 2.1million

number of private households: 1.1million

length of history: more than 2,000 years (excluding the pre-historic era)

possible number of individuals who have ever lived in Paris or just passed through, each with their own histories: ... countless"

Colin Jones "Paris: Biography of a City" from "Paris, Perfect Gems of City Writing"

This extract paints a much more vivid picture of the city that I could ever dream of doing but it makes me very happy to think of myself as one little part of the city, contributing my story, in my own, unique way. 

This is Paris through my eyes.....well camera-lense,

How fabulous does this city look, especially during spring? 

Mood - Wanting to visit every cafe in Paris 

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Dynamo - A Century of Light and Movement in Art 1913-2013

Dynamo has arrived in Paris. About time too as I have been greatly anticipating the opening of this exhibition for months. The distinctively vague but alluring posters have been hanging tantalisingly outside the Palais for a while now and I couldn't wait to visit and see what all the fuss was about. Even before you enter the building dry ice is hovering mystically over the fountain outside, beginning the journey into the weird and wonderful. 

I dont pretend to know much about art, or even anything really but I decide which pieces I like according to things that appeal visually to me or drawn me it. The entire collection at the exhibition is profoundly interesting and each piece has a captivating appeal. I guess the point of the exhibit is to create a playful display of light, colour, distortion and reflection, which is greatly aided by the fact that many of the installations are interactive. 

The exhibition follows a never ending maze of passageways and corridors, each arranged by theme, including "abyss, "celestial", "halo" and 'flicker" and I couldn't help but notice that further we went the more playful and childish we became. The same can be said for all of the other visitors too, as we spun around in a mass of blue cording, watched transfixed as colours blinkered on an off before us and danced in-front of a screen creating shadows. A bit like falling down a rabbit hole into a magical wonderland, the creative pieces blurred reality with fantasy for a few short hours. 

This exhibition plays with your mind, at times distorting your image, flipping your frame upside down and creating bizarre reflections. Flashing lights and a blur of colours begin to addle your mind but force you to keep watching. Movement, light and colour all combine to make this a spectacularly fun and intriguing exhibit, the point is not to understand the art but to have fun, to lose yourself and become involved in the collection. In a sense, you become the art, as your reflection and distorted image becomes part of the installation and a focus of the piece. 

So much of Paris revolves around the beautifully subtle shade of Dior grey but once in a while a little light and colour creeps in, and it is these moments that make Paris truly spectacular as you realise that the city of light really comes into its own. 

My advice would be to go on a Sunday evening, as we didn't queue at all and had the palais almost to ourselves, however allow at least three hours to be able to enjoy the whole exhibit properly. We became awfully sidetracked by the blue hair and subsequently wished we had had more time. 

Sorry some of the photos are a little blurry, I think it adds to the craziness of the exhibit and adds a sense of distortion.

Mood - Playful

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Vintage fashion and Falafel

One of my favourite things to do at the weekend is to spend the day with a great friend just wondering around the streets of Paris. Most people know that I am a planner, I like to know what I am doing and when, however recently the city has had a calming affect on me and I have embraced the need for spontaneity. Sometimes I enjoy following my mood and seeing where the day takes me and usually it take me somewhere amazing. This is exactly what happened recently when N and I hit the Marais for a Sunday stroll, which turned out to include a vintage fair, falafel and even a few too many cocktails. 

Starting out at the Salon du Vintage in the Marais we wandered leisurely between the stalls admiring Dior handbags, Chanel pearls and luxurious fur coats. The fashionistas swarmed like bees to a honey pot around suitcases filled with vintage silk scarves and clamoured around soft leather handbags in fifty shades of tan. I love that each piece of clothing has a unique history to it, from its previous owner that is handed down to the next, making each garment a legacy. So different to picking up a dress from the high street that is owned by everyone, vintage brings with it a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness. 

After several hours browsing designer dresses and rummaging we headed towards St Paul for a falafel fix, the kind that can only sorted with a pita packed full of juicy aubergine and thick humous. Paris and the Marais are famous for its falafel stands and every day a queue can be seen down the street of hungry foodies waiting for their fill. It is only natural that as a Jewish area the Marais has become infamous for its incredible street food and lively atmosphere and I couldn't wait to get involved. 

We decided to eat in the restaurant and we were glad we did because we were swiftly served with pitas bursting to the seams with delicious flavours and contrasting textures. Falafel is a cheap and tasty meal that fils you up for hours, especially as we munched our way through pitas so big that they burst open, revealing their delicious inner glory. L'as du Fallafel is THE place to go, always packed out but quick service and fantastic food are definitely worth the wait in my book!

Of course we had to end the day with a refreshing cocktail in the 6th, sitting out on the pavement watching the world go by and the hustle and bustle of the city as it prepared for evening. 

Food, fashion and cocktails, a perfect weekend!

Mood- eager for more

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Summer and the City

Spring has finally sprung in Paris, this weekend the coats came off and the sunglasses came out. Paris was blessed with a beautiful hot summers day, the kind that makes everyone smile, act a little nicer and appreciate the fantastic sights around them. I have been told many horror stories about summer in Paris about how all Parisians flee the city due to the mass of tourists, unbearable heat and humidity and the lack of space for the whole city to breathe. As a country girl where summer means picnics in the park, watching cricket matches and spontaneous trips to the beach for a BBQ, the prospect of a summer in the city has brought on mixed emotions. I can safely say however, that after this weekend that I am so excited for summer and all the fabulous brightness and happiness it brings. 

There is nowhere better to spend a hot, balmy spring day than in the Jardin de Luxembourg with a group of wonderful girlies, a stack of books and an ice cream stand just a quick walk away. Despite the fact that everyone else in Paris had had the same idea as us, we managed to find a little spot of grass to put out picnic rug and managed to find peace amidst the happy babbling going on all around us. With all the business comes a fantastic chance to people watch and a bustling atmosphere to soak up in the sun. 

The Jardin de Luxembourg was created as a children's garden and you can really see why as children gather racing their wooden boats on the pond, flying kites between the trees and riding up and down on the ponies. 

We whiled away the hours reading, drawing and enjoying the feeling of the hot sun against our faces. 

A beautiful day spend with beautiful people, so simple and yet so perfect. 

Mood- A little sunburnt but happily so!

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