Cinema Paradiso

I have been wanting to explore inside the Grand Palais all year and even though I have been into the exhibitions rooms to see the Dynamo art installations, I haven't had the chance to go into the main body of the Palace. The olive green art nouveau domes play host to a variety of events around the year, including the Chanel and Louis Vuitton shows during fashion week and a little colony of bees that live on the roof. Recently, though, the palace was transformed into the Cinema Paradiso, a drive in american-style cinema with a 25 foot screen. I had pre-booked tickets months ago to ensure I would get a front row seat.

NH and I arrived with high expectations and buzzing with excitement. The first few hours we spent exploring the exhibition space, including a pop up Colette shop selling pop-tarts, hershey's and other American style treats. Next we battled it out over barbie-table football and some competitive video gaming that ranged from machines from the 70's right up to games of the future! 

We feasted on mac n'cheese from the pop up Diner and then managed some fro-yo covered in chocolatey and fruity goodies. 

Sugar-fuelled we decided to take a spin on the roller-disco dance floor which turned out to be an absolute disaster. Roller skating is surprisingly difficult, especially with French kids whizzing past us. We managed a quick skate to the bar carefully located in the middle of the roller-floor and then realised we were trapped, until a very kind instructor took pity on us and gave us a quick masterclass. 

All skated out we took out places for the highlight of the night, watching Grease on the huge screen drive-in style. With the choice of cars, beds, seats and deck chairs to choose from we decided to go for the comfy beds and snuggled down ready for a good old sing along session. Reliving a classic film that I hadn't seen in ages in such a unique location was a fantastic way to spend an evening and there was no better way to explore and appreciate the beauty and timeless cool factor of the Grand Palais. Although if anybody wants to give me tickets for the Chanel fashion show next year, I won't say no!

Once the film finished we saw that the palace had transformed into a club, with the roller disco becoming a full dj set and dance floor and the diner was serving sodas with a kick. I wish we could have stayed and partied all night under the beautifully lit ceiling. We did manage to find the tree of life though! 

Mood - Wanting to re-live some more old classics. 

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Le Petit Palais

During my family's visit we took a petit trip to the petit Palais, the museum of decorative arts and little sister to the Grand Palais which lies on the road opposite. The beautiful thing about this museum is the actual building itself, which I personally found more interesting than the art itself.....but shush don't tell anyone that. Architecture counts as art in my book and I never tire of seeing the wonderful array of buildings that Paris has to offer. Wandering the streets you can find everything from a southern village-style villa to a living building covered in plants (Quai Branly) and an art nouveau facade. 

This is exactly why I was so fascinated by the Petit Palais and its incredibly architecture. Inside, the palace is a tribute to the artists that were commissioned to contribute to its design, with mosaic floors, painted frescoes and sculpted sweeping staircases. 

The palace is built around an inner courtyard garden, that curves around several water features and shaded walkways lined with sculptures. The gardens are overflowing with green vegetation and the whole place has a feel of natural beauty to it which contrasts with many neatly pruned and carefully cultivated French gardens. The whole museum was so peaceful and we only came across a couple of other tourists. 

As always, I just don't believe it's necessary to queue in Paris or to have to push your way through crowds of tourists. The way to see the city in all its glory is make the most of off-peak tourist hours, so post-5pm during the week and early in the morning on the weekends. Perfect for popping to a gallery after work and making the most of a sunny day at the weekend. Having said that, it was not sunny when we visited the Petit Palais, not that it stopped us from enjoying it at all. 

Mood - Hot and flustered (crazy heat wave in Paris) 

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Weekend Snapshots

Last weekend I spent the weekend showing Mamma T around Paris and we were also joined by Granny C and my auntie AW which made it into a fun girls weekend. Mamma T and I spent a day at Versailles and joined the others for an evening picnic in my back garden, well as close as I can get to having a garden. We bought some fresh baguettes, some very smelly cheese, a few naughty patisseries and lots of strawberries and found ourselves a pretty spot amongst the many others who had also had the same idea. In my opinion you just cannot find a better picnic spot than on the grass outside Invalides, due to the incredible view of the Hotel des Invalides, the Eiffel Tower, the Pont Alexandre III and The Grand Palais. We sat and enjoyed the last of the evening's warm summer sunshine, chatting away and just enjoying the rhythm of the city. 

Two happy housemates! 

The following day we took a stroll along the Seine and ended up at the Jardin de Plantes (post to follow) where we spent a couple of happy hours enjoying the quietness, the blossoming flowers and a breath of fresh air. 

 Sometimes in life you just have to stop and smell the roses! 

The gardens that run alongside the Jardin de Plantes have the most fantastic views of the Notre Dame and the Ile St Louis and run at river level which allows a completely different viewpoint of the city. We stopped for a quick crepe overlooking the river and listened to the Piano man playing a merry tune. The Piano man is very well known in Paris and seems to appear with his wheel-able piano whenever you need a little music in your life. 

We finished the day off with a quick tour of La Sorbonne Paris IV, the university that I studied at, have now graduated from and will blog about in more detail very soon. I took us to eat at possibly my favourite restaurant in Paris, Les Cocottes on Rue Saint Dominique where we enjoyed good wine and even better truly Parisian food. 

Mood - Considering a career as a tour guide!

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