Crêpes, icecream and a sunset - what more could you want?

The rue st andre-des-arts in the 6éme is packed with all sorts of restaurants, but for some reason I only ever go there for crêpes. So when I was in the area last night catching up with friends for the last time before I leave Paris (sad!) it was only natural that we stopped in at one of the tiny little hole-in-the-wall crêperies for a bite to eat.

Crêpes are pretty high on my list of must-eats while in Paris. They originate from Brittany, in the north of France, and traditionally contain just one or two ingredients, although most crêperies these days offer gourmet-style crêpes that contain everything from fetta to pine-nuts. The best place for crêperies in Paris is in the 15éme arrondisment, near the Gare Montparnasse, where immigrants from Brittany used to arrive and set up shop. Nowadays there are also takeaway crêpe stalls all over the city, which are especially good for late-night nutella crêpes on the way home from a night out (though true crêpe connoisseurs would probably be shocked at such an idea).

Despite their less authentic location, however, the crêperies in the 6éme offer an equally delicious (and reasonably cheap) taste of Brittany. Not being one to mess with a classic, I went with the basic egg-and-cheese galette, while my dining companions were a bit more adventurous, as you can see!

After dinner we grabbed some ice-cream from Amorino (the best icecream in Paris, in my entirely biased opinion. If you go there, be sure to try the 'inimitable' flavour - it's like heaven in a cup) and went for a stroll along the banks of the Seine while we waited for the sun to set.

There's not many places that can hold a candle to a view like that!

Happy weekending :)

Alice x

P.S. If you're in Paris and on a budget, most of the crêperies on st-andre-des-arts have lunch-time deals where you can get a savoury galette, a desert crepe and drink for about 10 euros: a great way to experience parisian dining without the dinner-time price tag :)

Art is all around (this is Paris)

I came home yesterday to discover that my courtyard had been temporarily transformed into an art gallery:

There's a children's drawing atelier that operates out of our basement and I can only assume that this was their end-of-semester exhibition, though the drawings are astonishingly good quality for children - I wish I could draw half as well!

For a few hours there was a constant buzz of activity outside my windows, as people streamed in our front gate to gaze at the lovely works - I managed to snap this shot at a relatively quiet moment (I was too afraid to take photos earlier on, as my camera is quite noisy and french mothers terrify me!) After awhile I went out for dinner, and when I came home it was all gone and silence had returned, with only this photo to prove that I hadn't imagined the whole thing.

Only in Paris.

Alice x

P.S. If you click on the photo it will take you to the full size file, so that you can see the drawings close-up. Some of those kids are incredibly talented - I wonder if I've unwittingly captured the first exhibition of the next Picasso?

Saturday Night Fever in Paris

Strolling down by the Jardin de Plantes on Saturday night I stumbled upon the most happening spot in Paris - this little paved area on the banks of the Seine, where possibly the most atmospheric ballroom dance class ever was taking place.

Tinkly music was drifting on the breeze and the couples were waltzing and twirling like pros, while boats cruised by and the sun set over the Notre Dame in the distance.

Sometimes Paris is so amazing I almost can't stand it.

Alice x

I have 19 days...

...left in Paris. 

I can't believe it. This year has just flown by. Even though I can now order a croissant without fear and give people directions to the nearest metro without giving myself a headache, I sometimes feel as though I'm still newly arrived off the plane, just finding my feet in this strange new world. 

I'm not sure that I'm ready to leave Paris. I'm trying not to think about it. 

Instead, I have many a plan for my last 19 days. Visits to Laduree, and Angelina's, and Les deux magots. Picnics by the Seine. One last glance round the d'Orsay. 

And to document it all: two new packs of polaroid film. Which gives me 20 photos. Or, one for every day left. 

So here's today's Paris Daily Polaroid: the view from my kitchen window this morning (see my potted geranium?) I'm going to miss this apartment! 

Alice x 

world environment day revisited...

Here's a few pics from the World Environment Day event on the Champs de Mars last night. It was so lovely sitting on our picnic blanket, eating popcorn (we were at the cinema) and waiting for the sun to go down so the movie could start. 

I was amazed how many people showed up! We were there quite early so we had a pretty prime spot near the screens - but I wonder how much those people up the back there could actually see? 

In any case it was a lovely way to spend a friday evening, under the sparkling eiffel tower - and an added bonus that we were supporting world environment day, too! :) 

Alice x 

P.S. The film ("Home") was really great, with amazing cinematography. If you haven't seen it yet you definitely should, it's available to view for free on the website. 

Happy World Environment Day

I'm just emerging out of my study-induced hibernation to wish you all a very happy World Environment Day! It's lovely and sunny in Paris today and I'm feeling particularly fond of mother nature. 

Originally uploaded by Eric Lafforgue

According to the United Nations Environment Program, the aim of World Environment Day is to "stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and action". One of the best ways you can help raise awareness today is to attend one of the events organized in your local area and lend your physical support to your local environmental charities. People equal power! Check out the UNEP website for info on what's happening in your neighbourhood.

Personally, I'm heading down to the Champs de Mars tonight to catch the premiere of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's film HOME (which serves a slightly selfish double-purpose, actually, as I get to have a picnic under the eiffel tower and support world environment day at the same time!) It's screening simultaneously in Paris, New York, Barcelona, Bristol & Cancun, so if you're in any of those cities go here to find out all about it. For those of you not lucky enough to be near a venue that's screening the film tonight, it can also be viewed (for free!) at the website. So grab some buddies and some popcorn, and help raise environmental awareness!

Happy tree-planting,
Alice x

P.S. You can follow the UNEP on twitter - they will plant 1 tree for every follower so head over there and follow them now!

and a rustle of tulle from the wings...

Last night some friends and I got all dolled up in our swishest frocks and headed out to the prettiest venue in Paris, the Opera Garnier. We had tickets to see Onéguine  (a classical ballet based on the novel by Pushkin) but as excited as we were about the show, we were just as interested in getting a peek inside the amazing building that is the Palais Garnier. 

Our tickets themselves were thanks to a parisienne insider tip which I'll share with you all (but shhh!): if you go directly to the box office at the opera house you can get "limited visibility" tickets for all the shows for super-cheap that aren't available online - ours were 10 euros! The view was a little bit limited from our seats, which were the back row of one of the boxes, but we found that we could always stand up if the dancers went out of our line of sight and then we could see perfectly. Which was totally acceptable for 10€! (especially considering a ticket to get into the opera house to sightsee when there are no shows on costs 8€- for the extra 2€ you get a ballet thrown in!)

The Opera Garnier is the building that inspired Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera (which also happens to be my favourite musical of all time). I kept an eye out for the phantom all night, but he didn't make an appearance, though his infamous chandeliers were glitteringly present. 

In any case, even if the curtains had never opened, it would have been 10€ well spent for a night out in Paris. Now don't you go telling everyone about those cheap seats - at least not until I've bought my next ticket! (I'm thinking La fille mal gardée in June - it was one of my favourite ballets when I used to dance). 

Happy opera-going! 

Alice x 

P.S. Onéguine was lovely, I definitely recommend it if you're going to be in Paris before it ends on the 20th of May.

Looking for Amélie's Paris

Some of my family from Australia are visiting me at the moment, so we've been trekking around all the regular tourist haunts. Yesterday the day dawned clear and bright, so we headed up to Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement to check out the view over Paris. 

The 'bohemian village' of Montmartre, with its clichéd cafes, dancehalls and perpetually starving artists, is one of the most recognizable images of Paris (after the Eiffel Tower, perhaps!) Made famous by films like Moulin Rouge and Amélie (called, more evocatively, Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain in french), its narrow winding streets are crowned by the breathtaking Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, built in 1873 in order to atone for the crimes committed during the reign of the Paris Commune. The steps leading up to the church are surrounded by large patches of lush green lawn, perfect for lying around enjoying the beautiful spring weather - as the masses of locals and tourists we spotted soaking up the sun yesterday can attest to. 

We wound our way through the crowds up to the top of the hill, but soon escaped the madness of the main thoroughfare for the calm of the back streets. We wandered past windmills, vineyards and hidden gardens, stopping along the way for icecream and coffee, and were just about to head back down when I caught this glimpse of the basilica. Though the building features prominently on every postcard-stand in Paris, seeing a sliver of it like this from a slightly unusual angle can still take your breath away. 

I can just imagine Amélie skipping down here on her way home, can't you?  

Alice x  

All the world's a stage

Coming home late last night I walked past this gorgeous advertisement for the Paris Opera, illuminated on the side of a bus shelter . I'm often disparaging of advertising in general, but I must admit sometimes there are gems amongst the garbage. Doesn't this make you want to run straight down to the opera house and book a ticket? And I don't even like opera!

Alice x

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it's a roller-blading policeman...

This is one of those things that would be hilarious in any other city, but in Paris it's just accepted without question. Policemen on rollerblades? "C'est normale, non?" (often accompanied by a shrug and a sidelong glance that says "you silly uneducated foreigner"). 

Knowing we've been a bit word-heavy this week, I deliberately took my camera with me when I went out this afternoon so that I could share some lovely parisian springtime images with you - and then promptly forgot about it. So this image is actually from last September, just after I first moved to Paris. I was peacefully strolling down the side of the Seine one day when I was almost bowled over by these three policemen speeding past me on roller-blades - as soon as I realised what they were I scrambled to get my camera out before they disappeared, and just managed to snap this shot. Meanwhile, noone else around me so much as batted an eyelid, apparently roller-blading policemen are nothing out of the ordinary. Vive la France, I say. 

Alice x 

Pretty Parisian Peonies (or: "things I like about Paris")

{originally uploaded by maralina}

One thing I love about living in Paris is the flower markets. Having lived in a perpetually drought-stricken country town for much of my life, fresh flowers have always seemed to me like the most beautiful of luxuries. How wonderful, then, to be able to buy (cheap!) fresh flowers at a moment's notice! Every quartier in Paris has at least one florist - and then there are the flower markets, brimming over with colourful blooms at all times of the year.

{originally uploaded by victoria}

After my rather disastrous day yesterday, I decided that heading out to find some flowers today would be a sure-fire way of rekindling my passion for parisian living. And I wasn't disappointed - after much indecision, I settled on these beautiful peonies. (I'd been secretly coveting fresh peonies ever since Jo blogged about their significance in feng shui - not that I would ever admit to believing in that kind of thing. But hey, can't hurt, right?)

Ce sont trés jolies, n'est-ce pas? 

Happy weekend-ing.

Alice x

Gently down the stream

Last weekend (on what turned out to be our last sunny day for awhile) we headed out to the Bois de Vincennes on the outskirts of Paris for a picnic. After cycling all the way around the park (which is apparently 3x larger than Central Park in NYC) to make room for lunch, we lay down on the bank eating strawberries & drinking cheap champagne, and wondering if we could convince any of the little french children playing around us to teach us to speak french. (I struggle so much with the french language, so whenever I hear french kids talking I get crazily jealous: "look! she's using the imperative, and I bet she doesn't even know what the imperative is! why can't I do that?") 

The sunshine and champagne had obviously gone straight to our heads, because after lunch someone suggested hiring rowboats and rowing around the lake - and we all agreed! 

I assure you, it's not as easy as it looks! 

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily merrily merrily merrily 

Life is but a dream! 

Bisous, 

Alice x 

Little lost flower

I was walking around my quartier enjoying the sunshine yesterday when I stumbled across a little garden in a square just off the Boulevard Saint-Germain. The garden had obviously just been replanted (probably for spring - hurrah!) and most of the flowers hadn't begun to bloom, so the one spot of colour caught my eye, and I moved in for a closer look.

Then I did a double take. Isn't that... a bottlebrush? In Paris? I was sure that they were unique to Australia (and wikipedia agrees with me). Intrigued, I walked all the way around the square trying to find some indication as to whether the garden was particularly related to les antipodes in some way, but there were no signs. Whatever the reason, I'm happy to have found this little piece of home tucked away in the heart of Paris - I can't wait until the rest of the plants start to come into bloom!

Bisous,
Alice x

An Open Letter to Paris

Dear Paris, 

I'm sorry I've been neglecting you recently. It's just that I've been so excited about reliving my Moroccan adventures that I haven't really had time to post about you as well.  I know that's unfair, especially since you've been pulling out all your stops just to get me to notice you - that's what the past week of perfect spring weather has been about, right? 

I guess you were frustrated on the weekend, when I spent a completely blissful Sunday in Montmartre - sitting in tiny cafés, eating amazing chocolate & almond pastries and generally soaking up the bohemian parisienne atmosphere - and I didn't take a single photo, let alone write about it. That was wrong of me. 

You were probably pretty annoyed on Tuesday, too, when I went to the hairdresser (for the first time ever in Paris!) and got a proper parisienne haircut, and bantered with the coiffeuse - all in french - and it didn't rate a mention either. 

Most of all I can see why you'd be upset that I haven't talked about the amazing change in the weather that's been happening over the past week - that I've been woken every morning by the sunshine, that the cafés have all moved their tables out onto the terraces, that I haven't had to wear my winter coat once. I apologise. You've been beautiful.

I promise I'll do better from now on. Just keep the clouds away, ok? 

Bisous, 

Alice x 

A cure for a rainy day

It was back to rain again in Paris today, which I actually didn't mind. For one, I had resolved to get up this morning and go for a run so as not to waste the sunshine, so when my alarm rang at 7:30am and I heard the rain on the roof, I smiled and went back to sleep without feeling the least bit guilty about it. Secondly, the rain and general gloominess gave me an excuse to try out one of my favourite rainy day cures - hot chocolate at the lovely Lilli's Brownies. 

While visiting an american patisserie in Paris might seem a bit passé (how's that for some unintentional alliteration!), Lilli's has the most amazing hot chocolate, in takeaway cups, for only 2 euros! If you've spent much time in Paris, you'll know that's nothing short of a miracle. On top of that, they also do lovely cakes, muffins and other sorts of general 'anglo' baked goods that are often hard to find in this pastry-obsessed city. Plus its warm, cozy, and has some cute seats in the window where you can watch the parade of trendy young parisians from the nearby universities. 

I met up with a friend, and we sat in the window with our cups of steaming chocolate and watched the raindrops fall and the world go by. I can think of worse ways to spend a rainy morning. 

Bisous, 

Alice x 

Is that spring I see peeping out from behind that cloud?

"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." 

(Hans Christian Anderson) 

The past few days have seemed as though someone has flicked a switch in Paris - the sun is shining, the clouds have disappeared, and I've almost forgotten how devastatingly cold it was only a few short weeks ago. 

The beautiful, blissful sunshine is making me see everything in a different light, and I've been pulling out my camera to take photos of everything and anything, even buildings I've walked past every day for the past 6 months: 

The newfound warmth has also brought the Parisians out from their winter hibernations - the Jardin du Luxembourg was crammed on Sunday morning with people just like me gasping wonderingly at the weather, and smiling a little. 

It's funny how sunshine can make you smile. 

Keep it up, weatherman. 

Bisous, 

Alice x 

Apologies + ready, steady, go!

Sorry I've been a bit slow on the uploads this week, it's taken longer to get back into the swing of things that I had anticipated! I've been carefully planning my Moroccan posts though - I'm going to try to cover each of the  17 wonderful days individually in the next few weeks. So without futher ado, I give you the first shot on my camera - the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris at 6:30am, as I made my way to Charles de Gaulle airport. 

Here we go! 

Bisous, 

Alice x 

Another day in Paris

Sunset over the Seine. Everyday I'm surprised at how beautiful this city can be.

I'm thinking these Paris photos could become a regular feature, what do you think?

Bisous X Alice

A little bit more snowflake sweetness

I woke up this morning to this lovely scene - snowflakes falling softly outside my window. I know there's many of you more-northern inhabitants who will laugh at my excitement at this tiny covering of snow, but this is the first time that I've seen any of the white stuff in my courtyard (it's quite sheltered) so it seemed kinda special to me. 

And if you click on the photo to enlarge it, what can you see?
Actual snowflakes! Awe.

Bisous X Alice

P.S. Incidentally, I discovered quite by accident that the way to make snowflakes show up (if you want to take photos while it's snowing) is to turn the flash on. I'm sure it has something to do with light refraction and what not, though since I failed physics I couldn't say for sure!

Snow Falling on the Tuilleries

According to the locals it doesn't snow very often in Paris, even in the middle of winter, so I was lucky to see the Tuilleries Gardens blanketed in white at the beginning of January. 

The novelty of it still didn't make it any warmer, however, and on first sight the white sparkly stuff just made my little australian body want to curl up and hibernate till spring.

Unfortunately, considering all the things I have to do between now and April, that wasn't really possibility, so instead I took my hands out of my pockets (risking them falling off due to the cold!) and snapped this photo.

The Parisian winter uniform is on fully show here - black, black, black. Makes for nice silhouettes though!

Bisous x Alice