June 1, 2010 by Heather Stimmler-Hall
June is one of the very best times to be in Paris. It’s starting to warm up, but the temperature stays pleasantly cool enough to be outside all day. Parisians can feel it too – get ready to start seeing more and more natives abandoning their lairs in favor of sun-bathed café terraces. Heather from Secrets of Paris keeps a wonderful calendar of the best things to do in Paris. To help you make the most of your month of June, we’re sharing a few of her top picks here…
June 3 – I almost regret mentioning this here, because I don’t want to have to elbow any of my darling readers out of the way (just consider yourself warned). Expect big crowds at the first Nuit du Gâteau at the Maison du Chocolat (8 blvd Madeleine, 9th), free tastings of their newest creations from 7pm-midnight.
June 4-6 – The Jardins Jardin garden festival takes place this weekend at the Jardin des Tuileries (1st), with a focus on urban garden design and “exterior decorating”. Open from 10am until 8pm. Entry €11.
June 5 – Join the Paris Urban Adventurers for a Scavenger Hunt through the city to raise money for their 2010 charity drive: “This year we’re raising money for solar technology to allow families in developing African countries to study, cook, read and live even where electricity is lacking. So you get to have a good time, and feel good about helping others, all at the same time.” Form your team and register to join the fun.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 3 Comments »
May 26, 2010 by Amy Thomas
As a New Yorker, I find it equal parts utter insanity and totally logical that as soon as I moved to Paris last year—with visions of millefeuilles, pains au chocolat, artisan chocolates and good old Nutella street crepes dancing through my head—I wound up Velib’ing through the back streets of the eleventh arrondissement seeking the city’s then cupcakes-only bakery. It took a few wrong turns down some side streets, but I found Cupcakes & Co, with sunlight happily spilling across the sole café table—an auspicious signpost pointing to the delicious display case of American delights.
Rebecca and Maggie Bellity, the two sisters who opened Cupcakes & Co in 2008, pride themselves on using natural and organic baking ingredients for their petits gateaux. And even though the concept arose from their travels to the states, their recipes are all French. They’ve dreamed up combinations like jasmine and vanilla, lemon and coconut, coffee and hazelnut and over a dozen others that set my heart racing and ensured many weeks of repeat business.
That was well over a year ago. And as my American obsession has waned (grace à new obsessions with macarons, violet éclairs and salted caramels), the Parisians’ has exploded. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food | 17 Comments »
February 14, 2010 by Tory Hoen
Erica Berman
After seven months away, I’m back in Paris for a while and am greedily soaking up every minute of it. After two weeks, I’ve slipped back into many of my happy habits, though I’ve come to realize that settling back into my Parisian life does require a few active adjustments. For instance:
1. Dietary shifts. You’d be surprised how fulfilling a diet composed solely of butter, cheese, Dijon, bread, chocolate and macarons can be. Although I must admit, a steady stream of coffee and wine leave me perpetually dehydrated. Note to self: water is the essence of life, even in Paris.
idata.over-blog.com/wallpaper.com/parisviewfinder.blogspot.com
2. Embracing linguistic limbo. When I get back to France, I regularly find myself in situations where two, three, or four languages are being spoken simultaneously. While the linguistic mélange is always exciting, I find that my English often starts to slip before my French has time to pick up the slack, and I am therefore left in a strange language-less limbo. Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 3 Comments »
.jpg)
.jpg)
David Bloom
Little Brown Pen
