How I Saw Paris This Week (Part Six)

It’s Wednesday and time for another recap of Paris pics! Here are a dozen views of the city that I found share-worthy the past week. For last week’s installment you can click here, and of course you can always follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Happy virtual visiting!

I hope to find the time to post a breakdown of my visit to Les Invalides (7th arr); until then I’ll be sharing glimpses of this beautiful complex and its details. Here we’re looking up above Napolèon’s tomb. It’s a bit ridiculous how many interiors like this exist in Paris alone, not counting all the other cities of France. We’re very spoiled over here!

 

In my ongoing quest to find good burgers in Paris I came across Mamie Burger (9th arr). Not bad I must say. In an over-saturated market it’s the little details that count, and this place does them well. Rarely will you see lemon in a pitcher of tap water. Maybe it’s an American influence?

This one is for the book lovers, just outside Galerie Vivienne (2nd arr). Actually this store specializes not in literature but in old maps from around the world. Those little pigs you see nestled between the tomes are always a fun surprise for people; I should pop in and ask the owner what their significance is.

There’s a quaint overlooked spot in the 9th arrondissement where Rue Gaillon meets Rue Saint-Augustin. For a moment you might even feel like you’ve stumbled into a French village, just steps from the frantic Opera District. This bistro must specialize in seafood because there was a display of it on the table outside.

Yes, Parisians do like their privacy! As you well know, the doors here are masterpieces in their own right and remarkably each one is unique. This was seen in Le Marais, where old architecture abounds.

Not everything is old these days; sometimes the city accepts a touch of modernity. This is the Pyramides station on métro line 14. In 400 years will bloggers and tour guides share pictures of this to show the “old world charm” of Paris?

One of my favorite courtyards is the one that houses the Marais Dance Center on Rue du Temple (4th arr). Each of the practice rooms are named after composers, hence the title on the door. I just fell in love with this view when I saw it. Chopin’s life story is very closely linked to Paris, and I love to see his name whenever I’m out and about. 

This is the same Dance Center as above. Even when classes are in session upstairs, the ground floors are open to wanderers. One thing’s for sure: if a staircase has curvy lines and a wrought iron railing, I’ll photograph it every time. :-)

 

 

This is a military medal from my visit of Les Invalides. That’s about all I know about it…should have listened more to the guide instead of obsessing over all the details!

This is Galerie Vivienne again, packing up after a long day of brewing espressos and squeezing fresh lemonades for the locals. One thing I’ve always loved is how this tea room’s sign in the upper left cleverly mimics the old mosaic floors.

I love a good chubby angel baby sculpture, but what I really liked in this shot was the contrast with the Invader mosaic above. If you don’t know about this street artist, he installs permanent works in the middle of the night – often Space Invader characters – though nobody knows who he is or what he looks like. Sort of like our version of Banksy in London. Some visitors make an entire treasure hunt out of tracking down his pieces. This was a small courtyard on Rue du Temple.

We’ll finish with a palette-cleansing café gourmand – one of France’s best inventions! A perfect option for those who get sad when forced to choose just one dessert. It comes with an espresso (or tea if you ask) and any assortment of cake, fruit tart, crème brulée, fromage blanc, ice cream, macaron, etc. I’ve heard many old school Frenchies exclaim “A meal that doesn’t finish with coffee isn’t a meal at all!”

Hope you enjoyed my view of Paris this week. Stay tuned for the next installment, and feel free to drop me a line if you’re headed to the City of Light and want to explore with me!