How I Saw Paris This Week (Part Eight)

Oops, was yesterday Wednesday? I forgot to post my weekly set of photos. I guess spending 5 hours at Ikea trying to plan a new kitchen can mess with a guy’s sense of time. Another example of pesky reality getting in the way of creativity…

This week’s gallery is infused with a few food recommendations so get your Paris notebooks ready!

This was coming home from a tour in the 6th arrondissement. Light like this can’t be ignored! The subject matter isn’t the most lofty; just a woman on a bicycle. But this kind of theatrical light tends to make any scene dramatic. You Caravaggio fans will know what I’m talking about. That reminds me – I kinda miss Rome!

I’m so thankful for this scene each time I walk down the quiet Passage Saint-Paul. Just too perfect! If Hollywood tried to create a turn of the century movie set they couldn’t do better than this. As usual, I wonder what the people inside are like and if they appreciate the charm of their surroundings. Maybe one of them will invite me up for tea one day.

This is off Rue Gallion (9th arr). Considering it empties out onto the uber-busy Boulevard de l’Opéra, it’s remarkable how tranquil this space is. These courtyards always beckon me forward as if to say “there’s a better version of you in here, come find him”. I know a lot of you Paris lovers feel it too.

Also in the 9th, this is the lobby of a hotel called La Maison Favart. Just a lovely, well-constructed space that invites you to have a seat and a coffee. I haven’t stayed in this hotel but I’ve heard good things from readers.

This photo went a bit viral on my Facebook with over 200 likes – a pleasant surprise! It’s Aux Vieux Paris d’Arcole, a restaurant on Rue Chanoinesse (4th arr). I encourage you to make it part of your next Paris trip; the interior décor is fun, the food is yummy and the service is very friendly. Considering its proximity to tourist-packed Notre Dame this place has no business being so legit – but it is!

I come to the Palais Royal for work and I come here for pleasure in the off hours. It’s just great. Sometimes I forget how grandiose this architecture is. Like the hidden courtyards the arcades pull you forward, promising something special at the end of the tunnel.

I got a kick out of the lines that make up this staircase. It’s at the Marais Dance School on Rue du Temple (4th arr). Only Paris can make you happy there’s no elevator. :-)

This one was inspired by a visit to Boneshaker Doughnuts (2nd arr). Their creations are seriously good and it’s the perfect way to end a walk up trendy Rue Montorgueil. I had the pleasure of chatting with its married owners, Louis and Amanda. He’s an Irishman with with a background in the hospitality industry; she’s an American pastry chef who spends 18 hours to create each batch of homemade donuts. It’s impossible to choose from their flavors, ranging from bacon to beer to peanut butter to matcha tea. And they’re super friendly people to boot! You won’t regret a visit.

I did a small series of photos on Rue des Petits Carreaux, around the corner from the donut shop. This is a juice bar called Lemon (2nd arr). I’m a sucker for this pastel green color and I liked how it played off the colors of the apples in the window.

Like I said – the green and the red. Good stuff!

Another shot from Lemon on Rue des Petits Carreaux.

I guess they’re really into fresh fruit on this street because across from Lemon there was another health food place with two mini orange trees outside. This is why you don’t necessarily need to visit Parisian museums and monuments – the streets themselves are full of visual loveliness!

I took this at Anticafé Louvre (2nd arr). Not so much for the latte art but for the quirky coffee cup. You’re supposed to put your thumb in that divot to lift it to your mouth – logical on paper but kind of ridiculous in practice. I felt like a weirdo every time I took a drink. This café is interesting though; you pay 5 euros an hour for a seat,  and during that time you can have unlimited coffees and snacks. It’s a new trend in Paris and there are several cafés like this now.

This is inside La Sorbonne (5th arr). Any old library is a great reminder of how valuable books were in the past. I was one of those kids who always got giddy in a library or bookstore, and I always envied the school librarian who got to hang out surrounded by knowledge.

 

 

Thanks everybody for stopping by. You can find the previous “How I Saw Paris” installment here. Happy Paris dreaming and I’ll see you for the next one! I’m off to grab a donut…