Paris White Night - Nuit Blanche

If your going to be in Paris on the 2nd of October then your very lucky and I'm very jealous. You will be able to experience 'Paris White Night' (Nuit Blanche).

Living up to it's name 'The City of Lights' Paris will be transformed and illuminated into a midnight magic festival with unique artworks throughout the city, elaborate light installations, activities, performances; all lining the streets. While art galleries and museums, monuments, parks, pools - all throw open their doors for the midnight extravaganza as thousands of revellers celebrate.

From sunset on Oct 2 until 7am. Its going to be one hell of an all-nighter!!

Events will take place in 3 main areas - the West near Trocadero, the Centre around the Isl St Louis and the city and the East around the neighbourhood Belleville.


If your in Paris at this time and needing a place last minute Bed and Breakfast's  throughout the city are available. Choosing either to stay close to all the festivities (a recommendation as the metro lines during this magic night will be hectic to say the least so we suggest walking home).

We will help you find the perfect B&B for this thrilling event! info@petitepr.com.au

For more information about this event: we have found the following web details:
http://goparis.about.com/od/events/p/Nuit_Blanche.htm

Plus 1

Believe it or not, at this moment in time I do not know the total number of Parisian apartments we actually have on our B&B roster. 51? 52? 55? - somewhere around there I suspect. Whatever it is...plus 1....and that's how many B&B's we have now!!!

Helene's place is our new 'Plus one' Parisian B&B Apartment. It's just been added to our website this week www.petiteparis.com.au. 

Located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris - in between the Opera Garnier and Montmartre, you're within short distance to all the main attractions and monuments. Our new B&B has been decorated with much care by your host Helene, who is an interior designer and art lover. 

Very romantic with its purple alcove your have the choice of just the one bedroom, or (for a small additional cost) you can request the living room ‘en suite’ with the bedroom for your own private use, giving you a space of 32 square meters to come home to after a long day of sightseeing. It is tres bright and tres quiet;  the ideal accommodation for people who are looking for quiet peaceful nights.

1 person: 100euro per night

2 persons: 126euro per night

Breakfast is served by Helene and consists of: orange juice, warm drinks (tea or coffee), butter, two jams, croissants, "traditional" home made cereal bread or fresh baguette. Upon request Helene can also offer eggs, cheese, omelette or fried egg and ham upon request. Enjoy the tranquil peace and sunny sunshine each morning.

View the new B&B in its entirety (with full description, photo gallery and map on our official website. Click here. 


Going to count B&B's now. Bad director I am...
xx

Take our Quiz - What kind of Parisian are you?

aaaah j'dore Saturday!! Hello friends - take our new little quiz to find out what kind of traveller you are and let us recommend some B&B Apartments in Paris for you accordingly! Have fun. and then go out and enjoy the sunshine. don't be cooped up inside like some. ahem...

What kind of Parisian are you? » quiz

Le Refuges des Fondues

I'm sure this place has been written about a gazillion and one times but I've decided to make it a gazillion and two because I was just reminded of it reading the book ‘Almost French' while I sit here in my germ infested bed. I have a nasty cold waaaa!

Almost French: Love And A New Life In Paris 

Le Refuges des Fondues is a crazy restaurant and an institution in Montmartre since 1996. Ok so it's a major tourist trap and it defies everything you read about the glamourous art of french dining but if anything, its worthwhile going just for the fun, rowdy, family style atmosphere, the happy snaps and later to tell the story of climbing on and over communal tables and drinking wine out of baby bottles in Paris.

Here it is looking more like a puppet theatre:

On my last trip to Paris, my B&B friends took me to this wacky hole in the wall for my last night out. It's so tiny you'd almost miss it if it weren't for the constant gathering of curious onlookers squashed up against the window trying to get a look at the spectacle going on inside. And inside might I add, the sight of squished, bewildered faces pressed up against the glass window is equally entertaining.

Tagging the wall is allowed too:

Everyone is squashed like sardines on two long communal tables that touch either end of the length of the restaurant. And a teeny isle along the middle separates the two. This means the only way to get to your seat on the wall side is to jump on the banquette and climb over the other diners. The place is loud and rowdy and the wait staff are delightful and match in eccentricity.

There are only 2 things on the menu. Fondue Savoyarde (the cheese and white wine fondue) or the Fondue Bourguigone (chopped beef meet dipped in oil served with vegetable). Not bad.

But it's their wine served in baby bottles that was their claim to fame. Seeing everyone suck wine through baby bottles I wasnt sure if I was amused or repelled myself. It's a total gimmick, clearly catered for the tourist (somehow I don't think Parisians find this a very amusing detail), but it was a hoot just the same and I'd recommend it for the party atmosphere and very much look forward to returning. 

I just found their Facebook page too.  

And there are some reviews on tripadviser if you dont want to take just my word for it. It's ok, we're still friends :) 

Le Refuge des Fondues: 17, Rue des Trois Fréresm Paris, France 75018 map

Bon appetit et bonne nuit xx

French Flair 101

Have you noticed how French girls do not wear their hair with middle parts?! Someone pointed this out to me when I was in Paris last and now I can't stop noticing it. Its a strange phenomenon but it's true; like an unspoken agreement slash rule slash bizarre act of style elimination weeding out the foreigners from the natives via middle part hair faux-pas.

Whether its up or down the casual side part softly flipped over is the french hair-flair. It doesnt have to be a wide part - even just the teeniest slightly off centre will get you past the style policie. Its just never dead centre. Any ideas why?? * while I quicly flick my hair over to one side...

September Special - Villa Clara Mansion

This month is the Launch of our Website www.petiteparis.com.au Hip hip hooray!! 

To celebrate we're bringing you Villa Clara - a glamorous Mansion with some special discounts for September. and possibly November, December, January... well we'll see how long we feel festive... ;)

Book this wonderful B&B during September you will get a special discount off the total cost of your stay and the longer your booking the more discount you get. And why wouldn't you want to stay here for as long as possible right:

Book 3 nights and get 20 euro off the total stay!

Book 4 nights and get 40 Euro off your total stay!

Book 5 nights and get 60 euro off your total stay!

Book 6 nights and get 80euros off your total stay!

Book 7 to 9 nights and get 100euro off your total stay!

Book 10 nights and get 120euro off your total stay!

Book 11 nights and get 140 Euro off your total stay!

and so on! 

Please contact me to confirm your Paris dates at: info@petitepr.com.au

To see the full description, photo gallery, prices and map visit our website: http://www.petiteparis.com.au/279_Chez_Clara_Bed_%26_Breakfast_Accommodation_in_Paris.html

Villa Clara mini - gallery (see the full gallery on the website): 

La Villa Clara Maison

bedroom

lounge

breakfast

terrace

glass ceiling 

English French words

It’s incredible ("uncreaaabl") how many English words are actually French!! And every single one of them sounds so chic (oops there’s one) and glamorous!! Décor, couture, décolletage, negligee, deja vu, rendezvous, fiancé, boutique, bric-a-brac, encore, petite...

I have stopped going to French classes – that lasted 1 year – and I’m pretty pleased with that effort. But while I miss my favourite little class mate I have found something even better thanks to my Mr.

Michel Thomas audio records – learning to speak French without any memorizing, writing, homework or even trying for that matter. It’s brilliant! No pressure to learn, just listening and ‘hearing’ what your listening to. Its amazing how it flows in and stays there – the next thing you know your constructing sentences in your head with so much ease it couldn’t possibly be normal. This past week I have learnt about 5 times as much French as I did in that year of French class. I don’t mean to ‘dis’ my teacher - she was TRES magnfiique in her own teaching method – she was quite typically old school French and taught us the ‘proper’ old-school way of learning the language with a lot of it being gramma based. But Michel Thomas’ recordings are a much more practical and modern method of teaching. I highly recommend it!! I listen to the recordings everyday while I drive! (and then freak out when I get to my destination and have no recollection of the journey – scary!!)

But it has been so interesting and eye-opening to learn that the English language actually came from the French language. There are so many similarities that are so obvious but its getting our head around the fact that it’s mostly just pronunciations that are different (there are exceptions of course). One French man was asked what he thought of the English language. He looked at the paper and said: “What?... But it’s French…but with very bad pronunciations” – this man me laugh! Oh how I love the French and their frank dry and honest wit!

So I sat and went through my French dictionary and picked out all the english words that are actually French: (we are so used to these words being part of the English language we don’t even recognize them as French…most of the time)

Adore

Ambience

Antique

Avenue

Ballet

Beau

Bikini

Biscuit

Bizarre

Blonde

Brunette

Bracelet

Budget (comes from Old French bougette (A little purse) – I love that!!!

Café

Canape

Chaffeur

Cliché

Connoisseur

Dessert

Elite

Encore

Fatigue

Fatal

Masseuse

Niche

Resume

And these are just the sounds that are clearly french. I found a stack more on Wikipedia. Now that I’m so fascinated in learning the origins of even simple words like 'table'! And the simple truth for me has been understanding that English comes from French – that's all! and with this simple ray of clarity and light ... the key finally turned! - everything's so much easier and clearer to understand and hear and in turn SPEAK. I’m almost French now LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_French_origin 

Off to listen to recording 4 now!! Au revoir!! (ok that’s not one off them hahaha) xx

Bon Voyage to our guests

Well we have just sent off another lovely couple to a Petite Paris apartment this week. Hurraaah for the lovely couple! ...Is it selfish to be jealous when I just returned 4 weeks ago myself, will go again in December and get to offer beautiful Parisian apartments to travellers everyday?? Na....it's Paris!!

Anyway Bon voyage to Mirona and Chris! We wish you a wonderful visit to beautiful Paris and hope you LOVE your B&B apartment. We're sure you will!! 
Anyone visiting Paris? our website is up!! Yipee!! Have a look at all our B&B's on www.petiteparis.com.au and contact me to book. Bonne nuit mes amies xx 

www.petiteparis.com.au