Zen things in Paris

Bonsoir everyone :)

When it comes to Paris, we already know the usual recommendations. We know the rule is Laduree for tea.  Pierre Herme for Macaroons. Coffee at Cafe de Flore. Or at Lipp Or at Deux Magots.  We know that a visit to the Louvre is a must see. Eiffel. Piere Lachaise. And we know all about the Batobus river boat tours. The Moulin Rouge. and the Opera. And these are all great, bien sur...

But how about some new and refreshing recommendations form our friend and fellow Paris lover, the Zen Guy!  who runs a blog about Zen Activities to do in Paris, Zen Tour packages, Parisian tasting Chocolate notes amongst other Zen things (yoga, inspirational travel stories...) Such as:
 

Hot mint tea in the tea room at Mosque de Paris (2 Euros) (above).

Tickets to a Church concert, e.g. a piano soloist at St Julien de Pauvre or Vivaldi at Ste Chapelle or La Madeline. Free organ recitals at Ste. Eustache church at 5:30pm Sundays

An overview of Paris in a chauffer-driven vintage Citroen instead of a tour bus.

A visit to Sadaharu Aoki – This Japanese chocolate master has incorporated flavors from his country of origin such as ganache of Matcha tea & Wasabi into his chocolate.

 Saint Honoré Paris Chocolats – a new chocolate shop offering award winning chocolate that contains less sugar, with a great selection of high-quality Bordeaux wines from smaller wine vintners that pair best with chocolate. 

Visit Gosselin – Patisserie to the Prime Minister, best baguette in France

And plenty more unique places are listed on the Zen Guys Blog (with a few of the usual recommendations, hey when its good its good and must be mentioned a million times I suppose :) but I really loved that many of these suggestions I had never heard of and have added them to my to see/do/eat list for the next Paris trip! 

Find the Top Ten Most Zen Lists here:  

Top Ten Most Zen Things to Do in Paris

Top Ten Chocolate Shops in Paris 

 Top Ten Zen Patisseries in Paris

Bonne nuit all! xx

What Sunday Mornings are Made for...

 Sunday spring mornings in Paris are too perfect to miss. Most of the city is asleep after those wild Saturday nights. The light is soft, and the places that will soon be overrun with footsteps … are empty. Pure and quiet!

  

Walking down quiet streets and where the early morning light is magic - as though its warming the earth

 

 Enjoying le jardin tuileries

 

Or le Jardin Luxembourg

 Chocolates and sweets in bed aka Breakfast

 a moment to yourself on any parc bench

 catching the metro at the dead early hours where for once there are no people about is a rare and amazing thing.

 

Getting a dose of mind body and soul therapy at one of the Paris perfect parcs

  

Queuing for Bread

 Being the first to buy the freshest baguette for the day

 a stroll or light jog along the banks of the seine

its these magic hours where the few people who are out all seem to be characters from some bohemian novel. Some are still living Saturday night, stopped in time wherever they were when their body or mind hit that invisible wall. (Some never even saw the wall. They drank their way through it.) Some are the “early birds,” catching those worms … or collecting those coins in the fountain. And some are just so darn perky (singing out loud as their jogging feet make a gravel rhythm in the gardens) that they make you thankful you’re noctilien

 Riding a Velib over the bridges of Paris

 Tossing or collecting? Coins at the fountain - place des vosges

 Staring out your window at Paris buildings

more sunlit walking

 more velib bike riding down quiet, not yet awake, streets!

 Having a coffee at Rue Montergueil before anyone else is there

 more time to yourself

 getting to the best boulangerie in paris and queuing for more bread :)

 taking the bus instead of the metro - SEE the city!

 more walking (im a walker can you tell hehe)

 

 enjoying a view across paris

Strolling through village like neighbourhoods known as 'la campagne' (little street and utterly Parisian neighbourhoods you would not know) - this is Rue Siegfried in the 20th...

 

Breakfast Feasts

 Lingering around your Petite Paris Apartment for longer than you should, watching the world unfold below!

 Falling in LOVE!!!

www.petiteparis.com.au

Summer in Paris

Summer transforms Paris!! To all our guests who have booked their summer in Paris...enjoy Paris Plages as the banks of the seine will be yet again be transformed into temporary sandy beaches with Palm trees brought in, deckchairs, ubiquitous ice cream sellers, and concerts for French and foreign guests! :)

i love the seine life

 

A pied in Montmartre

Since we have such a dominating number of Bed and Breakfast Paris Apartments in the charming small town feel of Montmartre, I thought I'd walk you through part of it today. See if it feels like home to you; a place you might want to stay in...
Now I love veering off the beaten path on my own away from the crowds and discovering obscure charming small town nooks and cranny's, quiet cafes and quaint little shops to dwell in and observe the 'real' parisiennes way of life. So these shots are from my personal album. They are not professional but they are 'My Montmartre'. At the end I have listed all the B&B's in the Petite Paris B&B roster that are located in Montmartre. Enjoy Part 1 of your virtual walk through Montmartre mes amies...

Starting at my Paris Apartment. Beautiful Haussmann B&B #84

The Boulangerie at the end of the street...

First stop is Montmartre Cimiterie. Paris Cimiterie's are so beautiful; not spooky at all. I often found peace and quiet and associate the solitude and serene surrounds with that of the equally beautiful churches.

Tombstone are exquisitely crafted.

Walking along I walk past the Amelie Cafe..but no stopping here, im on the hunt for something else...

Not even a concert, Happy Hour or crustaceans on sale could lure me in...

Especially when I know there are gorgeous little cottages to admire in quiet uncluttered streets...

Oh ok fine, just a quick tea and creme brulee. Damnit, i hate when i forget to take the photo BEFORE i eat the food...

Continuing along I pass all the quaint seductive cafes and shops...they all seem to have something about them...

At the Sacre Coeur I decide to do what no one else seemed to be doing. Entering the Dome and climbing to the top of the Sacre Coeur Bell tower. To this day I still have not met anyone who has climbed the tower. In fact no one even knew they could. I HIGHLY recommend it. It was a dark, unique and magical experience...also a little scary, you will see why...

First of all it's a long way up....

The entree is dark and dingy and not at all inviting, particularly for anyone on their own and no crowd to follow and seek comfort in. Or maybe its the entree fee which i remember to be quite steep that kept people out. There is no guard so who's to stop you from jumping the gate...however i am an abiding citizen so i paid the little machine and begun my journey up up UP...

It suddenly became dark and scary. I went up and up round and round in the steep winding stairwell that was so narrow i barely fit myself in there, a strong wind is constantly tunnelling up with you making a high shrill whistle, dark dirty walls, graffiti and a sudden feeling of eery, mystique and excitement all at the same time..

Things widen up for a moment allowing my claustrophobia to ease up. Unexpected locked doors like this one pop up every now and then along the way. I tryed peering through the cracks only to be met with darkness and strange sounds of old buildings creaking, a strange clatter and more wind blowing...

Finally an opening and a view...im starting to gain some height. Isn't Montmartre so pretty?!! The greyness of this city on a winters day is beautifully romantic and so fitting...

Squeezing myself along narrow rails and another dead-end door i cant get through...my curiosity fully aroused now i feel like a kid full of on-edge excitement and adventure.

Beautiful and grand!!! I adore the archways, the darkness, he quiet even the cold and wind-tunnel. Stone benches fitted all around.. 

I do a 360 degree tour of this level and admire each stone, each detail and dream about the people who build this famous basilica...

And this is the new view you get as you have gone further up...

Legs are starting to get wobbly but its worth it...

At this point I want to shout form the 'rooftop' how wonderful this is....

Walking around I find myself facing the front of the Basilica with its infamous steep steps down to the Carousel and bustling streets of the Butte Montmartre...

Paris Rooftops, someone should make a book on it...

Things get colder and hazier....

And darker...

Time to 'Sortir' back down the narrow stone stairs...

Round and round I find the dinginess so medieval and beautiful...

Back out in the open I decide to return to investigate the Crypt below too...

Walking in the opposite direction to the crowd I head to the streets to the right of the Sacre coeur adjacent to the hords or tourists at Place du Tertre...peaceful streets are much more appealing...

I stumble across this petite rue lined with colourful shops you would not expect...

including this graffiti-clad bookshop...i wonder how much business they must not get...

But with the Gardens around the Basilica as the streets backdrop who cares, its a magnificent street...

You come across this alot... 'Je suis au cafe no problemo' = I am at Cafe Problemo...

No Problemo...(there are 2 things that ruin perfectly nice photos...people and cars...)

Random fruit hole-in-the-walls pop up frequently...

Then I found this Brocante Antiques shop and thats where i remain for the next 2 hours...and on that note; au revoir mes amies. Stay tuned for 'A Pied in Montmartre' Part 2...


xx