I’m a little frightened of heights, not heights so much as falling. I’m ok looking out as long as I don’t look down. Jules Verne is 123 m up on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower so before I can start to get excited about the food I have to get past the trip up in the lift…the lift with the view! Strategically placed in the middle of the lift so I can peek at the skyline over my […]
Traditional French family bistro is the choice for today. Allard has been a family restaurant since early in the 20th century with the business and the original recipes passed down through generations. It is not until we arrive that we realise it is a place we had walked past on our last trip; we had peered through lovely little windows watching busy chefs in the tiny spotless kitchen, thinking it looked fantastic and we must go sometime. […]
Today is market day. We rise early, dress and enjoy a hot espresso before wrapping ourselves, scarves, coats and hats and stepping out into the crisp blackness of the winter morning. Our street is dark and still, not another soul. Moving through the Paris streets at this time is magical. So quiet it is like time has stopped just for us to enjoy the beauty of the city alone. Within the deep calm as we walk, I feel the essence […]
Today is a very special day. Beyond our wildest hopes we managed to secure a reservation at the grand Le Grand Vefour, Paris’ finest gastronomic meeting place for more than 200 years. Paris’ political, artistic and literary legends including Napoleon and Josephine, have been dining here since 1784. Today chef Guy (pronounced Gee) Martin, inspired by art and artists creates a spectacular 3 Michelin star menu. We walk through the inner courtyard of the Palais Royale, past exquisite boutiques […]
Beguiled by the Mistress of Cheese, Seduced by the Master of Pork Outside our window Paris is in darkness, a beautiful moody cityscape, the rooftops and buildings moonlit greys, an occasional splash of gold as early risers windows begin to glow. We rug up in our warm coats and scarves and set off on an early morning adventure. We walk slowly to the metro station enjoying this magical part of the day. The soft golden street lights break the […]
The metro is always exciting, Hector Guimard’s Art Nouveau entrances leading you down into the belly of the city where the colours of the metro lines will magically lead you to another part of the city. Green from our home station, then yellow to Concorde to Restaurant L’Ardoise. Sounds silly, but I still have a childlike, butterfly in belly moment when we decide which sortie to choose, wondering what is waiting at the top of those stairs. It was light when […]
I can’t believe today is happening. We have read many of John Baxter’s books, fantastic memoirs of his life in Paris. John is an Australian expat, author, Journalist, filmmaker and film critic, who moved to Paris many years ago after meeting and marrying a French woman Marie Dominique. One of his books talks about the literary tours he got roped into doing in Paris, by a friend who needed rescuing from a dud tour guide that she had engaged to […]