LE MARAIS ALL DAY
PARIS
I moved to Paris by myself for 1 month, and it was awesome. There is way too much to see and do in Paris, much like New York, and so much of the adventure and experience is yours to make. My home base was le Marais, which is by far my new favorite neighborhood in Paris. Other faves include Saint-Germain and Montmartre. I had no itinerary or agenda, and this relaxed approach allowed me to see so much of both the classic and hidden Paris that I otherwise would never have known.
LA TOUR EIFFEL
I celebrated my birthday in Paris, so Julian came to visit. I swear, my entire month in Paris was cold and rainy (I even got sick!) save for precisely the days when Julian visited and the weather turned perfect! He had a hard time believing my complaints about Paris in the rain! One morning, we went to the Eiffel Tower before sunrise.
LES CARROUSELS
The carrousels all around enchanted Paris are magical. Roaming around, we stumbled upon 3, but there are actually 6 in the City.
HIDDEN PARIS
Stumbling on so many carrousels made me wonder "what else is Paris hiding?"
You have no idea.
HIDDEN PASSAGES. During the belle époque, Parisian city planners created a labyrinth of hidden passages across the city. Sadly, many fell into disrepair, but some have been restored and are still in tact today that include a fabulous belle époque arcade and glittering art nouveau galleries.
BROTHELS. Many buildings that served as belle époque brothels still exist today, either as apartment or office buildings, but the history is still there! I visited a few, and was beyond excited. Parisian brothels were a hub of political and social gatherings. In the 1800s, brothels were legal, called maisons de tolérance or maisons closes, but legally had to be run by a woman, be discreet, and light red lanterns during open hours. 1810, Paris had 180 official brothels, and into the early 1900s, some were the hub of political and social gatherings, and internationally known for being chic and luxurious. There were 177 maisons in Paris by the time France outlawed them in 1946, in part because of their role in WWII, having been widely used and several entirely commandeered by German soldiers.
LES FLEURS ET CAFÉ
Gorgeous, delicious & basically perfect. I was lucky enough to have a very special friend and my beautiful mother visit me in Paris, and we were totally focused on the cafe scene!
LES MARAIS, SAINT-GERMAIN & THE ATTRACTIONS
Musée d'Orsay, Galeries Lafayette, l'Orangerie, the Louvre, la Maison Rose, Notre Dame, the Seine, la tour Eiffel, Jardin du Luxembourg, Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, Jardin des Tuileries, Musée de l'Armée at Les Invalides, rue Saint-Honoré, Les Deux Plateaux, les Bouquinistes and Pont Alexandre III are some of the best known attractions in Paris - and for good reason!
