Paris, Part II

I have another few days in Paris to share with you...

I think I took 1000 photos, so it was a challenge to select only a few for you!

Here is Paris from atop the Printemps Maison Department store...a wonderful view that only a few lucky tourists discover by accident (if they happen to wander up to the cafe on the top floor)!

At Printemps Maison, I discovered many wonderful things, including this much coveted china.  This beautiful brand is Raynaud Limoges.  I needed it.

Of course, I visited Laduree (several locations) to see the beautiful confections...

Next stop was Place Vendome.  I love this grand, expansive plaza very much (even if I cannot afford to shop there): 

I was relieved to finally get a good photograph of the Vendome Column.  I've been trying for years to capture an interesting view of this monument, but the light has never cooperated...

Place Vendome is where all the very posh jewellery stores are located:

Next is one of my most beloved places in Paris, Place des Vosges.  Vosges is a department (state) in France and was the first region to pay taxes to Napoleon.  So he renamed this beautiful square (built in the early 1600's!) after it...

Our apartment was just steps away from the delightful Place des Vosges!

The red brick buildings, from the early 1600's, are exquisite:

Here's another view of Notre-Dame: 

I snapped this from atop a tour bus!  Despite knowing Paris very well, I took a tour bus ride with David and we had a blast!

We visited the inimitable Rodin Museum.  This museum is a must see.  The sculpture garden is incredible, as is the old mansion (Hotel Biron), which houses many more sculptures).  Here is Rodin's famous statue, The Thinker, in the garden:

I must have waited 20 minutes here to get a photo without people in it.  There are many replicas of this statue in museums all over the world.

Here is my dear David in the beautiful rose garden with its immaculately-pruned trees:

 I was so happy to have some stormy wet weather while we were in Paris.  It makes for wonderful skies!

I was so in love with the roses and the light that I couldn't stop taking pictures:

Here's another garden shot before we went indoors.  The French are famous for their beautiful allées of trees:

Now, we're inside the Hotel Biron, which is where Rodin lived for many years and which houses much of his collection, donated to France:

Blogger is being difficult tonight, so in my next post, I'll share more photos inside the Rodin Museum (and a few other things).  Sorry to leave you hanging...

Soon, Terri 

~ Paris: Part I ~

We're finally back from Paris and had a truly wonderful two-week trip.  We are rested and happy and very well-fed. Here's a quick summary of the first few days...

We arrived early in the morning (9am) after sleeping too little on the overnight flight.  We were soooo tired but delighted to arrive at our humble apartment in the Marais (4th arrondisement, central Paris).  The buildings in this area, located a block from Place des Vosges, were originally built to accommodate palace stables almost 400 years ago!

We entered through a giant door on a busy street, passing through a long passageway before entering a charming stone courtyard.  Our apartment was in the back, so we passed through the courtyard and into a second building, climbing four flights to our apartment!

This little kitty wandered in the courtyard every day...

The apartment was a one-bedroom with a good-sized bedroom and kitchen. 

The living room was small but sweet:

The kitchen was spacious and well-appointed (by Paris standards) and the owner left us a bottle of wine (an excellent start!)

The bedroom was spacious and airy, with a third big window and lots of pretty antiques:

We had a great view over the interior courtyard and hardly heard a sound despite being in the heart of Paris:

Another view from our apartment:

The first couple of days we wandered our neighborhood.  We were perfectly located between the Bastille and St-Paul metro stops:

Morning view of the Place de la Bastille monument (the July Column, which celebrates events of the French Revolution)

Our first stop on Saturday was the Vanves flea market (my favorite), which is like a giant yard sale with lots of delightful junk:

I bought a little Impressionist painting at Vanves (I will show it in a future post), from the 1920's.  I also liked these two but only bought one!

The real antiques are at Clignancourt, but Vanves has lots of "old stuff" if you don't mind slumming it a bit:

The next day, we went to the Clignancourt market in St-Ouen, just outside Paris.  This is where the really good antiques are (as well as some mid-priced stuff).  It is divided into many smaller markets, all with different specialties.

At my favorite market (Marche Vernaison), David said I could buy one of these mirrors (he liked them too) but I decided against it.  The smallest one was 250 Euros (~$340) and I didn't love it enough for the price:

We found an amazing booth where I loved everything (porcelain, art) and didn't want to leave:

We had a great lunch near Marche Paul Bert, at our favorite local spot, le Paul Bert in St-Ouen (not to be confused with the famous Bistro Paul Bert in Paris):

We got a seriously huge lunch (see the giant Staub pots it arrives in).  I had boeuf bourguignon and David had Alsatian choucroute (yum!):

On the weekend, we hit some favorite spots.  I like trying to take slightly atypical photos of common monuments.  Here is Notre Dame Cathedral:

One of my favorite blocks in Paris (Ile de la Cite with Notre-Dame's spire):

Eglise (church) St.Paul St. Louis near our apartment:

On the weekend, I visited the first of my favorite department stores, Le Bon Marche.  I loved their unique black & white hand-drawn displays celebrating their 160th Anniversary:

I walked along the rue du Bac, a favorite street, and visited a favorite store Blanc d'Ivoire.  I loved this pillow (and regret I didn't buy it!):

And I also fell in love with this wooden lamp:

After walking along St-Germain, I visited a few shops, including the lovely Flamant, the Belgian retailer.  The shop was busy, so I didn't take any photos in the store (sorry) but I grabbed this graphic, fun shot of their door on the way out:

Stay tuned for Part II and III!

Now...I have lots of blog reading to catch up on!

Paris Post: What I Bought!

A small heart from the delightful Jardin d'Ulysse in Galleries Lafayette

I haven't shown you what we bought in Paris (for the house)!  After several posts of home decor shops and sightseeing photos, I realized that you might want to see our Paris purchases.  I've been meaning to post for a while, but work has been awfully busy and I've had the flu!

But without further ado, here are our Paris finds:

Above: This is a knock-off of the metallic Moroccan plates that are currently all the rage. This one is actually pottery, coated with a silver glaze.  The plate is from Maisons du Monde, an inexpensive and very diverse home decor store I discovered in Forum des Halles.  The small silver cup is Christofle, and came from a flea market. 

Above: This pillow case is a favorite find and my only purchase from the ever-lovely Blanc d'Ivoire.

Above: This little heart came from a small country shop called "macAbane" at 161, rue de Grenelle in the 7th.  I also bought a polka dot heart (not shown).

Above: This etching came from the excellent and affordable flea market at Vanves.  It cost around 3€.

Above:  These two etchings (from a set of 3), came from the big St-Ouen flea market at Clignancourt (Serpente building). They are antique etchings of Paris from the 19th century and were considerably more expensive.  I will frame the set.  I plan to take a picture-framing class in January.

Above:  Some beautiful linens from le Bon Marche, my favorite department store, on the Left Bank.  The top two are tea towels, and I intend to make them into decorative pillow cases.

Above:  A beautiful old linen table cloth I bought at a flea market.  I loved the wheat motif and hand-made lace border. 

Above:  Another pretty heart from a country-style/reproduction antique shop in central Paris called "A&C Decoration".  The mirror was my first purchase from Pottery Barn a few years ago, and hangs in our downstairs hall.

Above:  A pretty chinoiserie postcard, framed for my kitchen.  IKEA frame (set of 2).

Above:  A lovely Limoges serving tray I picked up at the flea market at Vanves.  I intend to use this at Christmas.    Imagine a lovely yule log (chocolate jelly roll) on this tray!

Above:  This cotton table runner is also from Maisons du Monde.

Above:  Another photo (in the living room) of the pottery Moroccan tray from Maisons du Monde.

Above:  An antique poster-letter from the big Paris flea market at St-Ouen.  This "A" was so lovely I couldn't pass it up.  My middle name starts with "A", so it isn't entirely irrelevant.

Above: A handy and pretty hook for my bathroom, from Printemps.

Above:  Another favorite find - this inexpensive little beauty came from the department store BHV (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville) in central Paris.  While not as chic as some of the other department stores, BHV has lots of affordable, mostly contemporary, home decor.

Above:  My favorite find - this gorgeous pale taupe silk "Thomasina" bedspread is by Laura Ashley and came from Printemps.  The size is 240cm x 260cm which is perfect for a queen-sized bed because it hangs further over the edges than a conventional queen-sized quilt (which always looks a little shrunken to me!). It is slightly too long but will look nice folded down with pretty sheets.  The quilt is silk on one side and cotton on the other.  I coveted this quilt and deliberated for several days.  I almost left without it but returned at the last minute (with a cheap new duffle bag to pack it in) and do not regret my decision. We adore this quilt!  With the "detaxe" (department store tax savings for foreigners on purchases over 175 euro) and a 10% discount card from Printemps, I saved 22% on this quilt!  

Above:  This little dish (which says "TROT" below the picture) cost me 2 Euro at a flea market.

Above:  A taupe place mat, used as a table runner, from Maisons du Monde.

Above:  This cute little pencil cup came from a lovely store called Florent Monestier at 47 ave Bosquet in the 7th.  A beautifully decorated paper bag from the store is shown behind.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed the tour of our new Paris finds!