Saturday, March 21, 2009

Parc Buttes-Chamont


Discovered a new beautiful part of Paris today... the 19th arrond. Quiet, unassuming, no tourists. The park itself is beautiful. Apparently the former park land was a former dump turned into man-made grotto and huge rock with fake stalagtites and stalagmites. You walk along a railroad tressle to you reach the top where there are sweeping views of the 19th. A very artsy area as well, lots of "tag" art here.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Paris Walks

I was meandering around the Pigalle area near Montmartre when I turned down a street away from the seedy bars and cabarets. I stumbled upon a tiny chocolate shop on rue Fontaine called L'etoile d'or. I perused the window, well, actually drooled all over it, eyeing all the different chocolates. I walked in and the aroma of the chocolate overtook me. Everywhere in every corner was chocolate!! A chocolate lover's paradise!! Various reviews from magazines assured one this was the place to be. The magazines all featured this cute lady at different ages in silver-blonde pigtails, plaid shirt and pleated skirt - a sort of schoolgirl marm. Lo and behold there she was serving the chocolate. She says one should not taste more than three chocolates at a time for the full experience on the palette. This might be my only disagreement, but hey, I'm no conoisseur. I just wanted to purchase a "petit paquet" for my family to try. She helped me choose 5 of the yummiest pieces of chocolate and even though it was not "pour offrir", she put them in a clear plastic sachet and tied them with a ribbon. I left the store, vowing to be back very soon to partake in another sampling. Vive la chocolate!!

*petit paquet - small package
*pour offrir - gift

Paris Walks


I don't walk as much as I like around Paris, but I was strolling the Canal St. Martin last week and what a beautiful area. One almost feels like Amelie Poulain when walking this area. In the spring, one can take a canal cruise. There isn't much around in terms of shops, however there are a few. We happened upon a tiny pizza joint called Pink Flamingo where they were serving up some very different pizza combinations. We decided to live dangerously and order one with ham and figue. It was absolutely amazing. The shops of Antoine and Lilli are over in this area. Can't miss these shops with their bright green, pink, and orange colors. Fabulous for browsing.

28 February 2009

It turned out the grève wasnn't as bad as most people thought. But.....another one is coming the 19 March - C'est la France!!