La Marine

Best part of La Marine is not their AMAZING food or the location by Canal Saint-Martin (on the corner next to Chez Prune), but the staff. Especially the one with the hipster glasses (somehow I can relate to that, being that I walk around with a pair of my own) is the sweetest/sassiest girl in the history of French waiters. Sitting here is like being in David Lynch-land (remember the dancing midget in Cooper's dream?), and walking out is a little like waking up. Seductive and sensual, that's La Marine.

55 Quai Valmy

Paris, France

 

Les Deux Abeilles

There is a magical and dreamy place in Paris where trees grow inside and pies get served by smiling girls. This is a place where - once inside - you'll forget everything about the world outside and just breathe out in the bright room. This place is called Les Deux Abeilles and is reachable by mortals. It's the one place you mustn't miss.

189 Rue Université

Paris, France

Jardin du Luxembourg

Jardin du Luxembourg ain't no Parc Monceau, but it's still heavensent. You can either hang out with the tourists by the castle or play a game of pétanque with the locals. Kids hide in the hidden corners of the park to make out or read, and children just hide for a game of hide-and-seek with their not-knowing parents. Oui, oui, this is Parisian life.

Main entrance by Palais du Luxembourg

Paris, France

Cafe Flore

I am so sorry, but writing this blog post I can't avoid it: the rant. Let me start this unattractive monologue by telling you a story of the last time I placed myself in the famous and always comfortable Cafe Flore in Paris. Story starts here:

So I'm in Cafe Flore, the wellknown cafe on Saint-Germain and there's an American girl next to me. She doesn't know a word of French, which is fine, but when the friendly and hospitable waiter comes over to serve her, decides that it's not her job to know French in France, but his to know English. She wants a scone, she tells him. When he doesn't understand him, she figures that it's probaby easier to shout the word "SCONES!" in his face until she gets the bright idea to spell it out for the poor man, who desperately tries to understand her in his own broken English. She asks her if she doesn't want to come with him to see their pastries, but she strictly refuses and decides to just go with a hot chocolate, which she tells in a very. Slow. English. Now, I have a lot of American friends. Hell, some of my best friends belong to the big country. Sweet people who try to speak the language of the country they're in. When I lived there, when I travelled through, all I met were good people. But that's not the idea that the outside world get when Americans like this particular girl gets annoyed because the unfamiliar world around her doesn't speak her language. Only speaking one language is fine, but the least you can do in strange surroundings is try, try at least, to be open to the fact that not everyone is like you. Or as someone told me the other day: "if I sit next to someone who only speaks French (for instance), and I speak German, English, Danish and Swedish, then I don't feel like I'm the one with a problem". Lets be aware of the fact that they speak French in France, German in Germany, English in England and so on. Let's not try to impose our mother tongue when we're somewhere else. It's just rude. And that goes for everyone.

But that's not what this is about. This is about Cafe Flore of course, the charming place where waiters are friendly - even to people who aren't so friendly towards them...

172 Boulevard Saint-Germain

Paris, France

Musée Nissim de Camondo

Musée Nissim de Camondo isn't just a museum; it's the story of a family going from happy wealth to extermination. Hidden in a quiet street, you wouldn't just bump into Musée Nissim, but if you're smart enough to plan going there, you've got a great thing coming. Especially if you're like me and sometimes dream of a time when interiour decoration was warm and beautiful, and the world simple. And a lot of other things, but let's not get into that, this is a lifestyle blog for crying out loud.

Ok, so entering the mansion/palace/dream-like abode you get a pair of headphone and you'll wear them, yes, you will, because the friendly lade on the other end will tell you the story of the Camondo family, whose youngest members all died from various kinds of wars and how the father slowly deteriorated  into depression as the years went by. If you like that kind of thing, and why wouldn't you, it's real life tragedy that doesn't involve you, then hurry along.

63 Rue Monceau
Paris, France

La Pagode

If there's one thing I like it's an old-fashioned cinema , placed inside a pagode - hence the name. If there's another thing I like it's weirdness, and if you bring those two together you got yourselves a deal. La Pagode shows has two auditoriums, one of which is historically magnificent (and I mean the inside, not the size; this ain't a mainstream cinema, y'all). And for the love of film and tea, come before the showings so you can sit outside in their garden! It's crazy times!

57 Rue Babylone

Paris, France

Le Carette

Not so very long ago, I was adviced to go to Le Carette by a young, French girl who'd decided to let me know the very best ins and outs of Paris. I think maybe it was my slip of the tongue that I'd love to move to the French capital that got her so anxious for me to see the very best of it. The first thing she told me, in her wonderfully accented Frenglish, was "Le Carette!". I went, thinking I'd see a typical coffee shop where an 18-year old girl would hang out, but got freakishly surprised as I entered one of the fanciest lunch places by Places des Vosges. Already upon entrance I felt strange and out of place, but somehow that all changed slowly until I felt right at home amongst the rich people. In front of me was an elderly American woman (or Canadian? She struck me as being Canadian for some reason) who was completely snubbed by her husband who'd found a French comrade and was deeply investigated in a profound conversation with him. She even had to sit by a table to herself because there weren't room for her at theirs. That's just bad form, even in Le Carette. Which is a great place, and apparently the branch by Place des Vosges is the superior one (they have another by the Eiffel).

25 Place des Vosges

Paris, France 

Parc Monceau

Paris has Jardin du Luxembourg and a lot of other beautiful gardens or whatever. When I write "whatever" it's not because I'm not into Jardin du Luxembourg or any of the other places, but Parc Monceau owns my heart. This is not only beautiful, it's also extremely excentric and downright bizarre. And when the sun shines, dude, it's incredible. Parc Monceau is like being nine-years old and skipping for hours in some sort of adventureland. There you go.

Cafe de la Mairie

Cafe de la Mairie is one of those famous cafés in Paris, so my tip is to go there in the morning. Then there'll be doves flying around the Saint Sulpice church (The Da Vinci Code, people?) and people hurrying to work, looking at their watches or lazily getting there. In the morning, it's damn near magical, but in the afternoon one can only imagine how touristy it could become. However, Cafe de la Mairie is as charming inside as out, and their cafe creme is incredible so what are you really waiting for?

8 Place Saint Sulpice

Paris, France

Musée de la Vie Romantique

Musée de la Vie Romantique in paris has a lot of things going for it. First of all it's placed in Paris, (one of) the most romantic place(s) on earth, but despite of being free, the museum is also charming, informative and, yes, very romantic. Please, go here on a day where summer's in the air, so you can enjoy a cup of tea plus a slice of cake in their garden, covered under trees right next to the small museum. You can't spend a day here (hell, you can hardly spend more than an hour), but the moments you do spend strolling around inside and sipping your tea beneath trees outside, those are moments well-spent. Trust me on this.

16 Rue Chaptal
Paris, France

Les P’tites Indécises

I was actually headed somewhere else when I ran into Les P'tites Indécises which looked so cozy from the outside that stepping in just was a matter of time. It didn't get less so once inside. This is just one of those places where everyone gets along. I saw families with children, families without, friends meeting for a catch-up, people working and tourists studying maps. Their selection isn't grand, but it all tastes amazing, so who really cares?

PS. Their bread is fucking GREAT!

2 Rue des Trois Bornes
Paris, France

L’Ébouillanté

L’Ébouillanté is lucky to be placed right smack! in the centre of the Marais quarter in Paris. That might also be why the employees have a bit of an attitude. No, actually it's only one of the dudes working there who seems a little on the unfriendly side. Excuses all around to the other much friendlier employees. Anyway, they have a glaced tea to die for and in the summer this is one blessed spot to sit and be all kinds of beautiful in. Stroll around afterwards (this is an order coming straight from Big City Rodeo) and maybe even head to île St. Louis where I'm told they have something called Bertillion ice cream that's quite an experience. But I wouldn't know. What I would know, however, is that starting at L’Ébouillanté would be a good decision.

6 Rue des Barres
Paris, France

Les Petits Mitrons

Now that you've been to cafe le Nazir and life seems like one big cherry bubblegum, why not make it last and turn around the corner to Rue Lepic, where you will find Les Petits Mitrons, a little pie bakery in Montmartre. The surface is a charmer, the insides are even better because inside, inside, they have some pretty good pies y'all. And when I say pretty good, I mean pretty good.

26 Rue Lepic
Paris, France

Cafe le Nazir

In Montmartre there are many charming and downright dazzling things. One of them is Cafe le Nazir where you can get the most delicious piece of cheesecake and a tea to match. In the evening it turns bo-bo central when the gorgeous people of the borough comes to flirt and drink a glass of wine. Somehow things just seems better when you're here. But the real beauty of Cafe le Nazir is the fact that any day of the week you may see an old man in the back reading a newspaper just as well as you might be two bourgeouise lovers hanging over a glass of white wine. And look over there, where the tourist family are busy looking at a map! Everyone of here folks, and if you happen to be in Paris now or ever, then so should you.

56 Rue des Abbesses
Paris, France

Antoine & Lili

What's the cutest shop in the world? I don't know. But Antoine & Lili i Paris surely tries to win the prize with their girly-colored clothes and kitschy kitchen ware. They have a shop for kids, too, in their branch by the canal Saint-Martin, which is the superior one. Sure, they have a shop on the islands, too, but this is the one that's so cute that it could register on your gag reflex.

95, Quai de Valmy
Paris, France

Hôtel du Nord

The handsome waiter in Hôtel du Nord is extremely flirtatious, the food is extremely delicious and the placement by Canal Sain't-Martin is extremely blissful and romantic, so what else could you ask for? And actually, that's all one needs to be said about it. Oh, and that film (called Hôtel du Nord, duh) from '38 was filmed here too, if anyone cares. You won't after you eat the food anyway. Seriously, it's gorgeous.

102, Quai de Jemmapes
Paris, France

Des Deux Moulins

Sure, it's one of the most touristy places in Paris because of the movie that was practically based there, but Des Deux Moulins in Montmatre is still a pretty good place to have a cup of coffee and read the morning newspaper. They aren't exactly ashamed of Amélie, having a big poster of her in the back of the café, and somehow that's unfortunate. Wouldn't it be much nicer if it was just a place like every other, and then all of a sudden, boom!, you'd realize that this is the very place where that friendly young Amélie used to work? The answer is yes.

Des Deux Moulins
15 Rue Lepic
Paris, France