Since spending one glorious month in Paris on our honeymoon (we had a cheap-ass wedding so that we could swan around like princes for six weeks in Europe), K and I have made it our business to get back to this moody, complicated and utterly wondrous city as much as possible.
We’ve returned five times since, staying for between two and four weeks in a variety of splendid and not-so-splendid apartments on the Left Bank. Every time bar one we’ve travelled in December/January. In fact, I once caught myself saying to a Melbourne shop assistant, ‘My husband and I like to winter in Paris’, which was such an appallingly pretentious thing to say I afterwards fell mute and hurried out onto Collins Street without buying a thing. But seriously, we do try to escape the relentless Australian summer for the grey chicness of Parisian winter whenever finances allow, and if we had the chance to spend the other three seasons there, we’d do that too.
K and I construct our days around restaurants or bistros or cafes we have researched in advance and plan to visit. This is a perfectly sensible thing to do, if you ask me, as it’s a way of exploring arrondissements you mightn’t have otherwise set foot in, and, more importantly, of ensuring you don’t waste one of your precious daily meals on somewhere average – or, gasp – touristy and horrible.
I suggest you begin your day with breakfast at a historic coffeehouse like the Café de Flore. Afterwards you’ll waft out onto the cobblestoned streets in a great mood, nourished and eager to keep exploring. In the coming weeks I’ll post the remaining elements of my perfect Parisian day (expect more decadent food, stylish strolls and jaw-dropping art), the start of a series on how to soak up the best of cities around the world, one flawless hour at a time.
So go forth and maketh merry in the City of Light! And don’t forget to let me know about any pearls you discover en route.
xo
PHOTOGRAPHY – Korian Strakosch
Just browsed through the lot………
Very proud of you both……
P.S. ….. K, great photo’s
Thanks so much Geo! The blog has been such a great creative outlet for me as I finish my PhD. And I agree, K has a great eye… 🙂