This morning I took a quick tour through the scribbled notebooks of my recent trip to Paris. By the time I had finished, I not only felt incredibly hungry but I also realised just how many wonderful tastes and pleasures I have yet to bring you. For those of you who are reading Delicious Days, you may have already discovered my day dipped in chocolate, featuring a Chocolate Walk with Context Travel. The acclaimed tour company has revolutionised day tours in cities across the world with their small group 'walking seminars' aimed at the intellectually curious traveller. Tours are led by ...
On Beautiful Bookshops
With my head still in Paris, I just had to share this post on beautiful bookshops in Europe, reposted from my daughter's blog, 1001 Children's Books. Thanks Georgi!
The Green Fairy – drinking Absinthe in Paris
The sun is shining as I walk the streets savouring my final precious hours. Yes, it's time to leave my beautiful Paris and tomorrow I fly home. It's been a busy few days with two dreamy nights in lovely accommodation: firstly at L'Hôtel Banke, housed in a former bank headquarters (with the original diamond vaults in the basement), and secondly at another splendid Paris Perfect apartment, so close to the Eiffel Tower that you can almost reach out and touch it.I also enjoyed the creative Primevère lunch menu at David Toutain in his new restaurant in the 7th arrondissement; a spontaneous trip to ...
Vintage Jewellery in Le Marais
With just a few days left until I leave Paris, I decide to spend my last Saturday afternoon in and around one of the best shopping streets in Le Marais, the long rue des Francs Bourgeois. Crammed with interesting and upmarket boutiques, it's dangerously close to where I am staying. Armed with packages and having given up on finding jewellery to match an outfit, I start to dawdle back to the apartment when I stumble upon Monic. I step inside to find an enchanting, timeworn store simply bursting with wonderful vintage jewellery, affordable costume pieces and designer creations. It's not your standard store in ...
A Stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens
The trees are starting to leaf, there's a riot of sunny yellow flowers and spring is in the air at one of my favourite parks, Le Jardin du Luxembourg. Grab your coat and come with me as I take a stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens, a quintessential Parisian park in the heart of the Left Bank. After a mosey about the antique and fine-art shops near the river in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, I approach the gardens from Place Saint-Sulpice, with its imposing fountain and guarding lions. I pause along the way to admire a bronze statue on the footpath, And to read about one of the many exhibitions currently ...
Three French Foodie Gifts
Yesterday, I joined a delicious three-hour 'walking seminar' with the renowned tour company Context Travel. Called Baguette to Bistro: Culinary Traditions of Paris, this particular walk provides a wonderful insight into the food traditions of France, with visits to some of the city's top gourmet shops. I promise to bring you the full story when I get home but in the meantime you can read more about the walk here.The tour ended near the chic Left Bank department store, Le Bon Marché and I headed straight for the fabulous food hall on the ground floor, La Grande Epiciere, to take a look at ...
Coutume Instituutti, Paris
After a string of mediocre coffees over the past week, things hit an all-time low when I was served the 'worst coffee ever' in the designer Café Vitra by Be Alain Ducasse at Printemps yesterday.This morning I snapped. I pulled on my boots, zipped my coat and strode out the door determined (note: desperate) to start my day with a decent latte, something we take for granted in Australia. I crossed the bridges over the islands like a woman possessed and in no time arrived in the heart of the Left Bank at Coutume Instituutti. Here in the Latin Quarter, right ...
A ‘Do with a View’ in Paris
With the release of my book and a mountain of correspondence to address, it has been a busy few days! I've also kept a punishing schedule scouting out wonderful things for you to do and see, and my head is exploding with information. On the verge of not being able to fit one more pâtisserie in my notebook or head - or one more bite of baguette slathered with cheese in my mouth - this Sunday I have decided to stay in the apartment and put the backlog in some king of order before I am bombarded some more. Achingly ...
Behind the Scenes Paris
A lot of time and effort goes into researching, writing and photographing a story and today I thought I'd bring you a 'behind the scenes' glimpse of my time in Paris.Yesterday afternoon, Vincent Bourdon, a friend and professional photographer who also took some shots for Delicious Days, joined me at Le Pavillon de la Reine to create a blog post. A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the hotel is hidden down a cobbled lane right on the breathtaking Place des Vosges: I shall bring you the full story at a later date. Jane Paech, Hotel Pavillon de la Reine. Photo: Vincent Bourdon.While Vincent photographed the ...
Hotel Seven
In the post before last I was midway through telling you about my packed morning with Sébastien: Chauffeur Extraordinaire, and today he will drive you to our next two stops.Sébastien calls ahead to see if we can take a look at a few rooms at Hotel de la Tour d'Auvergne, a designer boutique hotel tucked slightly off the beaten track, halfway between Opera and Montmartre. The welcome is warm and the staff is happy to oblige. Rooms are large in size by Parisian standards, each is unique, modern and has a touch of glamour. 'The location is real Paris... and the place is a ...