"Often we imagine that we will work hard until we arrive at some distant goal, and then we will be happy. This is a delusion. Happiness is the result of a life lived with purpose. Happiness is not an objective. It is the movement of life itself, a process, and an activity. It arises from curiosity and discovery. Seek pleasure and you will quickly discover the shortest path to suffering."
- Ethan Hawke, Rules for a Knight
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| No caption needed - xoxo |
Paris has always been the epitome of happiness to me - existing there for an hour, a week, a year is just exciting and makes me feel alive - it has always been my first love, from a child I obsessed and dreamed about it. After a dozen visits, it grows stronger and stronger and I cannot be more thankful to be 2 hours away now - a dream come true short of living there! Anytime of year, rain or shine, it is beyond beautiful and cozy and romantic and just dreamy. My favorite boot store did close but only means must find another - ha.So much more to see and explore - expect to see a lot of posts from here - sorry!
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| Life lived well |
Hidden Finds & Shopping Gems:
1) Hotel Paradis - close to Gare du Nord so really easy for Eurostar. It's tablet recommended and adorable, looks like a rustic french brasserie from the outside with a nice lounge, cozy rooms and fun wallpaper that really brightens the whole ambiance. Lovely staff and great launch pad for the Marais and so close to the Sezane Apartment!!!
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| Lovely hotel |
2) the Sezane Apartment - my all time favorite store in Paris next to Zadig & Voltaire and a few others! Its primarily online but now have this great shop to try things on and some take away items like stationary, etc. The sweaters and tops and dresses are my fav here - romantic, sexy and soft.
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| Sezane!!!! |
3) Zadig & Voltaire plus the Stock outlet in the Marais - love their new perfume!!!
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| Quick break in the beautiful Marais |
4) Do not leave Paris without going to a pharmacy to stock up on lotions, oils, shampoos and other beauty products - Paris pharmacies are the best in the world. Embroylisse, Nuxe, Lierac, Bioderma, and the list goes on and on...hair brushes and other gems, I could spend hours in them! My favorite was Bader, 10-12 Bd St. Michel, close to Notre Dame and St. Germain des Pres.
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| Scenic walks for days... |
5) I love delicate jewelry and have been hunting for a specific one for awhile now and found amazing ones in Paris - one lovely store next to the hotel Chez Nana had the sweetest, most delicate finds and some vintage ones. And a local designer in St. Germain has an amazing store, Secrets de Fille, where I could have spent hours and found exactly what I was looking for! Lovely people there too.
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| A passion for life and beauty everywhere |
Not so Hidden but still Amazing:
1) Fondation Louis Vuitton - an amazing walk through the JA park and a lovely way to spend sunday afternoon. Even with lines it goes quickly. I guess I assumed incorrectly this was about LV which I don't really like, but it's a stunning museum with some of the best Picassos, Monets, and Matisses I have ever seen. I love the section on Gehry and the history of the build. If it was warmer would have spent more in the adjacent gardens but was enjoying defrosting on the inside.
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| Colorful Fondation |
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| Gehry Sketches |
2) Caudalie - stock up, near Place des Vosges and just amazing, next best thing to actually going to the spa in the vineyards. The shopping in the Marais is just fabulous.
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| Place des Vosges |
3) Falafel - I have already posted about the falafel in the Marais but just a reminder to go, you won't regret it. Most places aren't open on saturday but some still are so no worries.
4) Classical music concerts at Saint Chapelle- have been going on since I lived in Paris in 1998 - still just as beautiful. Vivaldi 4 Seasons, in the dark, stunning and passionate!
5) Cafe culture - while French food does wear on me after a few days, I could sit in cafes for hours! and the first few days of croissants and steak frites is absolutely amazing for sure so enjoy it. And you can bring up to 12x bottles home on the Eurostar - xoxo
6) The Light - it's just different, call me crazy but the light is just beautiful - the sunsets are like I have never seen before. And seeing the shining leaves of fall against the Seine is better than a postcard. I have always felt this, there is no light like the light of Paris.
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| The Light: like no other |
7) Just seeing the Eiffel Tower - breathtaking! I stay away from the area as its touristy but maybe next time I'll go as I still need to go to the top. It gets my heart racing a bit every time. It makes me so thankful for so much, I don't even know why, maybe because seeing it is still such a dream come true.
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| A bientôt mon amour... |
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