Paris / my first weekend
Paris is the third stop along my grand European adventure – a city I have spent time in before, and am beyond eager to call home for a month (as I write this, I am already feeling that a month is a drop in the bucket for the amount of time I wish I could spend here!). On my way from Menorca (where I was blessed with two full weeks of vacation) to Paris, I was feeling a bit under the weather, so I took my first night in Paris off to recoup a bit of energy. I spent the evening with soup and a movie, which of course felt hugely disappointing, but I had the energy I needed to start Saturday off on a strong foot as a result. Here is a recap of everything I saw and explored during my first weekend in Paris! You can view it all pinned on a map here, and I’ve included a top hits at the top in case you don’t want to read a play by play. For each image, I’ve noted the location as best as I could!
Saturday snapshot:
Coffee + Breakfast at Ten Belles
Peeking into Séméle, a cute wine bar
Shopping at Antoinette Poisson, AXS Design, Maison Beguin, Ailleurs, and Les Fleurs
Snack break at Frappe Boulangerie Urbaine
Strolling by Place des Vosges and the garden behind the Swedish Museum
Spritz break at Fabula
Sweet treats at Meert and self-care treats at Oh My Cream
Dinner at East Mamma or Le Mary Celeste
Sunday snapshot:
Breakfast at @cuppacafeparis
Shopping for books at @assouline
Strolling through the 6th and making note of shops I’d like to see again on a Saturday! (most shops are closed on Sundays here)
Browsing at @lebonmarcherivegauche
Wanting to stop into the @museerodinparis, but not arriving with enough time!
Saturday late morning
The funny thing about living abroad (and maybe this isn’t true for everyone, but it is true for me), is that because I have quite a bit of time here, I don’t feel terrible about taking my mornings easy. My work day during the week ends at 10 PM, and so I’m usually asleep by 1 AM…which means I’m waking up between 9:30 / 10 AM. This might make you gasp!! And I do feel a bit of shame about it, sometimes. But the truth is, with the whole day on the weekends to myself, I am able to cover all of the ground that I need to even if I start around 11 or noon. So, I started my first Saturday with a coffee and quiche at Ten Belles (they have a few locations, so tagging their IG). Along the way I spotted Séméle, which looks like a cute wine bar to check out – maybe when my friend Anna visits in October!
After fueling up, I wandered out for an adventure and let me feet lead the way! When I am travelling, I really don’t have too much of a plan; I always have shops and restaurants saved on google maps so that I have a general sense of things I’d like to catch in the area, but I truly do just pay attention to “whichever street looks the cutest” and follow the yellow brick road down it, haha. In Paris, this is absolutely the best way to go about the day because nearly every street will have a charming collection of spaces, museums, shops, and restaurants worth poking into. While I was over here, I stopped into Antoinette Poisson, a beautiful shop for handmade wallpaper, as well as AXS Design, a quirky shop with a beautiful selection of secondhand goods. I loved getting to meet the shop owners at AXS Design, who also run an interior design practice for hotels, homes, and restaurants! Maison Beguin was also a cute spot to stop into – the styling was so fresh and inviting.
Maison Beguin
AXS Design
Saturday early afternoon
When you are in a shop you love, I always recommended asking whoever is working there if they have recommendations for similar places in the area. The guys at AXS pointed me to Ailleurs, another beautiful shop nearby with second hand wares as well as their own products. and the woman at Ailleurs pointed me to Les Fleurs (they have two locations, both very different from one another, so be sure to swing by both!). After some window shopping I just wandered around, stopping for a fig tarte at Frappe Boulangerie Urbaine (I wouldn’t go out of your way for it, but it looked cute when I walked by) and some strolling in the direction of Place des Vosges.
Ailleurs
Les Fleurs - 5 rue Trousseau
Out and about in Le Marais
Saturday late afternoon
I had planned to stop by Fabula for a drink in their beautiful courtyard, but ended up just taking some photos and then continuing on my way – though would recommend including this spot for a quick stop along your journey for the courtyard ambiance alone! There was some great people watching in the area surrounding the cafe – ladies perusing art, men reading the newspaper as pigeons pecked away, and gals stopping for their smoke break. I think this was the moment when I realized that I might have the most fun photographing the people of Paris! If you are looking for a beautiful park to stop and read a book, I’d recommend the garden behind the Swedish Museum.
Along rue des Francs Bourgeois
Fabula
Saturday evening
Somehow afternoons in Paris feel longer than anywhere else! Usually with an afternoon, I cover so much ground and am nearly back at home by the time it’s time for dinner. But when I looked at the map at the end of the afternoon, it seemed like I had hardly moved from my original post – I have my work cut out for me these next few weekends! I stopped into Meert to eye their sweets, picked up a little gift for myself at Oh My Cream, and then popped into a few galleries that were open at the tail end of Paris Design Week (I continued to sigh more deeply throughout the day when I realized I had missed so much of it by being in Spain the week before). By the time dinner rolled around, I didn’t have much energy left to make a decision about where to eat – and sometimes in a city you’ve visited before, it’s okay to have a go at a place that already feels familiar. I went to East Mamma, part of the infamous Pink Mamma restaurant group, and ordered the iconic truffle pasta – almost as good as last time, but always more enjoyable in the company of a good friend, as I was this past spring! Le Mary Celeste was another place I had my eye on but just hadn’t planned ahead with a reservation – which in Paris, even for a seat for one, you often need!
Le Marais
Le Barbouille
Le Marais
Rue St Claude
Sunday morning and afternoon
Since so many shops and restaurants are closed on Sundays in Paris (which was admittedly news to me), this day felt so much more low key – and admittedly it was a bit of a relief to not be too tempted by all of the beautiful fashion finds. I started the day with a cappuccino and eggs benedict at Cuppa, an intimate and glamorous spot tucked on the edge of the 6th. This spot was so chic! A limited menu, but a great option for those looking to avoid the bustle of Cafe de Flor and Les Deux Magots around the corner. Afterwards I explored the neighborhood and then landed in Le Bon Marche - they are celebrating their 170th birthday this year, and it was so fun to see all of the items custom-made by famous retailers just for the occasion! I also stopped into Assouline, which surprisingly was open for a Sunday – this place is truly the king of coffee table books, larger than any I’ve ever seen. I would have picked up the book on Ken Fulk’s interiors if it didn’t mean I’d need to lug it around for months! For dinner, I cooked at home so I could prepare for the weekend ahead – a reality of living and working abroad!
Cuppa
Assouline
Walking in the 6th
Walking and stopping time in the 6th
Looking for directions outside of Le Bon Marche
En route to the Rodin Museum
A fun find on the walk home
Bon soiree :)
