Ten top Paris pavement cafes Guardian Unlimited Take a look at an interesting article we found.
24 hours in the city of romance CNN Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Left Bank vs. Right: A tale of two cities Chicago Tribune Take a look at an interesting article we found.
Lust continues to be one of the Seven Deadly Sins that is difficult to contemplate. Because if you do, it may be too late.
April 21, 2009
Plumes of smoke once adorned the great thoughts of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Giraudoux—who is rumored to have said here, "Men should only believe half of what women say. But which half?"
It was also in the back room where Hemingway, puffing a large Cuban cigar, and Janet Flanner, writing her Paris Journal for The New Yorker, shared some intimate details about their pasts.
Les Deux Magots cafe on the Left Bank.
Now smoke free. It's only the memories that'll cost you here. (But they're worth it.)
Named after the wise men (the two magots) that still dominate the room. (What they must have overheard.)
The crystal chandeliers are too brightly lit for the tourists, but the regulars don't mind and continue rustling through "Le Monde."
You’ll sit outside; you won’t test the kitchen too much— a petit dejeuner. For lunch, a fine herbes omelet.
If you’re feeling decadent maybe a Salade Perigourdine, made with lettuce, haricot vert, slices of smoked duck and duck foie gras.
You can take a while to decide. Busy waiters rush about, seemingly oblivious. Because they know what you have outside.
Paris.
The passing parade on this famous street. A show just for you.
What better way to get to know a city than to watch it in action from a cafe. Lost in your thoughts. Better yet, lost in someone else’s thoughts.
Two young lovers rush into each other’s arms. The new existentialists, two French students from the nearby Institut d'études politiques, in a heated discussion. Do politics exist?
The street fashion show is omnipresent. So much savoir it isn’t quite faire.
Just on ground level alone. The shoes. Opaque stockings. Look up, and you might see a pony tailed man wearing jeans, a vintage motorcycle jacket accented with a hot pink scarf. Only two countries could pull that off and you're in one of them.
There goes the quintessential little black dress. Somewhere Coco is smiling. So are you. And your sunglasses are suddenly not good enough. There. A handbag you can only find here. An exuberant Briard walking a stunning woman in the perfect trenchcoat.
Your waiter has made an unexpected stop. Yes, a little more of what you’re drinking. You haven’t quite made up your mind yet. You’re going to stay a while. Like all day. Much more to soak in.
This is Paris after all.
So...where's your favorite “April?”
Could be right where you are.
Hmm, is that Gérard Depardieu getting out of a taxi?
BILLIE HOLIDAY - April In Paris youtube.com/ If you can't quite make it, this may be the next best thing.
SAINT GERMAIN DES PRES franceway.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
What is Bistro Cuisine? wisegeek.com Take a look at an interesting article we found.
aah, a bath with a bar of hard milled french soap followed with a brush and straight razor shave,...
Apr. 21, 2009 11:04 PM
Where's your "Paris"?
37% 20% 30% 0% 13%
I have not yet been to Paris. But I think I could easily spend all of April sitting in an outdoor cafe, sipping coffee in the morning, Perrier with a light lunch, Wine in the afternoon, and finish with a glass of pastis and a salute to the setting sun.
I'll need a notebook, a fountain pen, and a pair of shades. Don't worry, I'll make sure I have a table for two, so anyone who wants to join me can pull up a seat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZWYun6GzMo
Was there in '75 as leadership of a leftist theatre company
from L.A. Despite what must have been our wacky ways of preceiving
things, that city didn't disappoint. It was gorgeous, lightly so.
The French, though...it was odd; as if they didn't know what
they were supposed to do with themselves anymore.
my favorite place in april is where i'm at!
hemingway enjoyed it here, too!
Every time I go to Paris, this process is de rigueur. Not much can compare to the free entertainment to be had sipping a glass of wine or a cafe creme outside the Deux Magots (or any cafe, really) on Boulevard St Germain. I also like the fashion parade along the Champs Elysees, where I have observed the same ladies walk their dogs in a succession of outfits during the course of an afternoon. A pastis in the garden at the Hotel Ritz is a pleasant diversion, too. I soak up the cool green ambiance and imagine that someday I might be able to afford to actually STAY there. Imagination, indeed!
I mind one day walking down a side street in Paris, near my hotel, and encountering a little orange-headed fellow exiting a door on the street to stroll jauntily to his waiting limo. He cut across my path, gave me a wave and a smile as though we knew one another, and popped into his ride and away. He seemed familiar, and later I realized he was one of the members of Queen, the drummer I believe. Sometimes I feel a bit like Woody Allen's Zelig character. Another time, I was fending off some VERY full-of-himself person in a bar, and later a friend asked me what 'that guy from Journey' was talking about. Something about helping him find his lost puppy, I told her...still another time, it was a future president. And that's all I'm saying about that.
But anyroad, Paris is wonderful, ever-changing, stimulating and full of surprises. Eating a galette au chocolate up the Eiffel Tower is highly recommended, window shopping in Place Vendome, Galeries Lafayette for lingerie (silk!), strolling in the Tuileries, jostling in the Louvre. Le Marche' aux Puces, and on and on.
It's a very livable, and living, city.
And oh, how wonderful it is now to be in a wee pub in Ireland or a bistro in Paris, and not have to gauge how long I can bear the smoke! Before, I'd stumble into the street amongst the flaneurs when I could bear no more, blinking and gasping. Now I can enjoy my indolence without the lung-searing, eye-tearing, mascara-smearing, death-nearing poisonous atmosphere.
Progress!
Ah, any cherry blossom festival in Japan -- hands down. Crowds of people sitting on ground cloths in parks, chattering away (some family groups, some work groups), eating, drinking -- as the petals drift down, a pink snowstorm carried on soft zephyrs.... It's almost surreal.... this can't be planet Earth....
Hmmmmm, there is a pub in London, almost any pub in London would do, in which I would love to be spending April, May, June..............................
I have been in Paris in April and love the city. Olivia - well said: But anyroad, Paris is wonderful, ever-changing, stimulating and full of surprises. Eating a galette au chocolate up the Eiffel Tower is highly recommended, window shopping in Place Vendome, Galeries Lafayette for lingerie (silk!), strolling in the Tuileries, jostling in the Louvre. Le Marche' aux Puces, and on and on.
It's a very livable, and living, city.
It is so alive - all the time. You feel you can almost breath Paris in, a feast for the eyes, ears and spirit.
Three years ago, my husband decided that we HAD to take our seven year old daughter to
Paris for spring break. One week of absolute heaven ensued. We did plenty of sheer touristy things to do, figuring that she needed some kind of non-intellectual diversion....boat ride down the Seine, toy-shopping in random, adorable shops, lots of ice cream breaks.
But she really shone when we spent the afternoon in the Louvre or poked about in the Conran Shop or investigated Notre Dame or St. Sulpice. On their day alone, her dad showed her Les Invalides and the discussed Napoleon and how short the soldiers used to be.
On my day, we sampled perfume, marveled over the Impressionists, and I showed her Les Deux Magots and how the French can spend time usefully relaxing in public, watching the fascinating and endless parade of grizzled old men, fabulous young women, dogs, interesting cars, and everything else you can possible imagine.
To be able to take her to the Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower and introduce her to truly fine dining, well, it was a dream realized. She still remembers and talks about the meal, can't wait to learn French and when playing pretend with friends, always lives in Paris. Is it every parent's dream to have their children love what they love? I don't insist she love everything that I love but loving Paris, or someplace like it, is loving all that is vibrant, creative, and alive in this world. I do want her to love those...
Just read that the author of The DaVinci Code is putting another book out. Disclaimer**I don't think it was terrific fiction, nor am I in any way promoting the content, however, I did enjoy it as pure entertainment, since I love a good conspiracy.
Anyhoo, since we're talking about Paris today, it reminded me that when I took the Mollster to St. Sulpice, one of the cathedrals (or does it qualify I can't remember the criteria) that featured prominently inthe book, we did examine the oddly placed obelisk and the Rose Line that runs across the floor. It did make me wonder why the Catholic church would allow the installation of a non-Christian symbol. Plus, it stands out as just plain weird there, in the transept.
I hope one of you Eyesters can clear up the mystery. Or at least tell me I'm the only one who is confused.
OK, folks, I visited Paris in June and it was freezing. I went back in March and was better prepared, but that first time was miserable. I am going to go ahead and provoke everybody here, but let's be honest- Paris on Vacation is great. New York on vacation is great. Savannah or Charleston or Richmond or London or Cairo or Venice on vacation is great, especially if you get the wine they don't ship here because it doesn't have the sulfites in it. SKRUNNNNNNNNK. You is on vacation. THAT is what is great. Sure, it is fun to sit and watch people all day long. Sure the flowers are lovely and the museums are cool. But if you lived there, would you be doing that stuff? YOU'D HAVE TO GO TO WORK. And somebody would start to complain about how much you were spending on assorted liquids that you promptly pssssed away a couple of hours later. Mes Apologies to those who actually DO live in Paris and if you hang out at the Louver and the tooleries, good on you. But I have to vote with Cuukoo- a place with its own charms sufficient to lure residents is a better place than an amusement park. Where I am is pretty nice in April, once you get used to putting the convertible top up and down three times a day. These parts are a lot nicer in April than they are in August, and while so many of the flowers don't last all month, they make an amazing display while they are here. And I don't have to worry about the dubious joys of a million people wanting my parking place, my taxi, and my wallet. I'd like to live in one of those fabulous places, but I'd prefer not to do it with my present budget. If you'd like to come sit and drink here, I will buy you your first seven drinks. After that, you're on your own.
In Paris, when a walk is in order, Shakespeare & Co is bookstore one must experience.
Shandonista: I have a few theories on the churches and the pagan symbols.
1: Theft. Similar to the British Museum, maybe the churches had the spoils of victory installed.
2: Conversion. Maybe things of that nature were installed to help bring pagans over to Christianity, then those symbols just became part of the architecture and everybody forgot what they meant.
3: Conspirates. Sneaky people snuck in during the building and put stuff up to mess with the minds of future generations.
Setting is not as essential as the cast...
The patios are open now. I move from my favorite corner table out into the sun, turning my bare arms and face to its light like a daffodil. I covertly watch your party co-opt the table next to me, and then I return to reading...or at least pretend to, Faust being suddenly less interesting than the contrast of your graying hair with your youthful smile. When the conversation turns to time travel, I cannot help but laugh. "Why are you laughing," you ask? "Time travel is impossible," I reply, "Otherwise we'd be overrun with tourists from the future snapping pictures of us like the Japanese in front of the Mona Lisa." You smile. "Is someone joining you?" I gesture to the empty seat opposite me. "I stole that from Hawking," I confess, mesmerized by your intense blue eyes. "I know. But I forgive you."
Paris is the city of lights, but April can bloom anywhere.
I think April in Paris would be lovely, but really, for me, anywhere there is Spring in the air is where I long to be.
It's magical the way the world sheds its winter coat, just as we do, to soak in the warmth of the sun, awakening us from our cold snowy nap.
The flowers and trees are bursting with buds and blooms - cherry and dogwood blossoms, tulips and iridescent irises - a treat for the eyes after the browns and grays of the winter doldrums.
Upon rising the morning after a Spring thunderstorm, one finds the air is fragrantly sweet, the grass is vividly green, the bluebirds are happily singing, and the bright sun-lit sky is filled with soft puffy white clouds playing in the gentle breeze.
One begins to notice, that almost overnight...
The goldfinches have traded their dull olive feathers for brilliant yellow...
The bullfrog has slipped out of the pond to warm himself on the rocks...
A Mother duck has stopped traffic while crossing the road with her fluffy little ducklings all waddling in a row...
The bees are buzzing a cheerful tune as they visit each flower, gathering pollen...
The darting hummingbirds have migrated back from their winter playgrounds...
The world has suddenly become vibrantly alive once more!
The sights, smells, and sounds of Spring are intoxicating; whether you are in Paris or in your own neighborhood.
I especially enjoy the uplifting "spring" I seem to detect in everyone's step and the joyful sense of "spring" in my heart.
my favorite place to be in april is in the rain, though I mostly like to try and stay dry. it's a task, but a good canvas umbrella works fin, or a large oak tree will do.
*Le Sigh* M. Peterman you sure know how to evoke the soul of a place and the feeling of a time. I miss travel, and La Belle France in particular.
This is making me think of Enchanted April, anyone seen it? It is a quiet film but sweet and lovely, well worth the watching.
Au revoir, back to the real world mes amis!
I am always intrigued by the romantic comments written on Paris. When I lived in NYC and traveled to Paris I enjoyed the same fare of people watching as what I see written on Paris. The food and atmosphere found in Paris is also available in New York. The people there are as friendly or indifferent as any New Yorker and the choice is always your own to make. The cab drivers in each city have a people (and driving) sense un matched anywhere. The theater and arts, rivalry aside, are the same to an average guy like me. The Boulevards of Paris have NYC beat, but my time in Central Park could not be found in Paris. Un like Olivia and company my time in Paris has always been dedicated to work and fighting traffic jams to get to my appoinments. I have never been there with anyone who was not also carving out a living, and therefore they too showed little time for the romantic side of life. One day I do hope to take in the sights and have a romantic stroll through the city.
Meanwhile and not very far away........
Heavy sigh........I guess I'll go sit at a table at Starbucks today. I'll need one with an umbrella. I'll have my usual bone-dry cappuccino, Mallorca sweet bread and let my current book put me smack-dab into the midst of a mystery in a small village in Sweden. Maybe I'll see you there.
If not, well then I hope you enjoy where you've been, where you are, and wherever you are going.
Peace out
Thanks, Trask, for pointing out the error of my ways. Not only can I avoid that dreadful flight over the Atlantic, I can save money by just visiting lovely downtown Terre Haute.
Since I'm firmly disabused of my illusions, you're going to have to buy my liquor....
Kindlee, Please forgive my boldness but I would wager, and I'm certain that I would win; that wherever/whenever you are, spring is near at hand. I enjoyed your comment, appreciate their perspective. John
Kindlee ~ Beautiful
Dear Peter Lake and rings90 - Thank you both for your kind words. It's easy to always feel Spring in my heart when there are people, such as the two of you, warming my spirit and making me smile. Pam
1988: I was flying from New York to Nairobi, and then on to Arusha, Tanzania. We had a 13 hour layover in Paris - Orly Airfield. So... I strapped on my best walking shoes and took off! Must've walked for ten hours, all through the City, and then skipped back to the airport in time for my plane. I've got the photos on slides, which I am now going to try and convert to digital files and upload. I could live in Paris. Really, truly live.
I've been 'through' Paris a few times (train, driving across it, etc), but from what I saw, I'll take Barcelona.... and if you'd like a different timeframe, check out 'La Ciudad de Los Prodigios' (1999)...http://www.blockbuster.com/movies/la-ciudad-de-los-prodigios.html If this makes you want to read about the history of Cataluna (and more specifically Barcelona) you will discover a crazy, nutty, delightful, horrifying place that will steal your heart -- and perhaps break it....
If you can erase the images of 1941-1945 -- as every Japanese under age 60 has -- Tokyo in April still beats Barcelona, if only because it has forgotten... and for many places in the world, remembering is very, very painful.... Remember this if you ever meet a Lebanese. You are not doing him any favor by asking him what Beirut was like before the Civil War.... he may even cry.
Doc - funny you mention Beirut....my step sister spent a few years there recently, just before all hell broke loose again and ruined what had been rebuilt. She thought it was pretty special. I imagine it really was something back in the day.
My evil stepmom loves Damascus. She travels widely and is my expert on exotic places, Istanbul for certain.
My plan for retirement is either have money or not. Simple, eh? If I have money, I have always wanted to live on the Costa del Sol, just 'cause the name is so cool. Maybe Barcelona, though. If I don't have money, it's either my daughter's basement or an Airstream trailer in Roswell NM selling alien refridgerator magnets and expensive petrol.
Damnselfly,
(Pretending to read in nearby chair, quietly amused and thoroughly impressed.)
Bloody well done.
Happy April, all, wherever or whenever (my apologies to Hawking) you may *be*
There's a Shakespeare & Co. in Paris! That is crazy! I remember the one on 81st and broadway...
zackchange: I'm pretty sure the one in Paris is the original one.
Can't afford le plane or boat? Why not visit Terre Haute? Find a waiter who is rude while I talk like that Sarco-dude. I'll dig out the cafe-presse, if you'll just wear the Peterman dress. No need to travel to be chic, or overload le carte plastique... Nothing on beneath your coat? Some couture is ALWAYS haute... April's best remains in store as lacy nothings hit the floor. Think it over once and then, we'll wake up and start again Euro short for le cheese qui stinks? Visit me, I'll buy the drinks.
It would have been better if I could rely on spacing...
Hey, a hearty (or kidneyish) welcome to Alisonnj!
on my way...
Paris makes me think of good food.
Good food makes me think of cheese.
And then I found this:
http://www.artisanalcheese.com/
I wish I was flying to Paris Thursday morning, but I ain't. STILL, if I WAS flying to Paris, I would be charging the double battery pack for my D200 just like I'm doing now. It won't do to show up in Cape Breton on Friday morning without the requisite battery life to go 600+ pictures, now would it? <p>I'm flip-flopping, too, on whether to bring a video camera. I've got a small one, but it's still a wee bit big. Nah. I've decided just now. A still camera and that's it. <p>And I really wish the airlines would let me travel with my favorite walking stick, but the head of my walking stick is a very real, small bearded axe (blunted, but still lethal). I don't think the TSA trons will let me through security with THAT.
<p>Props to Zappos for getting my new, black, size 14 Bogs (the tall kind) to me exactly as ordered. I'll be needing those for the extended traipsing, for which I wish I could have my walking stick. Maybe I'll take a stick without an axe head. Compromise.<p>Paris would still be really nice...
Stinking paragraph tags didn't work, did they? <p>What about this one?</p> <p>And this one?</p>
They're NOT STINKING WORKING!!! This doesn't happen in Safari. Only in Firefox. Stinking renard!!!
A-HA!! I'll take that umbrella with a seat thingie that Mr. Peterman was kind enough to sell me. PERFECT.
Renard du feu SUCKS.
I hope the Peterman Tech God comes and erases all of my posts about formatting.
Because The New Conputer is still getting installed and I stole a few minutes to see what y'all are up to, I can't stay. Little of Paris, where, looking blase, sipping Campari in a favorite JP ensemble and hat (no, not the beret: too common in Paris) that attracted men like fireflies to light, I watched the world pass. Other remarks on the 'Paris' essay day. Who said "Enchanted April"? It's wonderful, and to see it again I tried at Netflkix, learned it's not yet out. Do see it, all, and notice the man who appears briefly: now he is Detective Supervisor Christopher Foyle In 'Foyle's War,' the superb BBC WWII in England series, See that, too, please. Wonderful. Of today's subject: John, Pam, Willie, I am in love with you; the marvel is it's for reasons as different as are y'all. Each gifted in his unique fashion. But you knew, even before I wrote it. Returning hijacked computer to wizard co0mputer guy Ike, who encountered not-his-fault delays in delivery of essentials. I borrow from dear dear John....Peace out. Thst's so comforting, and I don't know where it originated, but knowing you, I'll bet it was spawned in your mind. (Which I love, too) Eve
Because The New Conputer is still getting installed and I stole a few minutes to see what y'all are up to, I can't stay. Little of Paris, where, looking blase, sipping Campari in a favorite JP ensemble and hat (no, not the beret: too common in Paris) that attracted men like fireflies to light, I watched the world pass. Other remarks on the 'Paris' essay day. Who said "Enchanted April"? It's wonderful, and to see it again I tried at Netflkix, learned it's not yet out. Do see it, all, and notice the man who appears briefly: now he is Detective Supervisor Christopher Foyle In 'Foyle's War,' the superb BBC WWII in England series, See that, too, please. Wonderful. Of today's subject: John, Pam, Willie, I am in love with you; the marvel is it's for reasons as different as are y'all. Each gifted in his unique fashion. But you knew, even before I wrote it. Returning hijacked computer to wizard co0mputer guy Ike, who encountered not-his-fault delays in delivery of essentials. I borrow from dear dear John....Peace out. Thst's so comforting, and I don't know where it originated, but knowing you, I'll bet it was spawned in your mind. (Which I love, too) Eve
Isles, is it le renard du feu? I use it ( anything but l'explorateur d'interneck) and am truly desole' to think it has something to do with the lack of paragrafication. Mais ( shrug) ca peut-etre. By the way, I have been thinking aboot your hair and I strongly suggest the Viking braids only if you have a Viking pinafore and Viking ruby slippers to go with them. Otherwise, I'd stick with the queue.
W. Trask and J. Isles ... It would take a secure Viking to wear a Viking pinafore, and Viking ruby (size 14?)slippers! Thanks for the ear to ear grins boyz.
Thank you for the hello Jonathan Isles. I need some new friends and this might be the place!
I thought the spacing in your poem was intentional! I enjoyed it.
Welcome AllisonJ, MY NEW BEST FRIEND. You are sweet and kind and will find many friends here, but naaah, the spacing was jointly messed up by me and the non-paragraphication feature, which Isles has traced to Firefox, perheps. ALSO Welcome other new friends, from yesterday and today. Zackchange, Damselfly, Think, JTD, ... biengvenue, all and sundry. We are pleased that you have joined us.
Just because:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Paris&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#
Paris "Aux Champs Elysées" This
Jonathan, lissen up: when you get to Cape Breton, go to the river. Look out the right rock, and knap an edge. Then you find, fell, and fashion your OWN damn stick.
End of story.
Shandonista:You do NOT need to have (much) money to live in most places! What you need to do is live as if you were a young student, or a through-hiker, or a protege of Jack Kerouac! There are mountain villages in Spain where houses have been abandoned because the young folks have gone to the cities to make a living (you DO expect a social security check, right?). There are hundreds of millions of folks all over the earth who live on less than welfare people in the U.S.A.... No, what's required is simply the willingness to let go! (Oh, knowing the local language is very important, too, though not absolutely imperative, if you can handle loneliness...) Forget about social status, and accept the fact you will be 'outside the pale'. It's something you can experiment with, if you don't know if it's for you.... Take two weeks and hike (inside the U.S.) -- by yourself, perhaps with just a book for company. And think about anchorites in ancient Egypt, or sadhus in 1930s India.... they were on an adventure. As will you. I neither advocate this course, nor discourage it... I simply point out that you are as free to wander... and that the true barriers are INSIDE each of us.... They are not economic! [End of lecture]
P.S. Northern Pakistan is gorgeous.... DON'T GO THERE. It's (objectively) dangerous!!!! There are lots of other places, too, populated with dangerous animals, all of them homo sapiens! One must use one's brain!
Welcome and well met indeed....
to all of our new neighbors and contributors. There's always coffee, camraderie and conversation being served around our kitchen table here.
Ooops, I gotta go..... It's a full count, two outs and the bases loaded. The Cubbies are already ahead by 5 but could use some insurance runs.
Someone else can have my seat at the table..... for now. I'll sit on the counter when I get back.
aah, a bath with a bar of hard milled french soap followed with a brush and straight razor shave, I splash on my 1903 cologne (of course) and head down state st. just north of the loop with my favorite briar pipe and a large steaming french roast with a copy of the tribune tucked under my arm while I search for an old friendly face to take in the morn overlooking the lake. It's not april in Paris, but my hometown of Chicago works fine for me.
more on the honor rollJust checking in. I feel I've spent all day at Les Deux Magot. I enjoyed the Billie Holiday version but the best rendition of April in Paris might have to go to Ella and Louis.