We can no longer ignore the fact that the summer is here, and with it the heat and humidity. All we can do is try to stay as long as possible in a chilly and cozy bubble indoors. Just as the known saying claims that a child sees a puddle as an opportunity, while an adult sees it as an obstacle. I remember myself as a young girl waiting for the summer all year long: sun, vacation, pool (no sea or ocean in Jerusalem). Now I think in terror: sun, vacation (for the children), sea full of jellyfish and everything swimming in a soup-like sticky humidity.
It’s so nice to remind myself that just beforehand, we managed to go on a quick one-week trip to Paris. The blooming flowers in the gardens, the crisp cool air, and the two of us wondering through the familiar and beloved streets and squares of the city.
I wrote on the blog about Paris several times before, after previous trips, but after this trip as well, I returned with some new discoveries and suggestions. For anyone who follows me on Instagram and got to experience it with me in real-time and who wrote to me that they would love to see a suggestions’ list, I keep my promise and share with you the best Paris has to offer.
Since I wanted to maximize the feeling of freedom, I decided not to wonder around with my excellent but heavy professional camera, and used my IPhone instead. Hopefully you’ll forgive me.
Hotels:
As always, we stayed in two different hotels during the trip, with different characteristics and locations, and I highly recommend both of them.
Hôtel Parc Saint Séverin – Located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés in an excellent location, the room is cozy with a modern, colorful and warm design. The view from the fifth floor was breathtaking, with a small balcony a cross-hair from the church rooftop.
My favorite breakfast…
The hotel’s public areas are fine but not really interesting, the main point of interest is the room which feels great to return to at the end of the day.
The breakfast is rich and delightful and the room is everything I can ask for is vacation like this. We had a cute mini-bar for various alcoholic drinks in our room, together with a nice recipe book for various cocktails. A place in which it’s easy to forget where you came from and where you’re planning to go next.
(Relaxing with cousins who ‘came over’ for a visit from the Netherlands)
Every day is a ‘good hair day’ in Paris.
How much beauty and inspiration comes from wondering around the streets and shops of Paris. Sometimes the most surprising and joyful discoveries are behind an anonymous door, but I also have a list of addresses on which I never give up.
The ‘temple’ of design, Merci, on the edge of the Marais, I visit every time, and enjoy myself with the three stories, the café and the gardens, filled with esthetic goodness.
Here, like in any design or clothing shop which respect itself, the linen is the star. Bedsheets, curtains, table maps and more in countless colors.
After 23 years in countless design shops with me, my husband developed an immunity and can keep his smile.
BHV is a huge and high-quality department store in the Marais, which fits perfectly if you fell on a rainy day and already visited every museum. Unlike stores like Le Bon Marche, in which everything is horrendously expensive, here you can find countless brands and products in sensible prices.
The store include several floors dedicated to great wallpapers and wall paints (which I wish were available here), furniture, textile and houseware.
Food:
Will I’m not keeping the best for last, I will say that if there is one address to which we will return in the future, it is the amazing bistro, Bistro Volnay.
It is located not far from Madeleine Square and the opera house in an area filled with excellent shops. The décor and the ambiance are very Parisian, in the best way. In midday, most of the diners seemed like business people and government workers. The food was excellent, French with a modern twist, and the service was great.
A perfect place for a dish filled with protein and alcohol.
So until the autumn is here, I leave you with a cold image of a tree-filled Parisian boulevard.
