Thursday 3 July 2014

Je t'adore Paris

We were heading for Paris, so it seemed entirely reasonable that we should be wearing hats....


 A sunny day at Versailles, escaping most of the other tourists at Petit Trianon put us in a holiday mood


I loved the rich colours and patterns



and came away with grandiose ideas of turning my bedroom into a boudoir...

We stayed in a wonderful little flat right in the centre of the city. I loved the area, near Les Halles, it was busy and lively and full of Parisians rather than tourists.


We were even invited to a Private View on our first evening! I prefer to stay in a house rather than a hotel, you can pretend it's your pied-a-terre and that you are  just popping over for the weekend...




Antiques stalls and Brocantes tempted us next day (and the next one too, actually). We pottered for hours  looking, lusting and occasionally treating ourselves




Whilst wandering, we came at one point to this overgrown house, tucked away, half hidden by the greenery. How we wished we could stay there!


We didn't visit many of the tourist attractions but I love Sainte Chapelle. Its one of the few places where opulent colour does not look gaudy but beautiful.


And as always, it's the details that touch my heart-




Paris is not only full of beautiful, uplifting art, it is also the perfect place for indulging in a little temptation...



We visited the oldest cake shop in Paris
And came away with a lunch that would seduce a Saint



On our last night we headed to the place that for many, sums up the spirit of the city



We found a quirky bar where the walls were covered with cards and notes and drawings by the guests and then treated ourselves to a fabulous meal at our favourite restaurant


later that night we watched the Eiffel Tower sparkling above the city, whilst a thunderstorm and lightening lit up the rest of the sky. It was a magical moment but one which I couldn't quite catch on camera...



The weekend was such a treat for me, it was wonderful to spend time with Emily and she well deserved her holiday. She has a 2.1 Hons in Drama and Creative Writing. I am very proud of her, she worked so hard.
I will always love Paris, it was the first foreign city I visited when young and it still has a slightly magical quality. It never disappoints or lets me down-

Bookstore on the banks of the Seine

Marie Antionette's private theatre

Golden Snails

A shoe decorated with flower petals and fruit

Paris Je t'adore.





The apartment -
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1876098?euid=6b3f696d-ecb7-e420-dab6-c3851a4f2d62

16 comments:

  1. Hello Jane:

    First, many many congratulations to Emily on her well deserved success.

    Secondly, this is a wonderful post and one which contains so very many alluring images of Paris, but of a side to the city which is, possibly, seldom seen and certainly less well known. You have presented here, in recording your time away, so many vignettes of things seen and experienced that we now think longingly of the night train which would speed us to that most magical of places.

    Thank you for a delightful post.

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  2. Dear Jane and Lance, thank you for your kind comment and congratulations to Emily. I have had such a problem with my computer freezing and crashing as I tried to upload photographs, that writing this post has taken longer than the visit! I'm so glad now, you have made me feel it was worth it. Jane xx

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  3. Sigh!.....your trip to Paris is just so lovely, what a perfect person to travel with, your own precious daughter. Your pictures are luscious and your header looks like a watercolor painting. Diane

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    1. Dear Diane, Wasn't I lucky to be with my Emily? A true blessing. Jane xx

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  4. I admire that your photos are of pretty details and not just big shots of buildings. I lived in Paris on 2 occasions for 3 months each. I practically lived at the Louvre, and other art museums. Your hats are beauties!

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    1. How wonderful have a chance to live there! I'm glad you like my little details... they make me happy. Jane xx

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  5. Gorgeous shots which evoke a real sense of place. I particularly like the lace and the food shots look very enticing too.

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  6. Je t'adore Paris aussi x
    Julie x

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  7. Wonderful, and thanks for the link to the apartment, looks really interesting...

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    1. Hello Lucy, do try the apartment- such a great place to stay, love Jane xx

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  8. This is very timely as I thinking of taking the children to Versailles during the summer - I have not been there for many, many years and it is about time to revisit I think.
    Glad that you had a lovely time
    Best wishes
    Jenny

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    1. Hello jJenny, I do hope you have a chance to go, it was magical, Jane xx

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  9. Such a good idea to stay in an apartment, too. It offers an excuse ot buy some of the wonderful food in the markets and do a bit of cooking!

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    1. Hello Jenny, So true, food shopping abroad is one of my favourite pleasures! Jane xx

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