• Ceremonial paddle with Janus ancestor heads with rare representation of a sea-spirit on the blade @galeriemeyer
    Galleries,  Let's Explore

    Appreciating and Admiring Oceanic and Arctic Circle Art Virtually

    Appreciating and Admiring Oceanic and Arctic Circle Art Virtually - Jacques Chirac. On a Thursday I visited my friend’s niece. Gisèle, at an art gallery. The gallery is a stone’s throw away from the National School of Fine Arts (École des Beaux Arts) in the Saint-Germain des Près quarter. It was the first Thursday of the month, and coincidentally a virtual live-streaming tour was about to begin. I was one of two live guests at a full exhibition tour of Oceanic and Eskimo (Arctic Circle) Art. During non-pandemic times, you can stop in at Galerie Meyer and ask questions about the exhibits . During pandemic times, virtual live-streaming and catching…

  • Wallace Fountain in front of Shakespeare and Company
    Let's Explore,  Seeing Paris

    Find Wallace Fountains Find Paris

    Have you walked around Paris and passed right by a water fountain from 1872 without taking a drink? Did you spend two Euros on a bottle of water instead? The non-profit Society of the Wallace Fountains is working hard to preserve the iconic Wallace fountains. The Paris water department (Eau de Paris) is responsible for their continued functioning. The water source differs throughout Paris. Where I live in the Bastille, ours comes from an aquifer. The fascinating story and a guidebook with maps and 21 self-guided walks is a great way for to hunt for the fountains. As Barbara Lambesis the author and President of the foundation says, “Find the Wallace…

  • Giverny town map from Tourist office
    Day Trip,  Giverny,  Let's Explore

    Day Trip to Giverny via Vernon

    A day trip to Giverny is easy. The SNCF train from Gare Saint-Lazare takes you to Vernon/Giverny in 45 minutes. Rent a bike across from the train station and take your time pedaling to Giverny. The biggest piece of advice: buy your tickets in advance to Monet's house. Follow the online ticket links at Foundation Claude Monet. Twenty minutes before departure in the direction of Rouen Rive Droite, the departing platform (voie) is posted. While you wait, enjoy the updated three-level shopping mall at Gare Saint-Lazare. If you want to "powder your nose" the "2theloo" spot is open from 6 am to midnight and is constantly being wiped down and…

  • gif Poster for Musée des Arts Forains English speaking tours Monday and Thursday Pavillons de Bercy, Paris
    Museum exhibitions,  Seeing Paris

    Musée Arts Forains Tours in English

    As the poster says, this is "an entertaining museum off the beaten path in Paris!" The Musée des Arts Forains (Museum of Fairground Art and carnival rides) is a large collection of entertainment and fairground art objects. English tours are planned for Monday and Thursday: July 11, 14, 18, 21, 25 and 28; August 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22 and 25 (reservations required). Tours at other times are in French. The visit is a real family fun moment. I highly recommend seeing this completely different museum in another beautiful neighborhood in our Ville Lumière......

  • Manege Enfantin, Pavillon de Bercy, Museum of Fairground Arts, Musée des Arts Forains, Paris, Open Christmas Holidays Dec 26-Jan 6
    Children and Teens,  Going Out

    The Fair That Stays In Town-Musée des Arts Forains

    Pavillons de Bercy was one of the stops on the traveling fair circuit. This year, I am going to the fairground that stays still; only the rides themselves move. WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO Fairground Arts Museum, Bercy, Paris Bright lights, scary and beautiful faces, exotic vehicles, dancing animals that pump up and down …. The Paris Musée des Arts Forains (Fairground Arts Museum) opens its doors to the general public between the day after Christmas and the first Sunday in January. Visit the museum without a reservation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. This is one of two occasions, the other is Journées du Patrimoine. The collection of costumes, Music Hall accessories…

  • Photo of lecturer Edith during Coco Chanel lecture
    History,  Seeing Paris

    Roaring Twenties Paris with Edith

    Often it is the Expats who write Paris blogs. Now you can get the true French stories directly from a Parisienne's pen. Her pen name "Edith" comes from Edith Piaf. Both women were born on the same rue de Belleville street, although as Edith says on her Edith's Paris blog, they are not of the same vintage....

  • Pont Alexandre III west side
    Life in Paris & France,  Photography-Art

    Photography Tour Ideas in Paris

    A reader asked about photo tours in Paris with instructions after reading my article “Paris Photo Walk at Pont Alexandre III” Here are some of the companies in Paris. I also recommend checking TripAdvisor and MeetUp. Better Travel Photos (tours in Paris and London), 32 Avenue de Suffren, 75015 Paris, France Phone Number: +33 6 74 04 21 84 Paris Photography Tours, 25 Rue de Cotte, 75012 Paris, France Phone Number: +33 6 17 08 54 45 Photo Tours in Paris (various cities), 7 rue Valentin Hauy, 75015 Paris, France Phone Number: +33 6 40 14 84 49 Pictours, 5 Rue Joseph Granier, 75007 Paris, France Phone Number: +33 6…

  • Woman looking at a map in the Louvre on ThatLou tour for the Paris le nez en l'air story
    Guided Walks,  Let's Explore

    Wandering around Paris “Le Nez en l’Air”

    Wandering around Paris with your nose in the air is the idea behind a website of self-guided walks. Although it might mean you have no particular goal or end in sight, wandering and gazing around, the website with the same name gives a beginning and ending point with lots in between. Paris has plenty of great, guided and personalized walking tours. Many are listed on my Paris Walking Tours page with more ideas on my Tours, Guides, Walks and Wheels .

  • Lunch with a view at 58 Tour Eiffel
    Archive

    Lightness of being at the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant

    This story has been archived. Some of the information may have changed since first published. A restaurant with distinct styling Go to one of the Eiffel tower’s restaurants, 58 Tour Eiffel, to see the style and design of a well known Parisian designer. Buy your ticket on line and save yourself a possible one and a half hours waiting in line. On this second visit to the restaurant 58 Tour Eiffel, I want to feel the ambiance of Patrick Jouin‘s design and style as well as enjoy the restaurant’s picnic-in-a-basket lunch. Around Paris, you see the works of Mr. Jouin either on the street with the Velib’ bicycles or the…