Cultural and Historical Learnings of France.

So, I've been in Paris for 6 months now, I love the city. I really do. I love how beautiful it is, even in the driving rain. I love its quaint eaterys, cake shops and patisseries, restaurants of any cuisine you could imagine... (can you see a pattern here...)

OKAY I love food.

I get excited when I find a new blog showcasing Paris' newest boho coffee shop and automatically GoogleMap it and see their prices for their in-house cakes! I have an addiction. I don't think it will stop. But i need to broaden my Parisian exploring. What with work (and eating cake) I've sidelined the reasons why Paris is visited by so many millions a year. I know, slap me on the wrist.

So, I've made a deal with myself. Lean things about France, Paris and culture-y things, then reward oneself with cake. I think it's a fair deal.

Last weekend (free - museum Sunday! Many museums and galleries in Paris offer free entry on the first Sunday of every month! I KNOW! It's fantastic! But beware, this isn't a secret. Prepare to queue!)
was a weekend of cultural and historical learnings.

This Sundays trip was to Hotel des Invalides to have a look French war history. (Honestly, not much was learnt, other than they really like suits of armour) But the grounds were spectacular! I mean look here, there is the beautiful Tour Eiffel poking into the beautiful blue sky.

The Dome glistening golden in the beautiful sunshine. 

Napoleon. (one of the few left resting here in the Dome..) 

The main altar in the Dome. Everything is made with ornate marble and finished with beautiful gold. The reflection of the sun shining through the windows makes the inside glisten as much as the large golden dome outside that can be seen from all areas of Paris.

A Frenchy Fleur-de-Lis. 

A French Unicorns Helmet.  

After that historical lesson, we popped over the road to Musee Rodin. Sculptor and Painter. His work is just breathtaking. The gardens are full of hidden scuptures poking out of bushes and hiding behind trees. They blend in with nature. A perfect home for his work. Weathered and old, they tell stories.

We found this guy just contemplating in the sunshine. The Thinker. Hidden behind a few topiary trees amongst the rose bushes. 

And just look at the building itself. Truly beautiful. Placed in front of the beautiful sculpture garden. This place is truly an artists utopia amongst the hustle and bustle of a capital city. 

Paris has wonderful hidden gems like this. I want to see them all. 

A sunny Sunday in splendid Paris.

So, after being here in Paris for 4 months now, I have now had my most favourite day, and here I will tell you about it.

This morning I woke up to the fresh scent of bread being made. Not in my apartment, unless my new little fishy had turned into a baker overnight, but from the apartment across the courtyard. (Unfortunately the lady was not up for sharing, so I had a tea and my own toast for my average breakfast)
Today I had planned to meet my friend and have a picnic, so after making my picnicy goodies, I grabbed my shades (first outing this year!) and headed to get the bus.

The bus that runs from my house to my final destination went along the River Seine, so it was like a mini tour bus ride, catching the sights at fleeting Parisienne bus speed, but saw the sights never the less.

I got off the bus at Sorbonne in the beautiful 5th Arrondissement of Paris. Full of little bars and restaurants that were full to bursting on this Sunday lunch time. On a beautiful day like today I would highly recommend walking through the back streets of this lovely part of town and sitting and having a nice fresh glass of vin banc or rose to quench your thirst.

Whilst walking up Rue Descartes...

I saw this beautiful piece of work on the wall. Its this kind of thing and more that you find in this section of Paris, a totally different side of town, with only street savvy tourists or locals whizzing past you on their motos or bicycles.

Anyway, once I met Becky, we popped to a little parc near the university to soak up some sunshine and eat our picnic before she had to go to work.

Now my day didn't stop there. It was 2pm on a beautiful sunny day in Paris, no work to drag me away, no time deadlines, so I set up camp at a cute little bakery called Sugarplum. Now, let me tell you about this bakery. It is of american style and sells the most delicious cakes and cakey goodies you could find this side of the pond. I personally could not decide between the decadent double chocolate or the fruits of the forest, and after my lunch I don't know if I could have done both. So after consulting the sales team and thinking chocolate might me too much on this day, fruits of the forest it was.

After this I took myself to the nearest Velib station and decided to cycle to Jardin des Plantes... it doesn't permit you to cycle through there as I found out, so took it upon myself t cycle home.... I live in the 16th, it was about 8km, easy! The cycle ride was amazing. Cycling along the River Seine, taking in all the sights that i whizzed past on the bus, running over frightened pedestrians and stopping to sit by the river and sun worship for a while. Many people had taken to the cycle lanes of Paris today including roller skaters, skate - boarders and tandemists (not the right word, but I like it)  so we became a moving community of risk takers and pedestrian haters all chatting and telling each other of where we were going and exclaiming at how beautiful the weather was.

Now I'm going to be bold here. Cycling around Paris, there is no better way to see this beautiful city. Do it. Grab a velib (fantastic things) and go! .... NOW!

A crisp Parisienne weekend..

After another long week of work, meetings, training and sorting out becoming a bit French... it was time for the weekend and a nice stroll through some parks and of course checking out the sights on a beautiful afternoon. 

First a little picnic of bread and cheese and ham in Parc de Saint-Cloud. If you haven't been here, please take the time for a wander down. It has some of the best views in Paris. You can see the whole Paris sky-line, Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, the whole shabang! Beautiful on a crispy December afternoon.

After that we took a trip on the metro to the Eiffel Tower, Line 6 is a nice trip as its mainly outside and you can peer out at all the beautiful house as you wizz past. Of course the tower was busy as the sun was out and there were no clouds to be seen. The tower was standing proud and posed for some beautiful photos! As its Christmas we indulged in the over priced markets and got ourselves some yummy Churros!  Perfect to warm you up on a cold day! and in fact, well worth the 3€! 

The Tower at about 3pm with the moon cheekily making an appearance!! 

We still had some energy left (thanks to the churros!) so we took the metro again and headed up to Montmartre. Which i have now decided is one of my most favourite places in Paris. The view, the buildings, the tranquillity, the shops and of course the restaurants! :)

At this time of year, Montmartre offers a beautiful Christmas market just at Sacre Coeur with the best Vin Chaud and Chocolat Chaud! Traditional Christmas songs are played over a tannoy and the smells and sights of Christmas fit perfectly in this setting! Really a place to go to get you in the Christmas spirit.....