What to Do in Paris on Sundays

The sun finally came out in Paris on Sunday, which was perfect because my mum was visiting. We had a lovely day so I thought I would do a post on what to do in Paris on a Sunday.
Go for a morning stroll – It doesn’t necessarily matter where as long as the sun is shining. From my flat in the third arrondissement, we walked up to République and along to Canal Saint Martin where we stopped at Chez Prune for a hot drink. Then we wandered along the Canal, watched a boat pass through the various locks and just generally soaked up the peaceful and beautiful surroundings. Canal Saint Martin is great because it is not swarming with tourists. Other great places for a morning stroll include: Montmartre, the Marais, Ile Saint Louis and anywhere along the Seine.

S’il y a du soleil, une balade du matin à Paris est magnifique n’importe où ! On a promené de chez moi dans le troisième à République et Canal Saint Martin où on a pris une boisson chaude à Chez Prune. Puis on a marché le long du Canal, regardé pendant qu’un bateau passe par des écluses et apprécié le beau quartier tranquille. Le Canal Saint Martin est génial parce qu’il ne grouille pas de touristes. D’autres quartiers supers pour une balade du matin inclus : Montmartre, Le Marais, Ile Saint Louis et n’importe où à côté de la Seine. 
Eat brunch – This means something quite different to what it does in England. In France brunch is a multi-course meal starting with breakfast type foods, then lunch and dessert. On this Sunday we actually went for an untraditional brunch at bio cantine Soya. It was a vegetarian buffet consisting of salads, falafel, hummus, lasagne, rice and curries followed by mini cakes and brownies. Of course I ate too much and was so excited about the food that I forgot to take any photos until after I had eaten!

Le brunch en France est assez différent que le brunch en Angleterre. En France, le brunch consiste de plusieurs plats : on commence avec le petit déjeuner, puis on mange le déjeuner et le dessert. En fait, ce dimanche on est allé pour un brunch peu conventionnel à une cantine bio qui s’appelle Soya. C’était un buffet végétarien qui consistait des salades, du fallafel, d’houmous, de la lasagne, du riz et des curries et il y avait des minis gâteaux et brownies pour dessert. Bien sûr, j’ai trop mangé et j’étais si impatiente de manger que j’ai oublié de prendre des photos jusqu’après j’avais déjà mangé ! 

Visit a museum – A great activity for any Sunday but especially on the first Sunday of the month when many museums are free. As it was such a lovely day, we went to the Arc de Triomphe, which is the best vantage point in Paris in my opinion. From there we wandered down the Champs-Elysées and headed for the Panthéon to make the most of the free museums Sunday.

Une activité parfaite pour un dimanche, surtout le premier dimanche du mois quand l’entrée dans beaucoup de musées est gratuite. Car il faisait si beau, on est allé à l’Arc de Triomphe, qui offre le meilleur vu de Paris pour moi. Ensuite, on a promené sur l’Avenue des Champs-Elysées avant d’aller à Panthéon pour bien profiter des musées gratuits.
Enjoy a city park – Paris is absolutely full of amazing parks. We strolled through the Jardin des Tuileries where you could really tell that Sunday in Paris is family day. Other great parks include Jardin du Luxembourg, Jardin des Plantes and my personal favourite, Parc des Buttes Chaumont. If you fancy getting out of Paris, there is also Bois de Vincennes and Bois de Boulogne on the east and west edges of the city respectively, which are lovely for a Sunday walk.

Paris est une ville plein des parcs incroyable. On s’est baladé dans le Jardin des Tuileries où on pourrait vraiment voir qu’à Paris, le dimanche est réservé à la famille. Le Jardin du Luxembourg, le Jardin des Pantes et le Parc des Buttes Chaumont (mon parc favoris) sont d’autres parcs géniaux ! De plus, si on voudrait sortir des murs de Paris, le Bois de Vincennes et le Bois de Boulogne sont magnifiques pour une balade de dimanche. 
Izzie x

Le Café des Chats

I had the best evening last night! I went to Le Café des Chats (Cats Café). Yes that’s right, such a joyous place exists and it is just a 15 minute walk from where I live in Paris. I had heard rumours of one opening in London about a year ago but that never seemed to have materialised. Well London you are seriously missing out. 
About 10 cats inhabit this café, each of which have come from an animal shelter, and they are free to roam the café as they please and even take time out from human company in their private adjoining room!
Lewis and I just went for dessert but there are also savoury options, such as quiche which the cats are immediately attracted to! It was a great environment and the cats are adorable! I was wearing my new vintage silk/wool jumper and this one cat Oreo just loved the material! She jumped onto my lap and was nuzzling and pawing the jumper for ages, it was lovely. I highly recommend this cafe is you are ever visiting Paris, we have already booked to go again in two weeks time!
Izzie x

Hier, j’ai passé la soirée parfaite ! Je suis allée au Café des Chats. Oui, un café des chats existe et juste à 15 minutes à pieds d’où j’habite à Paris ! Il y avait des rumeurs qu’on ouvrait un café des chats à London mais cela n’a pas passé. Alors, Londres, vous manquez un lieu incroyable !
Environ 10 chats habitent dans le café, chacun vient d’une fourrière, et ils peuvent errer dans le café comme ils veulent, même ils peuvent prendre du temps loin des humains dans leur salle privée juste à côté !
Lewis et moi sommes allés pour le dessert mais il y a aussi des options salées, comme le quiche qui attirent les chats tout de suite ! L’environnement est génial et les chats sont adorables ! J’ai porté mon nouveau pull vintage de matière soie et laine qu’un chat qui s’appelle Oreo a adoré ! Elle a sauté sur mes genoux et a poussé du nez contre la matière pour longtemps ! Je l’ai adoré. Je recommande fortement  que vous alliez au Café des Chats si vous êtes jamais à Paris ! Nous avons déjà réservé pour aller dans deux semaines !

Bisous, Izzie

A Week in Pictures

So the first week of 2014 has been great! I have been on some lovely strolls with my Mec (boyfriend in French) along Impasse Marie Blanche and Cité du Midi in Montmartre and also in Parc de Monceau. I’ve discovered some great new bars in the Buttes aux Cailles area in the 13th and we topped off the week with a trip to the Pompidou Centre today. ‘A Week in Pictures’ will be a regular feature as a way of update on life in Paris. Enjoy!
Izzie x

Paris at Christmas

I haven’t been able to blog for a while because my camera is broken and phone photos just don’t cut it for outfit posts. I will have a new camera for the new year so maybe my new year’s resolution will be to keep on top of my blogging! Anyway instead, here is a photo update from a lovely but cold December in Paris…
I’m back home for Christmas now in Bristol but only until Friday because of work (boo!). I love Christmas – bring on lots of food and presents!
Merry Christmas!!!

Izzie x

Fashion Questions

Yesterday I went to this incredible exhibition at my favourite gallery in Paris, La Maison Européenne de la Photographie. Normally there are two or three exhibitions there at once but this time; photographer and environmentalist Sebastião Salgrado took up the entire gallery with his ‘Genesis’ work.  His subjects were people, places and animals who had avoided and escaped the contemporary world and it was really interesting learning about cultures and continents so different from ours.
The first thing that struck me was the different tribal dress. In our modern world we are so obsessed with image and technology, don’t worry I’m not criticising anyone as I am just as obsessed as the next person, that it is hard to imagine another way of life. These people don’t care about fashion, they live practically naked and their main concern is surviving off what nature provides. It was incredibly interesting and liberating to learn about this way of life.
What they lack in clothes they make up for in other ways. Large, extreme piercings and permanent scarring are just part of their look the same way hair dye and tattoos are for us Westerners. 
At the other end of the spectrum are those living in the Antarctic who don’t wear fur coats as a fashion statement but because it is necessary to survive. Inuit coats are made of four layers of reindeer skin to keep them warm at the coldest of times. When I next complain of the cold, I will certainly think of them.
Ok, my musings about whether fashion is important, over. It is important for us but imagine if we lived like these people, imagine if fashion was not important?
Izzie x

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