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January 6 is the feast of the Epiphany, when the three wise men finally made it to visit the baby Jesus. In France, this of course means a special tradition involving food. The galette des rois is a round flat cake filled with almond pastry cream. Depending on your taste and following the decadence of Christmas this may seem a little underwhelming, but it's what's inside that counts. A small ceramic piece called a feve is baked into each cake. Traditionally in the shape of bean, the feve can also be in the form of the baby Jesus, a Smurf, a car, or almost anything else you can imagine (just search for "feves" at ebay.fr) take the The person who finds the feve in his or her slice is the king for the day and gets to wear the flimsy paper crown that comes with the cake. To ensure total impartiality in the distribution of slices, purists insist that the youngest person in the room sit under the table and call out names as the cake is cut. Galettes of all sizes are available throughout the city, from chains like Monoprix and Paul to almost every neighborhood patisserie. Don't pass up what may be your only chance at royalty this year.
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Coming from a country whose Christmas lights can be seen from outer space and are known to cause rolling blackouts, Christmas in Paris can appear to be relatively subdued. Never fear, Christmas is here, it just isn't the head-on attack that it is elsewhere. There are plenty of tasteful decorations throughout the city to help you get into the holiday spirit. Paris illumine Paris is cosponsored by the city of Paris and a city-wide commercial association. Using supplies and creative direction provided by the program, local merchants take responsibility for the Christmas lights decorating their individual streets. With 180 000 meters of state of the art low consumption lights (powered by alternative energy sources) adorning 150 kilometers of Parisian streets, this program is as green as it is festive. The website has a fun interactive map of all the participating streets to help you plan your visits.On a smaller scale, two large Parisian department stores have special holiday window displays. At Printemps , three big names from the world of fashion and design, Karl Lagerfeld, Hannah Mac Gibbon and Hervé Van der Straeten, offer their interpretation of the theme "Cosmic Dream", while the Galeries Lafayette building is covered in a "lace" of lights created by an Italian artist. On Wednesday evenings, a thirty person choir sings tradition Christmas songs around the store's 20 meter tree.If you're the type for whom it isn't winter until you've glided gracefully or slid precariously over a sheet of ice, the city of Paris offers three temporary outdoor skating rinks, at Hotel de Ville, Montparnasse Tower and the BNF. Access to the rinks is free and skate rental is 5 euros. For indoor skating, try the Sonja Henie rink at the Palais omnisport de Paris Bercy. This one's not free but the DJ alone is worth the 6 euro entrance fee.
Could it be possible that, even with the omnipresence of Starbucks, different cities have unique coffee cultures? For example, I have the impression that cities in the Pacific Northwest part of the United States are filled with fun, hip coffeehouses where you can sit and work all day or listen to live music in the evenings. People in New York City, on the other hand, aren't interested in coffee unless they can take it everywhere with them in a paper cup. So what's the coffee profile for Paris? Paris is filled with neighborhood cafes serving drinks, meals and snacks from from early in the morning to late at night. These cafes are more than food service establishments - they are an important part of the social fabric of the city. There's nothing better than spending a sunny morning at an outside table, nursing a coffee and watching all of Paris pass by, except for maybe spending a sunny afternoon in the same spot with a glass of wine. You're sure to find a favorite cafe close to wherever you're staying, but for a good introduction to cafe culture, try Cafe de Flore or its neighbor, Les Deux Magots. in St Germain de Pres. Cafe de Flore has been in business since 1890 and was a favorite hangout of artists and writers such as Picasso, Camus and most notably Sartre. Les Deux Magots dates from approximately the same time and counted the same cast of characters in its list of regulars, with the illustrious addition of Oscar Wilde. People-watching at a cafe is one of the best things to do in Paris, but the unfortunate truth is that the coffee served is often just plain bad. For decent coffee, go to Cafe Verlet in the first arrondissement. Since 1965, the Verlet family has been importing and roasting coffees from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Try a cup of one of the house blends at the cafe or take some home from the epicerie, which also sells teas, jams and spices. If coffee's not your cup of tea, try Mariage Freres: "Beautiful Tea for Beautiful People". Founded by the Mariage brothers in 1854, Mariage Freres now has tearooms and "tea restaurants" in the Marais, the Rive Gauche and near Etoile. Go on the weekend for an elegant, decadent (and pricey) brunch or afternoon tea, where you will choose from the selection of over 600 teas, served by an impossibly aloof young man in a beige linen suit. To recreate the experience at home, stop by the Mariage Freres store across the street from the Marais location.
Today’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
One of the most famous museums in the world is the Louvre, or more correctly the Musée du Louvre, and it was one of the items that was high on my Paris must-see list. It is located on the Right Bank (of the Seine) in the 1st arrondissement.
Originally a palace, the museum is now home to some of the most world-famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, and Aphrodite/Venus de Milo. It opened to the public in 1793, and since then the collections have grown to their current number of over 380,000. It’s not the largest collection in the world, but most art historians argue that it is the finest.
The main buildings of the Louvre look rather fortress-like, and much like I would imagine a fortress to have been, once inside the gates, there are all sorts of lovely things to see.
The central courtyard houses the Louvre Pyramid, and serves as the main entrance to the museum. The Pyramid was designed by architect I.M. Pei, and beneath it is the underground lobby to the museum. There are several entrances into the courtyard, and all will get you to the Pyramid, so if you are encountering crowds at one courtyard entrance, just walk around to another one.
The Louvre is organized into eight departments, displaying artwork up to 1848. You’ll see work by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Van Dyck, and Leonardo da Vinci.
There is so much stuff to see, that tackling the Louvre can be a daunting task. It is too big to see everything in one day, so unless you have several days to dedicate to viewing it, you will have to come up with a plan of attack.
Continue reading for suggestion on the best way to see the Louvre –
Read More - Fall in Love with the Louvre
Tags: Louvre, MuseumsToday’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
When I headed off to Paris a couple months ago, it was a bit of a last minute trip. I had been wanting to make the trip for quite some time, but had to make some changes to the actual travel dates at the last minute. You can make things work at the last minute, so if you find yourself in this position, don’t abandon your plans, just dig in and make it work.
When I set my travel dates, I set them around my schedule, and didn’t pay attention to what was going on in Paris. It turned out that the Rugby World Cup was being held during the time I planned to be there. The downside of that was that all the moderately priced hotels were booked up. In fact, I couldn’t find hotel availability at all, even stretching the budget to $500 night.
While my traveling companion would have been perfectly happy to stay at a local American chain, and that was the back up plan, I was determined to find something oozing with French charm and ambience.
Undaunted by the seemingly Herculean task in front of me, I checked out all the hotel websites that had anything in Paris. I sent off lots of emails and reservations requests. The answers were all the same — no availability for the time I was going to be there.
Next I emailed friends and bloggers who were in Europe, or those who had recently visited France, asking for suggestions and ideas. I got a ton of responses and helpful suggestions, but I still didn’t find any place with availability. Until one friend suggested trying to find an apartment.
Hmmmm! I hadn’t thought of that. What a great idea! With less than 48 hours before I had to get on an airplane, it was an idea that needed to be acted upon quickly.
There are a number of companies that handle apartment rentals in France. If I had thoroughly checked them out, I would be happy to list and link to them here. But I didn’t do any due diligence (something that I never recommending skipping), instead trusting my bank of travel karma to make it all work out.
I found a listing for a studio apartment in the 4th arrondissement, close to the Bastille métro, that sounded promising and affordable. There were photos, and although I tend not to trust these type of photos, I wasn’t in a position to be too choosy. It was conveniently located in a nice neighborhood, so it had to be full of the charm and ambience that I was looking for.
I placed the call, spoke to Michael, a very nice guy in New York, and with hours to spare we handled the business end of things. Before you could say bon voyage I was on a plane en route to Paris.
So how did it work out? Keep reading to find out. . . .
Read More - No Hotel in Paris? Try an Apartment
Tags: apartmentsToday’s guest post is from Mary Jo Manzanares, Travel & Culture Channel Editor and travel blogger at Flyaway Cafe.
Since a good portion of my time in Paris was spent visiting museums, the Paris Museum Pass was both a money saver and time saver.
With the pass, you get admission to a number of monuments and museums in and around Paris. Best of all — you don’t have to stand in those long lines — you get to bypass all those people and go straight to the front of the line. Temporary exhibits at the museums are usually excluded, though.
The pass can be purchased for 2, 4, or 6 days, and currently costs 30, 45, and 60 euros respectively. (Check the website for pricing changes.)
On your first visit to one of the museums or monuments, the pass is activated, and your time starts running. This allows you to buy the pass in advance, should you wish. You can buy the pass online, at participating museums and monuments (I purchases mine at the Louvre), or at any Paris Tourist Office.
I planned my museum visits so that I could maximize the value of the pass, taking note of the location, travel time, open days and hours of each that I wanted to visit. I knew that I couldn’t see everything, but with good planning I was able to save a lot over individual admission prices AND speed up the process by avoiding lines. You can find the full list of museums and monuments online.
With a four day pass, I was able to take in the following:
For me this represented a savings of 11 euros (about $16) over regular admissions, and savings in time of several hours avoiding lines. Granted, I had to cram a lot of visits into a short period of time, but I tried to find a good balance of art, architecture, history, food, and fun every day. It worked for me, but it you would prefer a slower pace, get a longer pass.
Additional considerations when deciding if the Paris Museum Pass is for you: Most museums are free for those under age 16, and offered reduced admissions for those 16-25 years of age. Many museums also offer free admissions at least one day of the month.
If the museums and monuments are on your to-do list in Paris, a Paris Museum Pass can be a savings in more ways than one.
Photos: personal collection
Kate Cyr
Originally from a small town in upstate New York and most recently living in New York City, I transferred to Paris for work...
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