Visual Diary: Brassai Exhibition, Éclair de Genie, and Fleux

I started my Monday off right with a trip into Paris. Being low on money, I needed an activity that required little to no spending, and the free Brassai photography exhibition, Pour L'Amour de Paris, was what I decided on. I was under the impression that I was being clever by coming on a Monday, that perhaps the line would be shorter, but I was sorely mistaken. I waited in the cold wind for about an hour and a half. -___- If I had a snack, more comfortable shoes, warmer clothes, and a friend to keep me company, it wouldn't have been half bad, but by the time 45 minutes had passed, I was pretty irritable.

Was the show worth the wait? Yes and no. In my situation, no. However, bring necessary entertainment and supplies, and you'll be golden. Come well before closing time so you're not kicked out of the line... I witnessed the last 20 people in line getting turned away by a tough looking security guard as I was leaving :(

The show itself was interesting, Brassai had taken some of the most iconic images of Belle Epoque Paris, and there was quite a funny little film of zoo animals being projected in the back. There were many pictures of the streets at night, as well as people and performers in their habitat. It's always interesting to try and imagine the narrative and relationships that are being played out in a still photograph. My favourite image, the one I bought a postcard of, wasn't the famous Montmartre stairway, but a super dark picture of a black cat. All you can see are the decorative floor tiles, illuminated by some dim light source,and the eerily glowing eyes, floating in a black, empty space.



The sun had begun to set by the time I started walking back to the train station. I admired the golden light on the buildings and stopped to listen to the bells of Notre Dame ringing 6 o'clock.






The following day, my friend Ellen and I had boba tea on our minds, but what we ended up doing is another story. We did eventually find the boba place, tucked away into a tiny, hidden corner near Centre Pompidou, but before that, we discovered Éclair de Génie. Rumoured to be some of the best éclairs in Paris, and at 5-7 euros apiece, we decided to split a Rouge Baiser; a raspberry-chocolate flavoured baton of richness that looked like a work of glass art. The red colour was so vibrant, it was actually a bit startling at first glance.

We weren't sure where this boba tea place was, so we wandered around the area for a while, never a bad thing in Paris, until we came across a wonderland of novelty items, fancy iPhone cases, art books, and gorgeous Scandinavian design objects and furniture. The heavenly place was called Fleux, kinda like Flux, but with a French pronunciation.

The store was spread among 3 or 4 buildings, and just browsing though it all was like roaming through a super fun museum, a museum in which you can touch things, speak at a normal level, and if you have money enough, buy things. Most of it was waaaaaay out of my price range, but simply experiencing the visual feast was reward enough.










I want that bookshelf. Can I have that bookshelf? please? One day, when I'm filthy rich, I'll have it. :p


Places Mentioned:
Brassai, Pour L'Amour de Paris at l'Hotel de Ville
Fleux - 39 & 52 rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie75004 PARIS
Bubbolitas - 17 Rue Quincampoix, 75004


Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin // Society6

Fancy Hot Chocolate + Promenade in the Marais

Greetings from France! It's been almost one week since I left home, and let me tell you, it has been interesting. I would be lying if I said everything was beautiful and hunky dory - in truth, it's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Don't get me wrong though, I do feel happy, but the happiness seems tinged with melancholy.

But enough of that! Let's talk about what I did this Sunday.

Erik and I took the train into Paris with Hot Chocolate on our minds, but in order to get there, we took a walk across Île-de-la-cité. Seeing Notre Dame never gets old. There were a lot of people out and about today, and the weather was absolutely perfect, with a few clouds in the sky that cleared later in the day, and zero wind.



We searched the interwebs for the best hot chocolate in Paris, and Berthillon's had made the list - not surprising, since I've loved their ice cream since I first came to Paris. This special drink is called an affogato au chocolat, and consists of a silver platter with all the ingredients needed to concoct your own personal hot coco mix, including an ice cream scoop of your choice and the best whipped cream ever. There was enough to make about two cups of it.

After we were heavy with sugar and hot milk, we took the bridge over the Seine, in the general direction of the Marais, known for its vintage shops, medieval streets, Jewish bakeries, and the best falafels in town (supposedly). On the way, we happened upon Thanksgiving, the American specialty store, stocking such things as root beer, Lucky Charms, mac n' cheese, and beef jerky, things you generally can't find elsewhere. A box of Lucky Charms was 12 euro!!! Needless to say, I got myself a root beer and called it good.

Next stop was Musée Carnavalet, a free museum dedicated to the history of Paris. The interior was charming, complete with aristocratic wallpaper and upholstered chaises. I loved the textures and the little hedge garden. We didn't spend much time here, because honestly, I have no patience for reading labels.




We then made our way back down the Marais, which was buzzing with people, past l'Hotel de Ville, over some bridges, and stopped at a large café at Place Saint Michel. The café itself is alright, nothing special, but its location directly adjacent to the metro entrance makes it a fantastic spot to people-watch. Being one of the busiest and most central stations in Paris, this was prime people-watching real estate. There are a lot of crazy-looking people in Paris, and a lot of really stylish people. I saw one man with a floor-length fur coat, formidable top hat, and embroidered handbag. I mean, where else can you find such characters?

I had myself une assiète du saucisson sec, complete with baguette and little pickles. Erik indulged in a (very) cheesy croque monsieur.


Sunday was a good day, but I still didn't feel completely like myself. I can visit paris and indulge in sweet treats as much as I want, but only time will ease the feeling of alienation I've been having. I can't work legally until I apply for residency, and I can't apply for residency until Erik and I have gotten hitched, so all I can do is wait. You'd think having oodles of free time in Paris would be a dream come true, but without any structure, I feel quite lost. I'll have to work on finding peace with this situation, and try to live completely in the moment.


Places Mentioned:
Berthillon: 31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 75004
Thanksgiving: 20 Rue Saint-Paul, 75004
Musée Carnavalet: 23 Rue de Sévigné, 75003
Café le Départ Saint Michel: 1 Place Saint-Michel, 75005


Instagram // Pinterest // Bloglovin // Society6

Breakfast in the Marais

Last Sunday I made the (somewhat) long trek from the 15th over to the 3rd Arrondissement, just to have a taste of Breakfast in America. As you can probably guess, it's an American-themed diner-type restaurant complete with breakfast items of all sorts, shakes, and a lunch menu of burgers, fries, and the like. The only disappointment? NO HASH BROWNS. Major let down. But the bottomless mug of strong American-style coffee instantly redeemed my mood.

They even had a variety of shakes, including one called "Obama" that had peanut butter, along with other ingredients. Needless to say, it was tasty.

{Breakfast in America - a taste of home}
{Enjoying our "Obama"}
{Breakfast Burrito & BOTTOMLESS cup o' joe}
{Bacon}
{Too enthusiastic}
{happy}

After breakfast, we explored the Marais a bit. We first dug through the racks at Vintage Dèsir, an extremely well-priced vintage shop that had plenty of over-sized sweaters to choose from. I believe this one has a sister-store in Montmartre, near the Abbesses metro station.

Rue des Rosiers is the main thoroughfare of the hip Marais district, and has numerous delis and food shops offering kosher goodies. The street itself is inherently charming, due to it's narrow width, cobblestones, and non-Haussmanesque buildings. The grand boulevards with their 7-story buildings, ornate iron balustrades, and homogeneity are magnificent, but it's nice to see a different, more down-to-earth, simplified, and varied version of Paris.

I realized taking these street photos, that my photo collection is seriously lacking! It's inspired me to take more photos in the streets, which I plan to do this weekend, if it doesn't rain too much.

{Street band}
{Pedestrianized street with lots of delis}
{Rue des Rosiers}




{What a typical French waiter looks like}


{little alley}

Look forward to more Parisian street photography!

Also, I'm looking into taking a 2-day trip to Chartres, a small city about an hour from Paris. They've got a great Gothic cathedral, and tons of opportunity for charming street photography. :)