Falling in love with Paris (again)
May 19, 2010
A sixth-floor view of Haussmann’s Paris.
For eight days, I had the pleasure of breathing in all Paris has to offer. What a treat to enjoy a city so full of life. How do you begin to describe it? History, art, architecture, fashion, food, chocolate, joie de vivre … j’aime Paris!
I rented a sixth floor apartment that had views of the rooftops along Haussmann’s wide, tree-lined boulevards—complete with a view of the Tour Eiffel. The street below was lively with the bustle of a café and street market. My apartment was in the middle of two patisseries on opposite ends of the block. Every morning, I planned my day over coffee and pastries. And in the evening, after a long day of wandering, I enjoyed wine, cheese and chocolates before climbing the many flights of stairs to my temporary home. By the way, if you’re staying in Paris for more than a week, I highly recommend renting an apartment.
The six-floor climb to my apartment.
There’s a reason people write songs about Paris in the spring. It’s indescribably lovely and bursting with fresh life. The horse-chestnut trees that line the streets were covered in white blooms. In one of the little parks near Place Saint-Sulpice, I sat and ate pastry from Pierre Herme under a violet drape of wisteria. Tulips and lilacs created a riot of scent and color around the city. It was magical.
I walked and walked, exploring each neighborhood and sampling the fine shops that seemed to be at every turn. Strolling down the boulevards, admiring the many monuments and squares, is awe-inspiring. Getting lost meandering down small streets feeds the soul.
The first Sunday of the month is Museum Day, when you can enter most museums for free. My trip coincided with Museum Day, so I spent a Sunday visiting two of my favorites—the Musée D’Orsay and the Louvre. I also visited the Musée National du Moyen Age, which is famous for its Lady and the Unicorn tapestry series, and the nearby Thermes de Cluny, the ruins of a Gallo-Roman bath constructed around the 3rd century. It was great to see so many people enjoying the museums—locals as well as tourists from all over the world.
Food, glorious food!
Place Saint-Sulpice, a great spot to eat Pierre Herme.
Not surprisingly, the food was incredible. Lunch tended to be my meal of the day. It was a wonderful, leisurely break from my exploring and a great value. At many restaurants, you can basically get the same three-course meal you would in the evening for half the price.
And the pastries! I could fall in love with Paris for the pastries alone. This trip, I scheduled three pastry and baking classes in the vibrant, artsy Montmartre district. The half-day classes, taught in English, had a maximum of six students and were extremely hands on. I became very familiar with laminating dough and butter to make flaky croissants and pastries.
When I wasn’t in class, I was visiting chocolatiers and patisseries. There were shops everywhere. It was heaven. I visited 26 chocolate shops and there were another 20 that I did not get to (this time). On this trip, one of my goals was to make a map of chocolate shops. I got GPS coordinates of the shops with a nifty app on my iPhone. With 26 shops mapped, I have a good start. This will make a fun project in my free time (free time? ha!).
There’s no place like home
Just to be in Paris is inspiring. It felt great just to soak in it. Paris gave me new energy and sparked my creativity. It’s also gave me a huge sense of appreciation for what we have right here in Madison–a friendly city with much to offer. Enjoy the lovely spring surroundings of Madison. Stop and smell the lilacs. It’s great to be home.
4 Comments
Hi Gail. I enjoyed reading your blog. I am a big fan of your chocolates and consistently brag about them to my sister, who is a pastry chef in New York. She used to send me chocolates from some of the haughtier chocolate shops in NYC. I now send HER your chocolates because they are as good, if not better!
In any case, my family and I will be traveling to Paris next month and I would love to get some recommendations from you. I was hoping you could recommend 1 or 2 patisseries and chocolate shops that should not be missed (I have also gotten some advice from my sister who has been to Paris several times). What was your favorite pastry or baking class – I would like to sign up for a class (especially if there is one that might be more family friendly – our kids are 14 and 17 years old). I have a fair amount of experience in the kitchen, but my kids – not so much.
Thanks Gail!
Ken DeSantes
Dear Ken,
Thank you for your nice comments!
I would be happy to suggest some shops to visit. What arrondissement will you be staying in?
There are so many all over Paris, if you give me one or two favorite areas, I will be happy to
e-mail you at your address posted some of my favorites shops.
The classes I took can be found on-line. They are called “Cookin’ with Class”. Have a great trip!
Best,
Gail
Hi Ken,
After looking through my notes, photos, and maps it really is hard to pick 1-2 so I will give you some suggestions by arrondissements.
In the 1st arrondissement, one of my favorite stops is Angelina’s. It is a beautiful Belle Époque patisserie where you can stop in the mid day to have some of the best hot chocolate on the planet. It is called L’Africain Chaud. It is located at 226 rue de Rivoli near the Louvre.
Also in the 1st, La Maison du Chocolat on 99 rue de Rivoli, there are many locations throughout the city, it would be wise to stop in at least to one or two. In my opinion Robert Linxe really took gourmet chocolate to a new level with La Maison. Still great to this day.
In the 5th and also scattered around the city is Eric Kayser Bakery at 8 rue Monge. Great baguettes and pastries.
Patiserrie Viennoise at 8 rue de L’ecole de Medecine also has great hot chocolate and pastries.
The 6th is where you find the mother-load of chocolates!
Pierre Herme at 72 rue Bonaparte is not to be missed, the macarons are the best in the city for my palate. Chocolates divine, and they always have a fresh basket of pastries opposite the cash register. This is very near Saint Suplice.
Laduree also makes great macarons and is a lovely shop at 21 rue Bonaparte.
Jean-Charles Rochoux at 16 rue d’Assas was very friendly, he helped me himself and I got a photo with him!
Gerard Mulot is fabulous for pastries, it is on a corner at 76 rue de Seine.
Just across the street is a great chocolatier from Brussels called Pierre Marcollini at 89 rue de Siene.
In the 7th is Michel Chaudon, a sweet man who has been doing great things with chocolate. His shop is on a corner at 149 rue de l’University.
Christian Constant is at 37 rue d’Assas, also very friendly. They also have sorbets, teas, and wine.
There are dozens more, but these are my top picks. What I love about wandering Paris is I always just happen to find a shop that I had read about and hoped to find. Ahhhh Paris!!
Au Revoir!
Gail
Hi Gail,
I will be starting the Ecole Chocolat Professional Chocolatier Program August 27 and will be travelling to Paris mid September with my husband for our 10th wedding anniversary.
Have printed off your guide to the best chocolate shops in Paris, so we can hit the ground running,as we only have 4 days. Am interested to know more details on the apartment you rented, did you rent it through a website?
Michelle