Magical moments in Paris

Motivation has been difficult to come by lately which means - for the first time in ten years - I have been lazy in feeding my blog. Inspiration is lacking albeit living in a worldly city such as Paris. For nearly a decade I  have been spoilt picking up the Parisian vibes as they come and taking advantage of all that the city of lights has to offer.

Eclectic as I am, rarely do I miss the occasion to adventure out to experience something new. My palate has been blessed with wonderful emotions and memorable stories: theatre class, cooking course, chocolate workshop, wine tasting, photography lessons, essay writing group, samba dancing, literary evenings, musical performances, classical concerts, jazz sessions, ballet premières, behind-the-scene opera insights, warehouse light shows, city tours, historical visits, UNESCO gatherings, Grand Palais openings, charity events, cultural encounters, ambassador's' receptions, consular lunch invitations, business networking hubs, peaceful manifestations, fashion shows, foodie gatherings, garden parties, heritage days, National Christmas bazaars, Foundation vernissages, Europe's largest flea market, the flavours and colours of the fresh produce "marchés" and I am forgetting many more.

However, the most memorable moments remain the magical terraces views: from the roof top yoga class looking onto the Eiffel Tower, to a farewell picnic on top of the Arc de Triomphe. A clandestine champagne brunch on the Eiffel tower's second floor springs to mind as does the unforgettable grand opening of the Peninsula Palace or the well-deserved pink champagne glass in the rose garden on top of Hotel Raffael. The first visit to the Louis Vuitton foundation and its many level terrasses was breathtaking as is the view of the St.Jacques tower in the city center. The ice rink on top was the Eiffel Tower was another fun moment.

So, the lights have gone out for a while but I am ready to jump into action and start "flaneusing" around town as soon as the portals open up again... and it looks like it will happen soon... slowly but surely. Stay tuned!

Tour de St.Jacques

Centre Pompidou

Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe

Tour de St.Jacques

Arc de Triomphe

Tour Eiffel

Fondation Louis Vuitton

Peninsula Hotel terrace

Eiffel Tower

UNESCO building

Maison Blanche roof top yoga session

Galeries Lafayette roof top ice rink

A week in photos

Just your regular Parisian entrance by Hector Guimard (1867- 1942), French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style.

Homage to Luís Vaz de Camões, Portugal's greatest poet.

One of the favorite points of photographers and considered the most beautiful staircase in the city.

The frothy double-decker Belle Epoque carousel sits right in front of the iconic Eiffel tower and is the perfect setting to take a souvenir snapshot.

A colourful riverboat is moored right below the Eiffel Tower.

Many a water-loving entrepreneur has turned their houseboat into a lovely business or venue.

The Wallace Fountains in Paris are named after Richard Wallace who designed and paid for these drinking water fountains. In 1870, 50 fountains were spread around the city. Today, there are around 120 of them, dotted all over Paris and still providing Parisians water for free.

An expensive bunch of Lavender!

When a blackboard tells a story...

Guimard designed metro stations, with and without glass roofs. Built in cast iron, they make heavy reference to the symbolism of plants and are now considered classic examples of French art nouveau architecture. 141 entrances were constructed between 1900 and 1912, of which 86 still exist.

The local hang out spot while waiting for tourists to return.

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" is the national motto of France.

Strawberries, chocolate and Prosecco... the best ingredients for a "Déjeuner sur l'herbe"!

Counting lovelocks in absence of tourists

Now that the confinement has been lifted and Paris is finally back in the green zone - who would have thought we'd ever make it into the green zone before summer break - it is a pleasure to stroll around Paris.

Tourists have not found their way back to the city of love yet. Orly airport is still closed and most airlines have grounded their planes, however, the local residents are doing a good job of filling the city.

Everyone is out and about either exercising, going for a walk, hanging out along the Seine, enjoying a coffee on the terrasse or queuing at the fresh produce market. 

Picnicking in one of the "bois" (the bigger parks) is high on everybody's priority list! It is easy to score one of the green metal chairs dotted around the fountains and under shady chestnut trees in the city parks. The Mayor has allowed cafés, restaurants and bars to annex more space on pavements and added pedestrian-only streets, giving the city a joyfully chaotic vibe.

Paris welcomes about 50 million visitors, making it the world’s top tourist destination, but for now only the lovelocks remain proof of their presence. So, don't tell everyone yet that Paris is back in business, let's enjoy this unusual opportunity of having the city to ourselves.

A colourful moment at the market

Today I ventured down to the local market curious to see how they coped with the government's Covid restrictions knowing that the Avenue President Wilson's market is the largest open-air market in Paris. Apparently this is where all the top three-star chefs come pick the best products.

As always, there were multiple stands with a wide array of prepared foods, cheese, produce, fish, meat, breads and pastries, olives, dried fruits and flowers as well as some less interesting clothing goods. 

What changed was the space left between each stand and the little amount of people. Usually this place is brimming with shoppers and you need to squeeze around the food trolleys and baskets. Today, however, there were few queues at select stands and lots of moving space to avoid close contact with others. All in all, it was a rather pleasant experience albeit the untypical circumstances.

What makes the farmers' market such a special place is that it creates a community around food. Just take a glimpse of some of the lovely stands that typify the President Wilson market:

Who can resist "produits italiens"?

A splash of my favourite colour

Sheets of see-thru plastic are wrapped around most stalls

 in order to protect produce

A tropical vibe

Ratatouille anyone?!?

Essential ingredients for a "Soupe à l'onion"

Loyal clientele

Home-made apple juice

Loving these colours

Fresh eggs, anyone?

My favourite fish mongrel

I'll take a kilo of that, please.

May is not a month for oysters as it does not have an "r"

Could not resist a shot of the fish packaging

What did lockdown look like?

Paris has finally come to an end of 56 days of confinement and the general questions is: what did you do during lockdown?

Well, for most it began with incredulity, a stage where we could not believe the government was asking us not to leave our apartments and we had no choice but to adhere to the rules.

Things fell into place pretty fast after that; starting with the attestation de déplacement dérogatoire the French had a little escape route with the excuse to go wine shopping... we were off to a positive start!

Accompanied by Bob Sinclair's daily lockdown groove sessions on facebook, I followed mini-workshops on photography, branding and instagram editing. I finally got around to putting my Paris blog into print for keepsakes and ended up with eight volumes. I compiled a long overdue photo book and rebooted my recipe blog.

Of course, a bit of shopping online help boost the moral but mostly I was hogging the computer at the turn of midnight to grab a slot for our groceries to be delivered 10 days later!

Marks and Spencers Food hall became my new favourite place and the lady at the Lindt chocolate shop my new best friend! My Swiss wine and chocolate stocks have drastically dwindled...

I prepared my tax declaration documentation, caught up with my medical bills and took hours to claim reimbursements for flights. Trips to Madrid, Lugano, Ibiza, Naples and Croatia all went down the drain.

We had yet another water leak above our flat (are we at number 5 or 6?!?) and I am rather proud I managed a floor refurbishment in our Swiss flat via Whatsapp. It looks great on photo and I can't wait to see the real thing. Keeping my fingers crossed and trusting in Swiss efficiency.

We met many of our neighbours while cheering on the health workers every evening across our balconies and collectively sang "Happy Birthday" to a little toddler who will forever have a place in my memory for making the most noise every evening with his pan & wooden ladle and his gusto for being allowed to do so.

And then there was the exercise... determined not to let my gourmandise get the better of me, I have been working out nearly every day making the most of what the internet has to offer. French Bikram yoga classes, Californian barre, Spanish zumba and bi-lingual core sessions have all found their way into my weekly routine as has a cathartic run through the streets of Paris at the end of the day!

This period, however, will be remembered as the zooming and tic-tocing months. We were not going to go down without a fight, so if we were not allowed out we were inviting the world into our living room. Many a virtual aperò - with enthusitstic dress-ups at the beginning - was enjoyed with friends and lots of giggles accompanied the tic toc family filming trials.

Oh, and how could I forget the suntanning sessions in front of the window on our living room floor?!? Club Med is nothing compared to our family programme...

Bad habits die hard

It's like lowering yourself into a hot bath... you know you have been looking forward to this but the water is so hot it makes you slow down.... that is what "déconfinement" feels like! As France slowly lifts the lid on gradual virus deconfinement plan, French people have been told by the Prime Minister that they are going to have to live with the virus.

Monday morning was a timid start with streets still quiet and little traffic. By lunchtime, however, some chanting, shouting and honking had caught my attention. I leaned over the balcony to realize we had a mini-demonstration panning out in front of an embassy on the opposite side of the road. Over one hundred people, six police vans and three fire engines were parked below our building. Seriously?!?

By Monday night Paris' mayor had prohibited the consumption of alcohol along the Seine embankment since thousands of youngsters had gathered along the river banks to celebrate their new-found freedom.

By Wednesday the main traffic arteries into town were blocked again and I got told off rudely by a bike rider for walking in the road along the sidewalk rather than on in... a habit I adopted during my grocery shopping sprees these past two months to avoid getting to close to other pedestrians.

This is what I call a brutal kick-start back into reality. Oh, did I mention... now that we are finally allowed out we are back to grey Parisian skies and one-digit degrees?!?

Furthermore, we are only allowed to travel within a 100km radius of our homes which doesn't even get me to Reims to sip some French champagne!!!

Day one post-lockdown

What will the new normal look like?

Where has all the sunshine gone?

Back to the hustle and bustle of city life...

or just your regular Monday morning!