Two lesser known Paris' covered passages

What I love about Paris is no matter how long you've lived in this city, there is always more to discover. All you need to do is put yourself out there.

Yesterday I decided to venture across town in search of a rather boring specific kitchen accessoire. Needless to say the sales clerc was utterly unhelpful. Rather than wasting my time, I decided to step outside the shop and explore the area.

Sure enough within minutes I came across an intriguing looking passage. Covered passages in Paris are always worth venturing into, they are an early form of shopping arcades built primarily during the first half of the 19th century. The common characteristics of these covered passages are that they are pedestrianised with beautiful glass-ceilings, highly ornamented and lined with small shops, usually connecting two streets.

Passage Bourg l'Abbé with its muted, pastel interior is enhanced by the natural light that drenches this quaint and charming passageway from its long and unusual curved glass ceiling above.
The combination of pretty tones, delicate detail and light provides a certain sense of serenity and calm that the other Parisian arcades don’t seem to have.
Passage Bourg du l’Abbé may not boast to be the longest or most glamorous covered passageway in Paris but it most certainly has charm and elegance and some wonderfully, enchanting detail, if you take a moment to pause and explore.

Passage du Grand Cerf filters natural light through the spectacular 12 metre high glass ceiling, the highest of all the covered passageways and in my view one of the prettiest in Paris. The magnificent architecture comprising of glass, steel and timber and the quirky artistic shops makes Passage du Grand Cerf a wonderful way to step into a place of times long past.

Passage du Bourg l'Abbé is only 47 m long...

... but full of surprises.

Gotta love the Frenchies!

Small independent specialist shops line the passage

Passage du Grand Cerf: 117m long

Entrance to the Passage du Grand Cerf

From arts and crafts to ... 

... vintage you'll find it all under one roof.

My kind of bird... PiNk!

Intriguing objects

Drawer knobs delight

All sorts of antiques

Souvenirs for tourists 

Knick knacks for collectors

Always ready for a new discovery

A pleasant surprise

Stuck behind my computer for the past couple of days, today, I decided to take myself down to the world-renowned Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores to have a peak at their home collections.

Nothing new on the horizon one would have thought. However... most of the Galeries Lafayette store windows where covered with a black curtain and the pavement running along this luxury icon was a sorry and rather dirty site.

I carried on to Printemps next door which looked much more upbeat. It's luxury division on the ground floor was bustling with Asian clients and the food hall was full of guzzling gourmets.

Turns out Printemps is undergoing a major facelift which left me with no other option than to take the escalators to the top floor... and boy, am I glad I did!

Who knew Printemps had such a spectacular terrace. A perfect place for lunch with a view.

Legendary French fashion house 

Rather deserted looking window displays

Galeries Lafayette's food hall delights

Fresh produce at exuberant prices

Climbing to the top of Printemps

It is so worth the effort!

A spectacular September day in Paris

Looking onto the church of La Madeleine on one side...

... and the church of Sacre Coeur on the other.

The church of St. Augustin with La Defense in the background.

Is it really home?

It might have taken a trip back to Geneva to realise that after all these years maybe Paris has become my home.

For the first time I did not "feel" Calvin's city as my own. I called Geneva home for ten years. My career took off there, it is where I met my hubby AND we got married in the Anglican church in the town center nearly two decades ago.

Geneva is a rare breed of a city. I have been coming back to this global hub of diplomacy and banking year after year with the intentions of maybe one day settling down in its multicultural environment. French influence is widespread, from the language to gastronomy but with the unmistakable touch of Swiss efficiency and organization.

However, as I walked past Les bains des Paquis, where I use to stake out a spot on the pier jutting into the lake to catch musical performances at sunset after a day spent intermittently sunbathing and swimming, strolled down the rue du Marché which was pulsing with life and admired the Jet d'Eau creating a sky-high plume, kissed by a rainbow on sunny days, the feeling of familiarity was removed one step further than during my previous visits.

Does this mean that Paris is becoming home after all?

A Parisian balcony view

This is what happens when you pop by a friend's house for a quick coffee in Paris. You discover that they have the most intriguing neighbours and some spectacular monuments down the road. I am lucky given the sun is out and the weather God has decided to smile upon the city of love granting us warm weather in the middle of September which means all windows are open.

Stepping out onto the balcony I walked into a world 

Uhhh, can I spot a Chanel dress on the mannequin?

Let's take a closer look

It seems Chanel have bought up the whole neighbourhood!?!

Perfect spot for a romantic lunch date.

I wonder if his date has stood him up?

Looking down the other direction... La Madeleine comes into full splendour.

I am sure this door would have a few secrets to tell.

A Parisian balcony with a life all to itself.

French cuisine in a flash

Thank Goodness for foodie friends and French cuisine.

When meeting up with girlfriends for lunch there are two ways to enjoy each others company. You either choose a lovely Parisian terrace and soak up the last rays of summer sun while gossiping with your BBFs OR you strap on an apron and start cooking all together attending a 60 minute cook and lunch workshop.

Giggles and surprises are guaranteed. Who knew my friend could chop an onion in 30 seconds flat? Or that - many years ago in a different life - the Dutch friend I brought along lived in the same road as the Dutch friend's sister that my Spanish friend invited and became buddies?!?

L'Atelier des Chefs allows each guest to handle a knife (and a sharp one it is!) as well as quality ingredients. You learn to prepare the recipe by listening to the chefs instructions, simple, fast and tasty!

25 minutes into the class we had prepared a Curry d'agneau minute aux fruit et semoule à la mangue which we then proceeded to devour with a glass of succulent red wine sitting around a long, high wooden table allowing for camaraderie amongst all the participants.

My family doesn't know it yet but I have just added a dash of "savoir-faire" to my culinary repertoire and they'll have the pleasure of a new delicious dish added to their panoply of dinner menus.

Bon Appétit!

La Parisienne à trois!

When I first arrived in Paris in September 2011 I decided I'd jump in the deep end and signed up for "La Parisienne" straight away. I figured a race specifically for women through the center of Paris was just the ticket to begin my new adventure with a blast.

It has been my "rentrée" event for the past six years. With 37,000 runners in the 2016 edition, "La Parisienne" is now the biggest race for women in the world and I'm in the thick of it...

... only this year I didn't run the 6.6. km by myself. We were three ladies in pink waiting nearly two hours for our turn to start the race at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in a festive and joyful atmosphere. That, of course, allowed for endless opportunity to catch up. One of the girls had travelled all the way from Germany to participate!

This year - due to security reason - the route, lined with over 600 musicians, was altered and we ended up running alongside the banks of the Seine which was a welcome change given the open space, fresh breeze, picturesque surroundings and historic landmarks on either sides of the river.

I could have run faster but we were a team and crossing the finish line arm in arm with a big smile on our face made us feel like we had just run an entire marathon.

It still feels as gooooooood as it did when I ran this race the first time five years ago. No, actually, it feels better because I got to share the victory with my girlfriends!

 Here we go again... La Parisienne 2016

Picking up my number and pink t-shirt the day before the race

Sunday morning and the sun has disappeared...

... but where did the palm trees come from?!?

This year's theme was "Carnaval"

My shoes are the same colour as this year's official race t-shirt

Waiting to start...

... chitter chatter all over ...

... more waiting on the Pont d'Iena ...

... nearly at the starting block ...

... the first 100 meters into the race.

One of the many music groups: guess where they're from?

Running down one side of the Seine ... 

... and up the other!

Welcome to Paris

Having kids enrolled at an International school means not only bidding your farewells to friends every year at the end of June but you also get to meet all kinds of wonderful new families that arrive at the beginning of the school year every September.

As a personal tradition I have taken on the organization of a Welcome morning sharing useful information and some fun anecdotes about life in Paris to make new parents feel more at ease with their surroundings. Many of them don't speak French and feel far out of their comfort zone.

Every year I line up various speakers who offer their advice and practical tips on how to overcome what seem like huge hurdles but are much less intimidating once you know what you are dealing with and how the system works... because there is a system to the madness!

I could happily sit back and carry on my little routine given that we are now into our sixth year in Paris but I like stepping out and offering my help and expertise. I am a curious person. I like to meet new people, discover unknown places, travel to foreign countries and learn a new language. But since it does not look like we will be moving anywhere soon; if the world does not come to me I need to go to the world!

So, bienvenue newcomers and welcome to Paris!