One of the many things that I often heard from my American students when I worked in study abroad, was that they could seem to figure out how to meet French people. You would think that for young students it would be easy, so if they were having a hard time, then what do those who are beyond university years, or even in their 30′s, 40′s, 50′s and beyond do? Are you traveling here soon, and want a fabulous way to meet the locals? Book your hotel room, and then book your dinners with Voulez-Vous Diner, all in the homes of Parisians! What a great way to enjoy the culture here.
Category Archives: activity
Le Brunch…
Image from Blog Alcazar (Click image for link)
♥
…Le Brunch is a big deal here in Paris. Or maybe it is a world wide phenomenon going on. Because Sunday morning my instagram is choc full of brunch images from both sides of the Atlantic and even elsewhere in the world from all the trendy and interesting people I follow. I have gone out to brunch in Paris a few times, but generally I save that for a big occasion. Why? Because I work Saturdays and I just can’t drag myself out of bed (nor Chéri either for that matter!), and get dressed, do my hair (because non, I don’t leave the house and go out into the City of Lights without looking presentable, and yes, you can snicker and call me Parisian, I will take it as a compliment!). Sundays are sacred for me and Chéri. We rest. At home mostly.
But all those brunch photos!!!!! Continue reading
Gala Concert & Cocktail : Giveaway!
Image credit : Sinfonietta
Sinfonietta Paris is a new Chamber Music orchestra and the brainchild endeavor of Michael Boone, former head of the music department at the University of Colorado. I met Michael at the Kooka Boora café at the same time I met Very-Intersting-and-talented-dude (which you’ll read about in my next post!). Just another proof that Paris still attracts artists and amazing people with talent!
An artist and “activist” of sorts who wants to make sure classical music creation is something that is perpetuated more by young musicians and music professionals; he has created Sinfonietta. “Composed of nine to seventeen young professional artists who have trained at many of the world’s finest conservatories and festivals, Sinfonietta Paris is a vibrant new chamber orchestra based in Paris, France, dedicated expressly to musicians and soloists at the beginning of brilliant performing careers.” You can support them with donations here. Continue reading
Vintage Car Ralley
If you have been following my blog for a decent amount of time, you then know that my favorite car is the 2CV! And there is a car service company in Paris that has pulled on my cute-little-car-lover’s heart strings : 4 roues sous 1 parapluie. I even used them for my wedding!
Well they sent me a press release for their second edition of this ralley : Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the most beautiful villages of France) which takes from Paris to Cannes just in time for the famous film festival, I just had to share it with all of you. Can you imagine arriving in that kind of spectacular style?!? A line of darling and colorful 2CV?!? I wish so much I could do this but alas, I cannot take a week off work in May. But I hope some of you, my readers and fans will take advantage of the event, or plan your trip to France around it next year! This has got to be one of the most delightfully French and charming ideas I have ever heard of doing in France. I would give anything…. (almost)….
Most Romantic Spot in Paris : Listening to Love
Another volume in the series of finding the “most” romantic spot in Paris… I have drawn upon my own experiences and those shared with me, to explore the idea of what might be considered the most romantic spot in Paris. There are romantic places to stroll in the scenery of this beautiful city…. there are places to dine and tempt ourselves with taste. There are the ever sensual arts. And there are also places to ignite the other senses of and thus the heart strings.
In the begining of my romance with Chéri, he took me to a place that I have since lamented as it closed down…Les 7 Lézards. It was a jazz bar, a very well-known one, where we had our first kiss. A cozy and sultry place, it oozed sensuality, not only with the fantastic music it offered but also from its warm and inviting interior. The bar has long since closed its doors, but their website still remains, maintained by a group “Friends of the 7 Lézards” who can’t seem to let go of this legendary place.
The Wedding Tea Room : DIY Atelier
Frédérique, my dear friend of The Wedding Tea Room is taking reservations for an all day workshop for wedding DIY decorations and krafting.
Ma chère copine, Frédérique of The Wedding Tea Room prend des réservations pour un atelier DIY (fait-soi-même) pour les décorations de mariage.
DIY : fun & frilly greeting card
I have a friend that I had meant to write to for quite some time…and the days turned into weeks and the weeks into a couple months! And before I knew I had become gravely late on my correspondance!
So to make up for it, I thought it would be the perfect touch to make it into a fun, DIY frilly card.
Riding the 4 Roues Sous 1 Parpaluie
Nathalie Malric (editor in cheif, photographer and co-founder of Peut-Être magazine) was the winner of the gift offered by 4 Roues Sous 1 Parapluie, that was offered as one of the gifts raffled off at the Prête-Moi Paris 3 year anniversary party. Here is her experience in her own words!
Nathalie Malric (rédactrice en chef, photographe et co-fondatrice du magazine Peut-Être) a été la gagnante du cadeau offert par 4 roues sous 1 parapluie, qui a été donné dans des tirages au sort lors de la soirée pour fêter les 3 ans de Prête-Moi Paris. Voici le récit de son expérience!
Photo by Nathalie Malric
Fashion Brunch in Paris
Brunching is THE thing to do in Paris. Make your brunch experience even trendier if you head to the Fashion Brunch IN’a City. For it’s second year in a row, the Fashion Brunch concept createtd by Tiyi of InAcity.fr is hosting weekend events this winter where you can get a fabulous New York style brunch for 25€ with sweet and savory dishes accompanied with breakfast drinks. You get to go back for seconds, and if you go for the brunch the 2€ entry fee is reimbursed to you.
This new edition will be held at the Café A in the Masion de L’Architecture right next to the Gare de l’Est in the 10th. A fabulous open space in this historic building will host the brunch restaurant and a giant room next door is where all the fashion and fun will try to contain itself!
Celebrate Halloween in the City of Lights
Post by Jenny Baily
How To Celebrate Halloween in Paris
Photo : Leucippus (on Flickr) or here
Although not a typically French occasion, Halloween is a wicked excuse to coddle your creative side, and slip into something scary. If you’re keen to dress up and celebrate, there are still plenty of places to go to show off your costume. From ghost walks in the city’s old town to a spooky day out at Disneyland Paris, we’ve rounded up a list of the top Halloween hotspots to celebrate the late-October occasion. Continue reading
CupCake Camp Paris – III COMING SOON!
CUPCAKE CAMP RETURNS TO PARIS : Third Time’s a Charm as The City of Light Gears Up for the 3rd Edition of this Annual Charity Event
27 October 2012.
(version française en bas!)
Cupcake Camp Paris III
Paris, France, 1 September 2012 – Cupcake Camp Paris is back and it promises to be bigger and better than ever for its 3rd annual edition! Cupcake fans of all ages, Parisians, expats, and bakers of all levels are invited to gather at Le Comptoir Général, along the Canal St-Martin for the 3rd installment of Cupcake Camp Paris; this year will be a special Halloween-themed event. Attendees will taste, share, and judge (for those who want to participate in the contests) their home-made cupcakes in a friendly and festive atmosphere. There will also be contests and a raffle with an amazing variety of prizes.
Cupcake Camp Paris III:
Saturday, October 27, 2012
15H – 17H
Le Comptoir Général
80 Quai de Jemmapes
75010 Paris
(Sign up to bake cupcakes for the competition or just for sharing!
Festival Baroque – Paris
I discovered recently through a friend of Chéri’s that there is a new and first-of-it’s-kind event happening in Paris : a baroque music festival.
It immediately caught my attention and I feel it is imperative to share it with my lovely readers! I will be attending at least one concert from the festival, and if you are in Paris from November 23rd to December 9th I urge you to grab tickets! To listen to quality baroque music in some of the most architecturaly beautiful monumetns in Paris will be quite a treat, especailly as many of the places were meant to have music notes wafting over our heads in the lofty vouted ceilings.
Festival Baroque : YouTube ; Facebook page ; Twitter Continue reading
Row Boat Regatta #3
Photo : Prête-Moi Paris
The third year of the Coupe d’été Row Boat Regatta saw a bit of weather trouble (like last year) and the event had to be postponed from the 15th of July to the 21st of July. It seems the weather in Paris during the Summer is not what it used to be. 
This caused the participation levels to drop dramatically, and other than me, Chéri and Lauren Cashwell, I had just a couple of participants. But lucky for us, they were some enthusiastic and très easy-going people. We decided to ditch the race for lack of participants and just picnic and paddle around the lake. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we hadn’t a care in the world!
Continue reading
Monuments off the beaten path – Remnants of the wall of Philippe Auguste
Post by Jenny Bailey
Image by : Aura Beckhofer-Fialho
Although you’ll want to check off the major Paris attractions from the old bucket list when in the French capital, be sure to save some time for the less notorious landmarks too, which unlike the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, aren’t packed with trails of tourists. Perhaps one of the city’s most overlooked excursions, The Remnants of the Wall of Philippe Auguste is not your typical Parisian landmark and offers its own history within the heart of the city. Continue reading
100 years of French lingerie
The Espace Pierre Cardin is holding a FREE exposition on French lingerie. It’s a small space and a limited collection, but a charming and innocent thing to do while in Paris this month. Continue reading
Coupe d’été : Paris Row Boat Regatta : 3rd edition!
Sign up on the Meetup page or leave a comment here saying you’ll be attending. Inscrivez-vous sur la page Meetup ou mettre un commentaire ici pour nous informer de votre participation.
Dear all,
After all hope is more or less lost on July 15th’s weather being favorable for
the row boat race, I have decided to postpone until next Saturday, July 21st.
I use this site for weather updates :
http://www.meteo-paris.com/ile-de-france/previsions.php
Here’s to hoping next week the weather is kinder to us… Continue reading
Ville et Cinéma Film Festival
I have recently been reading (no, devouring) several novels by Douglas Kennedy, who’s charachters are usually writers, often live in Paris for a period of time, and ALWAYS love the cinema. Those of his characters that come to visit the city of lights always find solace in the vintage cinema theaters of the 5th and 6tha rrodnissements. These are independant cinemas and they don’t play the latest blockbuster, but rather they play the classics, the vintage, the independant etc. films. Going to the cinema seems to be a vvery Parisian thing to do anyways! Continue reading
Monuments off the Beaten Path – The Château de Chantilly
Post by contributor Jenny Bailey
Parc du Château de Chantilly, by Esther Westerveld
With so many tourists visiting Paris every year looking for great deals, it’s hard to imagine that there are still some places that are relatively unheard of. Away from some of the more popular attractions, there are however various monuments that are equally as impressive. One of these is the Château de Chantilly – a beautiful castle located in one of the largest forests near Paris, Le Massif de Trois Forêts, in the town of Chantilly. It is home to the Grand Stables, various courtyards and gardens, a lake and the Musée Condé – one of the country’s finest art galleries. Continue reading
Le Prénom : fantastic French movie!
So the last time I blogged about a French movie was a while ago, 2010 in fact, about the movie Le Nom des Gens. Well, I recently saw another film, called Le Prénom, that I felt was worthy of praise on my blog. What is it about French movies that have something about names in the title?!? LOL!
Paris Set Me Free – Paris street photography competition
International Paris Street Photography Competition With Sab of Paris If You Please
One of my Paris street photography entries
PARIS PHOTO COMPETITION – WIN A NIKON!
SEE THE APRIL 2012 WINNERS HERE! PIYP
Prête-Moi Paris is proud to be a sponsor of this innovative event in Paris, imagined by Sab Will of Paris If You Please.
There will be a monthly competition, and a yearly competition. You may enter every month, but only win first place one month out of the year. You will however be eligible for 2nd and 3rd place every month! Each month the first place winners will be entered into the final annual competition, but for the final competition of the year ONE extra spot will be left open for competitors who have not yet won a monthly contest.
Win a Nikon by entering three photos in our monthly photo competition on Flickr – Go to the Flickr page here
http://bit.ly/HlqogI
to join the group and enter your pics. Also, go to this page on Facebook to see and hear Sab’s introductory video:
http://on.fb.me/HYDvRk
This is a combined effort with some other great people running Paris-based sites such as Paris Daily Photo (Eric), Guide2Paris (Jon), Prête-Moi Paris (moi) and Prissy Mag (Priscilla), with more getting on board all the time. And with sponsors comes MORE PRIZES!
PHOTO COMPETITION
Here are the rules and how to enter. Please respect them so we can run a fantastic group:
1) You may enter three (no more and no less -it must be THREE) Paris pictures at the same moment (so they are next to each other) each month. People entering less than three will have them deleted. People entering more than three will have numbers 4, 5, etc. removed, and receive a friendly warning and suggestion they (re)read these rules.
2) You took the shots and own all rights to them.
3) You give us full permission to use them for non-profit making purposes in the context of the promotion of this competition on any or all of the participating sites including web sites, blogs, sponsors’ sites, Facebook pages etc. under the condition that you are always credited with at least your name, and, if appropriate, a link back to the original image or a related web site of your choice.
4) Images must have been taken in Paris, France, but it doesn’t matter when.
5) Once entered, pictures cannot be entered again, even if they didn’t win anything.
6) Respect usual norms of decency.
7) Our definition of ‘street photography’ is ‘unplanned’ events or images captured spontaneously in the street, so things like your own model shoot, or silly product placement wouldn’t work. Common sense will prevail, and you just need to look at the images in this group to see the limits of what’s acceptable.
8) You need to have full permission for posting pictures showing people who are clearly identifiable. In posting such images here, you are explicitly guaranteeing that you have this permission and we are not responsible in ANY way for any consequences arising from your actions. Be sensible and sensitive.
9) The judges’ decision is final.
10) You retain full rights to all your images, but in order to be eligible for prizes you agree to the conditions of use of your pictures as stated in 3) above.
11) Have fun, participate in discussions, be nice, friendly, positive
