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Paris Respire: Sunday on the Quai
3.24.2014
• Around Paris
The other weekend, we participated in Paris' car-free initiative by taking the boys out on their scooters (trottinettes) and watching them glide along the riverbanks of the Seine. Called "Paris Respire" (Paris Breathes), this project was introduced in 2007 as a way to limit the city's traffic and air pollution in specific areas, like sections along the Seine and Canal Saint-Martin - and really a lovely way to experience Paris sans traffic.
Under golden sunlight, alongside bikers, pedestrians and roller-bladers, this particular day felt like one collective restorative breath of fresh air...
* Paris Respire: Sundays and public holidays between 9am-5pm, all year round
Sunshine + Flora at Jardin des Plantes
3.18.2014
• Around ParisfleursFlora
It was one of those mornings when, after dropping my son off at school, I couldn't resist taking a small detour to Jardin des Plantes to watch the late winter sunlight flood the flora and skip along the double rows of plane trees.
Jardin des Plantes, an idyllic quiet space in Paris' 5th arrondissement, is France's main botanical garden created in 1626 by Louis XIII's physician as the royal medicinal herb garden (and opened to the public in 1640). It also houses La Ménagerie (a lovely small zoo that had my younger son riveted - we'll share these photos on another post), tropical greenhouses and magnificent museums. We plan on exploring and sharing more of this enchanting garden in the coming days...
Jardin des Plantes, an idyllic quiet space in Paris' 5th arrondissement, is France's main botanical garden created in 1626 by Louis XIII's physician as the royal medicinal herb garden (and opened to the public in 1640). It also houses La Ménagerie (a lovely small zoo that had my younger son riveted - we'll share these photos on another post), tropical greenhouses and magnificent museums. We plan on exploring and sharing more of this enchanting garden in the coming days...
Maison: The Paris Apartment - Part I
3.11.2014
• MaisonThe Paris Apartment
Silly me... I was so excited to sign the lease and move in to our new apartment that I underestimated the gulf that exists between having a space to call home and making the space feel like home. Like many Parisian apartments, rentals don't automatically come équipée or aménagée meaning they don't include basic appliances like a refrigerator, oven and stove. And in our case, we don't have a single closet! No complaining here though,... we're slowly equipping and furnishing the space, and as of yesterday we were able to cook a simple meal :)
Even though the four of us are still camped out at night sleeping on the floor side by side on mattresses and eating meals on unpacked cartons, our hearts are full. The Haussmann space I envisioned is ours, and many mornings when I hear the whirr of motorbikes and see the sunrise over the avenue of creamy white facades, I have to remind myself we're here in Paris to stay, at least for a while.
Our apartment is in the 5th arrondissement, at the foot of Rue Mouffetard and a short walk to either Jardin des Plantes or Jardin du Luxembourg. I can't wait to show you around the neighborhood...
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