Lockdown Love: Our Favorite Things about Paris

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Lockdown Love: Our Favorite Things about Paris
While France is in quarantine because of the coronavirus pandemic, we reached out to our contributors to share some Paris love. Stuck at home? You can still armchair travel to the City of Light. What are some of your favorite places and things in Paris? Share in the comments section below. Sainte-Chapelle “I love Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day, when the magnificent stained glass windows just glow. It’s the most beautiful spot in the most beautiful city in the world. Sometimes there are chamber music performances late in the day, where you can listen to lovely music while the sun goes down and the light on the windows changes. Magical.” — Keith Van Sickle is the author of the bestselling books “One Sip at a Time” and “Are We French Yet? The Seine “Paris has much to offer—from hidden treasures (Eglise St Julien le Pauvre) to lesser known museums (Marmottan and Jacquemart-André) to expansive boulevards and luminous Haussmannian buildings. But the heartbeat of the city, for me, is the Seine. Since I am fortunate to live on the Ile St Louis, the river is a constant friend (even during “confinement”). Its timeless beauty, swirling energy, and endless personalities somehow give me hope.” — Meredith Mullins is an internationally exhibited fine art photographer and instructor based in Paris. Food Glorious Food “What I love about Paris? The list is endless but funnily enough most of what I can think about right now is connected to food (maybe it’s my Italian roots, but food for me is a proxy for love!). Picking up a still-warm baguette from my local boulangerie; striking a conversation with an elderly person while queuing together at my favorite fishmonger at the Marché de Saxe, watching the sun set over the city on the rooftop of Centre Pompidou, with a chilled glass of champagne in hand.” —Sarah Bartesaghi Truong is the founder of VeniVidiParis and a frequent contributor to Bonjour Paris. The Louvre, the metro, and a lovely square “A few of my favorite Paris things: The Louvre, the drip of historical power, the beauty of the architecture, the challenge of the crowds and then finally of course the irreplaceable collection all in one place makes my world whole. The metallic smell on the metro platform as those little trains push the air through the tunnels. I may well be the only person who finds joy in the smell of (the old trains at least, and line 9 still smells this way) the wheels turning. My favorite square is La cité de Trévise in the 9th, which has two long narrow roads leading to it and no traffic. Haussmannian apartment buildings line the square and there’s a perfect tiny oval of a square with big trees, a dripping fountain and one small bench that no one sits on because it’s so perfectly out of the way.” — Daisy de Plume is the founder of THATMuse, which stands for Treasure Hunt at the Museum.  Les quatre parties du monde “There are many places in Paris that soothe my soul but there is none quite like the fountain that sits at the southernmost point of the Jardin des Grands Explorateurs, a rectangular stretch of park, designed with an allée of chestnut trees, leading into the Jardin du Luxembourg. The garden follows a north-south axis from the Observatory all the way to Montmartre, so you can see the gleaming white dome of Sacré-Cœur in the distance. The fountain itself depicts the four corners of the world; a globe engraved with signs of the zodiac is raised above majestic stallions and mythical fish and turtles spewing water from their mouths.” — Mary Winston Nicklin is the editor of Bonjour Paris. Les Bouquinistes and Guy Savoy “It’s a sunny day, I cross Le Pont Neuf bridge (wrapped by Christo and Jean-Claude in 1985, a litho of which hangs in my study), watch river traffic making waves, breath in the fresh air of Ile de la Cité, mourn for Notre Dame. Arriving at Les Bouquinistes, I chat with the booksellers, buy a few souvenirs, and an old cookbook. Now I’m climbing the red carpet stairs to lunch chez Guy Savoy, in the 18th century marvel that houses the Musée de la Monnaie (the former mint). I’m seated by the window overlooking the River Seine, the contemporary art work is eyewatering, some on loan from François Pinault’s private collection. I order artichoke soup served with warm brioche and black truffle butter; John Dory a la plancha; in between a few Oysters en gélée. Maybe drink Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion 2001, perfect with everything including cheese, chocolate dessert, petits fours etc. Post lunch a visit to the Museum, then walk back (to the 16th) along the banks of the Seine. It doesn’t get any better.” —  Margaret Kemp is a regular contributor to Bonjour Paris. Opéra Garnier “To visit the Opéra Garnier in Paris is to be immersed in a world of refinement. The luxurious frescoes, the opulent interiors decorated in red velvet and gilt, witnesses of the Second Empire opulence, is a unique culture heritage.” — Sarah Fauvel hails from Rouen, Normandy and has developed communication and writing expertise in different fields over the course of her career. Walking and Reading “My favorite thing to do in Paris is just to walk, and then sit in a park or a cafe, and read. Well, so, the first two things none of us can do right now, even those who are in Paris. But we…
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Lead photo credit : Palais Royal gardens. Photo: Richard Nahem

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Comments

  • Dee Brock
    2020-03-28 03:22:56
    Dee Brock
    I've been reading this newsletter for years and I am questioning the inclusion of the image of the Banksy work, Rue Victor-Cousine. Photo:Hazel Smith for Street Art. Very disturbing and disappointed. I'm sure that there must have been other examples more in keeping with the spirit of the article.

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