From Place To Space: Paris In November & New Paris Tips

As an avid and frequent traveller I have one luxurious problem – I am running behind with my travel posts. But I am trying hard to keep up and share all interesting information and travel tips with you. So let’s catch up and cover my latest trips to Paris in November. I travelled twice to my second hometown in November – the first trip was for a fun film shooting for our Urban Jungle Bloggers project and the second one was just pleasure related including cafés, shopping, food, design and music.

Let me shortly tell you about the filming thing: Judith and I were lucky enough to raise some good awareness for the Urban Jungle Bloggers project and eventually we were asked by the Dutch Flower and Plants Council to be interviewed in form of a little video in Paris. We were more than excited to do that and spent almost two full days with a Dutch TV crew in super sunny Paris filming at various green locations (including the fabulous art installation 'Many Small Cubes' by Japanese artist Sou Fujimoto in the Jardin des Tuileries) and talking about Urban Jungle Bloggers. More about this once the little film has been published!

Let me move to the more interesting part for you – my new discoveries and travel tips for Paris. I spent a good deal of my time in my home borough – the 20^th arrondissement. I love this Paris quarter for its authenticity, its creative vibe, its multicultural inhabitants – it is a real piece of Paris beyond the touristy glitter. This seems to be attractive for many local creatives, which is why I am noticing a slow but ongoing upgrade of this arrondissement. So here are my latest favourite spots in the 20^th arrondissement of Paris:

CreamCoffee (50 Rue de Belleville): This outpost of the famous third wave coffee places in Paris has set foot in the most bustling street of the 20^th arrondissement, the Rue de Belleville. I love this street because it descends from the Belleville hill towards downtown Paris opening up a fantastic yet totally mundane view of the Eiffel Tower. Now you have one more reason to go there and sip a cup of fabulous coffee at Cream, mingle with the young and creative crowd or simply watch the people pass by. Parfait!

Liberté (150 Rue de Ménilmontant): I blogged about this fabulous bakery quite a while ago (read it HERE along with more Paris tips) when I first discovered it in the trendy 10^th arrondissement. Now they have opened a second shop in the 20^th arrondissement, which features a bakery and restaurant. The space is open and very convivial with large tables to sit with locals and mingle. I went there for breakfast on a Saturday morning and loved it very much – the breakfast includes a pastry of your choice, two tartines (slices) of delicious baguette, a freshly squeezed orange juice, a hot beverage and butter and jam (see it HERE). And all this comes for less than 10 Euros – a great price in Paris and the quality is absolutely top notch. Délicieux!

La PetiteFabrique (15 Rue des Vignoles): The organic restaurant La Petite Fabrique (HERE is a peek) has been around for a little bit longer than a year, but it was only this time that I had the opportunity to wander down to a somewhat tucked away corner of the 20^th arrondissement, south of the well-known Père Lachaise cemetery. The restaurant has a very warm and inviting vibe – it is one large room that is not fully packed with tables but leaves a lot of space for the guests to be comfortable and enjoy their food and good conversations. The open kitchen creates a feeling like being at home or at a friend’s place. I went there for brunch on a rainy Sunday and was delighted by the organic treats: a full plate of yummy salads, eggs, bacon, potatoes and good bread, a crepes maker where you can make your own crepes as many as you like and top them with good organic jams and chocolate spreads, warm and cold drinks and a desert to round up the feasting. You will leave this restaurant with a very happy belly. And the way to and from the restaurant was another revelation to me: This rather residential area of the 20^th arrondissement boasts with quiet and green alleys and wonderful modern and ecological residential buildings. Wow!

I hope these three new discoveries will be reason enough for you to embark on a little adventure during your next Paris trip. You won’t regret it, that’s for sure!

Happy new week, folks!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: Summer In Paris

With summer reaching slowly its end, I think it's time to take a full scoop of it again. Let me take you to my second home town Paris for this summery scoop. I spent a very sunny and warm weekend a few weeks ago and discovered a few new favorite spots in the 'City of Light' - let's have a little summer walk through Paris, shall we?

This time I was set to discover a little bit of Paris' 9th arrondissement which stretches from the borders of the Montmartre district in the north to the more posh 2nd and 8th arrondissement in the south and southwest. That stretch can be seen within the 9th arrondissement too - it starts off a bit unspectacular and rather residential in the north and becomes more and more classy and posh towards the south - it also includes some landmark sights like the Galeries Lafayette, Printemps or the Opera. 

One very beautiful spot in the 9th arrondissement of Paris is the picturesque and very Parisian Place Saint Georges. Beautiful Haussmannian buildings linde the square, little cafés and restaurants and the Theatre Saint Georges make this a picture perfect spot for a Paris experience. Just around the corner you will also find the fabulous restaurant Le Bon Georges. I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with excellent and well chilled rosé wine on a very hot Paris summer night there. The staff is very friendly, the restaurant's interior design is an epitome of a Parisian bistro and the menu is exquisite boasting with seasonal produce from small French farms. If you want a magic dinner for two in Paris, go there, you will not regret it!

The Place Saint Georges is a good starting point for a little walk around the center of Paris, too. Walking from the restaurant Le Bon Georges you will find a cool concept store featuring fashion, jewelry and design just around the corner - Sept Cinq is dedicated to 100 % design made in Paris and offers a little café corner too for a shopping break. 

After the 9th arrondissement I took a stroll down towards the southeast past the Palais Garnier to the 3rd arrondissement with its little organic restaurants and cool cafés. I stopped at the Café Loustic to enjoy a great iced coffee with maple syrup and I tried a homemade ice tea, too. I loved the cool and urban interior design mixing styles, colours and patterns. Great spot for a little break in Paris!

After that I walked down to the Seine to peek at the busy Paris Plage, a summer beach along the Seine river during July and August bringing some seaside vibes to the heart of Paris. Lovely but pretty busy and lots of kids - still a nice sighting during summer. However, Paris Plage has finished two weeks ago so you will need to wait for coming summer to experience the sandy Seine riverside again. Oh and once you're at the Seine, stay there for a fantastic sundowner - a wonderful Paris experience!

If you feel the need for a sweet break I recommend a stop over at the Pâtisserie des Rêves - you can find one branch in the BHV department store. I tried a financier and a canelé à l'orange - beyond delicious! Especially the canelé made me swoon - I will have to return there the next time again.

To round things up I drove back to my home base in Paris, the 20th arrondissement. Off the beaten track and devoid of tourists, you can enjoy beautiful sights of Paris and the Tour Eiffel from the lush green Parc de Belleville. Just atop the park you will find a very vivid spot for young Parisians, the O'Paris. Have a seat, take a sip and look down at the eternal 'City of Light'. 

Happy summer week, my friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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From Place To Space: Paris Love Facts On Instagram

If you happen to call two places your home, there is one inevitable tough side-effect: you keep on going back and forth and that takes up quite some time (and budget). With my two homes in Munich and Paris it's exactly that way - I keep on bouncing between these two cities and sometimes I do get back very late. This said, I had to improvise for today's blog post. And I had an idea: I wanted to point you to my little ongoing Paris travel guide on Instagram. Get ready for your next Paris trip with my #happyparislovefacts on Instagram!

This weekend was a very successful one speaking of travel tips on my Instagram Paris guide. The weather was tropical (read: it was too hot for my tastes) and I spent most of the day and evening out and about in the City of Lights. I've discovered a fantastic new interiors and decor shop (more to come on the blog soon), great cafés, restaurants, pastries, sights. All of these can be find under the hashtag #happyparislovefacts on Instagram with the geotag so that you can find the place during your own Paris trip if you wish to. 

Today I am sharing even a few shots more - so you are getting an exclusive sneak peek of some of the upcoming Instagram shots for my #happyparislovefacts series. So, are you ready for Paris?

Photography by Igor Josifovic with iPhone 5S on Instagram

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