Paris – Page 3 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

City Guide August 23, 2013

Paris City Guide

There is definitely no city in the world I love more than Paris. Growing up, it was always my dream to move there and spend my time strolling the bustling streets, speaking French with strangers, sipping coffee at a bijoux-cafe and wine on the Seine. In 2010, I got an internship in the City of Lights, and after a two week stint at the Cannes Film Festival, I made my way up north to Paris, where I spent the next three months adventuring (and blogging every day). I was fortunate enough to have one of my best friends, Andrew, also working there – by complete chance. We made a pact to adventure every single night – never to waste a moment in the most exciting city in the world. I honestly did not want to leave, so in 2010, after I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, I went back with my family. Again, in 2012, Sasha and I made our way to Paris, at the end of our vacation to Turkey and Greece. I genuinely think that being a tour guide in that city, which was once my home, is my favorite thing in the world. If you haven’t gone, you must. And when you go, I suggest you try some of my favorite things to do.

Food

Best Falafel: L’As du Fallafel (Le Marais)

Best Mediterranean: Chez Marianne (Le Marais) and Beytouti (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Romantic Dinner: Le Cafe de l’Homme (Trocadéro)

Best Casual Dinner: Le Pause Cafe (Bastille)

Best Lunch Cafe: Cafe Le Buci (Saint–Germain–des–Prés) and Le Restaurant (Luxembourg)

Best Dinner with Views: Restaurant Georges (Hôtel-de-Ville)

Best Dinner for People Watching: Le Bonaparte (Saint–Germain–des–Prés)

Best Frozen Yogurt: MyBerry (Le Marais)

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Drinks

Best Coffee + People Watching: Les Deux Magots

Best Peaceful Coffee: Telescope Cafe

Best Smoothies: Le Paradis du Fruit

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Sightseeing

Best Neighborhood to Get Lost In: Le Marais

Best Walking Tours: Paris Walks

Best Boat Tours: Bateaux Mouches

Most Extravagent Gardens: Le Palace de Versaille

Best Peaceful Park: Les Jardins de Luxembourg

Best Views of the City: Sacre Coeur

Most Iconic: Eiffel Tower (obviously)

Most Gorgeous “Square”: Les Places des Vosges

Best Way to Get Around Town: Velib

Best Church: Eglise Saint Germain des Pres

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Museums

Best Indoor Museum: L’Orangerie

Best (Mainly) Outdoor Museum: Rodin Museum

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Shopping

Best Boutiques: Le Comptoir de Cotonniers and Kookai

Best Department Shopping: BHV

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Accomodation

Best Hotel: Hotel Bel-Ami

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Nightlife

Best People Watching Bar: Le Petit Fer du Cheval

Favorite Night Activity: Drinking Wine on the Seine

Other Favorite Night Activity: Sitting on the Champs de Mars, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle

Favorite Bridge To Sit on at Night: Pont des Arts

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Some of my favorite pictures below from 2009, 2010 and 2012… time for another trip soon, especially as I’m reading The Paris Wife and am so nostalgic!

L’Arc de Triomphe, 2009

Le Petit Fer au Cheval (favorite bar!), 2009

Sacre-Coeur, 2009

Versailles Gardens, 2009

Le Louvre, 2009

Cars Rouges, 2009

Chez Francis, 2009

Le Jardin de Luxembourg, 2009

Paris Plages, 2009

Notre-Dame, 2009

Le Creperie Suzette (love this wine bar), 2010

Eiffel Tower, 2010

La Duree, 2010

Le Paradis du Fruit, 2010

Montmartre, 2010

Hotel Bel-Ami, 2010

L’As du Fallafel, 2012

Notre-Dame, 2012

Le Louvre, 2012

Arc de Triomphe, 2012

Eiffel Tower, 2012

PS What a difference a camera makes! Glad I finally got my DSLR.

PPS Illustrated map of Paris via Rifle Paper Co (love it)

Décor July 10, 2013

A Growing Print Collection

I officially move into The Manor when we get back from the wedding, and I cannot wait to take care of all the finishing touches so we can think about throwing a house warming party. I love photographs (obviously… or see title of this blog), so they are in frames all over the house. I’ve also been adding to our print collection – I’m going to have a gallery wall in the study and one of the guest rooms. Our prints come from Etsy, Furbish Studio, Minted, Wantful, Paper Source (wrapping paper!), and Rifle Paper Co. We have some others on our registry, and I’m sure I’ll continue to add to the collection over the next year as we finish hanging things on the bare walls. Where do you find your prints?

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

fireplace image via fourthlake

Snapshots June 27, 2013

The Summer of Dreams

Summer 2013 is here, and it has me thinking back four years,to the ‘l’été de mes rêves.’ I was blessed enough to live in France for three months – the first few weeks were spent interning at the Cannes Film Festival, then I packed up and headed to Paris, where I interned at an Oil & Gas exploration company and spent every free second wandering around the city with one of my best friends, Andrew. I blogged about my daily adventures here (which now seems so bland and uncreative), but those stories (sigh) capture some of my favorite moments in life. I returned to Paris with my Paris in 2011 as part of my graduation trip, then again in 2012 with Sasha, at the tail end of our Europe vacation (pictures here). Oh gosh, here I go again… Kayak.com time. Next trip must be booked!

Other Parisian posts on Snapshots and My Thoughts:

Paris is Always a Good Idea

Toutes Les Choses Francaises

The City of Lights and Color

image via fourthlake

Snapshots March 29, 2013

Four Years of Travel in Review

I love to travel. If you’re read more than one blog post of mine, you’ll likely know this. I have a goal of going to 50 countries by the time I’m 50, and I’m on track – Indonesia (where we’re going in December) will be my 25th country to visit (and I’m 25). Traveling is the most exhilarating thing in the world, and as a photo-lover, the best inspiration. I look through my pictures often (and print most!) – I picked a few of my favorites from my last four years’ (international-only) travel. If you want to go to any of these places, ask me! I’d love to share advice. Have a good Good Friday!

Wanderlust December 26, 2012

Joyeuses Fêtes from Paris

Our last stop on the trip was Paris – one of my favorite places in the world. I had an internship in The City of Lights two summers ago and I fell in love. We only had 25 hours in Paris, so it was a non-stop sightseeing tour of my favorite places. I absolutely adored showing Sasha my favorite vegetarian restaurant (L’As du Fallafel), smoothie place (Le Paradis du Fruit), coffee (Les Deux Magots), neighborhood (Le Marais), museum (Georges Centre Pompidou), and, of course, building – La Tour Eiffel. It’s magnificient.

In front of Notre-Dame

Getting Ladurée gifts for friends

The Louvre

Les Jardins des Tuileries

Hot wine on Les Champs Elysees

L’Arc de Triomphe

My two favorites (my ring stayed in Texas!)