Petits Plaisirs

Cap & Pep discovering Paris

The Colette mascots can be found various places around the city of light; here on the corner of Rue de Buci and Rue de Seine in the 6th arrondissement.

In ze ZOO

Or well. Not quite. The zoological garden of Paris you will find as a part of the Bois de Vincennes on the eastern side of Paris, just outside le périphérique. There I never quite made it to, however it seems a giraffe escaped from there. In a boat. With some of its human friends. At least that's theory #1.

Theory #2: polterabend?

Au Marché aux Puces

The first post in my series of memoires de Paris. Yes, je n'y habite plus! And yes, I'm still feeling pretty down about it but business school is calling my name so Copenhagen will be my home for the next few years to come. However, that doesn't stop me from sharing all the lovely photos I have taken in Paris with you. And yes, there are loads.

These are from a flea market in my old neighborhood of northern Marais around a year ago. It was held in the beautiful Carreau de Temple (a popular venue for fashion shows as well - both Viktor & Rolf and Galliano have shown their collections here) and in the area of the mairie of the 3rd arrondissement. What made this flea market so amazing was the great diversity and the lack of the usual crappy and touristy stuff you will find at Clignancourt and the like. No, at this flea market I encountered everything from old suitcases, cinema chairs and bird's cases over retro kitchen devices to last season's Lanvin it-shoes (and no, unfortunately not in my size)..

Stay tuned for more flea market discoveries; they're a passion of mine and Denmark has some of the world's finest. And also therefore, INSEAD must wait.

Sarkozy déguisé

Abandoned

La Dolce Vita

In my gap year here in Paris, I spent a couple of months working for the popular Italian gelato chain Amorino, so it may come as a surprise to you (or of the same reason maybe exactly not?) that the gelato I am about to recommend to you is not therefrom. In my humble opinion, the best gelato you will find just around the corner from Amorino's Rue Vieille du Temple branch - at Pozzetto.

Today - for once - the weather behaved nicely so as a friend and I were strolling around Le Marais, we all of a sudden found ourselves walking very determined toward la Rue du Roi de Sicile as icecream became our chatting topic. In the small seating area we decided on a cup each. At Pozzetto there is not really such a thing as sizes - instead for 7.50euro (yes, expensive - but SO worth it) you get a onesize cup but the chance to mix as many flavours as you like to. My friend Nina went for the classic Italian Fior di Latte (flower of milk), dark chocolate and le parfum du jour, coconut. I, as well, had the traditional milk-flavour mixed with Nocciola (hazelnut) and Pistachio (can you guess this one?).

As you can tell from the picture, the serving sizes are generous and the texture of the gelato.. simply amazing. When we left, the smiles on our faces were as big as they were in anticapation of the gelato as Nina demonstrates here - and our cravings were obviously more than happily satisfied.

Pozzetto, 39 rue du Roi de Sicile in the 4th arrondissement, Métro: St. Paul or Hôtel de Ville

City of Pretty

I'm orginally from Copenhagen - a city that I love from the buttom of my heart - but what I absolutely adore about Paris but I'm aware that the Danish capital lacks, is the great diversity. Therefore I love to spend my off-days discovering the different ethnic areas of Paris. Today I went to the 2nd largest China Town in Paris (the largest you will find in the area between Place d'Italie and Porte d'Ivry in the 13th) to enjoy the busy Saturday atmosphere. Belleville is the place to go to if you need a lacquered duck with its head still attached, a 7euro haircut - or if you, like me, love Asian supermarkets.

For your information, this is what 15.05euros will buy you.

(Mango and lychee juice, oyster and sweet and sour sauce, sunflower seeds, crackers, all sorts of chocolate biscuit thingys, the best caramels in the world - the ones with the rabbit on - and last but not least, marshmallows but in small, pastelcolored cones - too peculiar to not at least try them. Besides, they're very decorative.)

Bonjour Supermarché, 16 rue de Belleville in the 20th arrondissement, Métro: Belleville.

Shopping malls of yesterday

Once busy shopping malls, but today les passage couverts - which by the way trace all the way back to the 19th century - are much more quiet; probably because of their discrete facades and unflashy stores these places are never crowded. Perfect spots to use a rainy afternoon, they are located pretty much like pearls on a string in the area of les Grands Boulevards. Here you will find shops which offer you everything from modern art to huge collections of old postcards, here and there a fancy fashion store and more than a handful of good restos. And even if you are looking for neither of that, the beauty of les galeries themselves are worth going for.

Galérie Véro-Dodat, 19 rue Jean-Jaques Rousseau, 1st arrondissement:

Galérie Vivienne, 6 rue Vivienne, 2nd arrondissement:

Indecisiveness

I have never been good at making important choices. Such as the ones you make when in the pâtisserie. I am not even close to being picky and I don't play favorites either. So when a friend and I decided to have a cosy night in accompanied by Sex and the City and things which holds lots of carbohydrates, this was our final choice. Petits bouchées so you can get to taste a tiny bit of everything. And I still don't have a favorite.

Ça vient de la rue!

Sorry already. Never again shall I quote such bad, bad, BAD music. Shame on me.

Anyways, good things do come from the streets. In Paris the street art is partout and today when I took a stroll through the quarter of Butte-aux-Cailles just behind the Place d'Italie, I found these beautiful examples thereof which I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!