Garden at Hotel de Nesle

The weather has shifted dramatically in October as fall has set in with rainy and chilly days and the warm days of summer seem like a distant memory even though it was only a few weeks ago when it ended. I thought I would give you a special treat today with one last shot of summer before Old Man Winter has its way with us.

In July I had to pick up a client in St. Germain at the Hotel de Nesle. I had vaguely heard of this small hotel before but couldn’t recall what other people had said. My client needed a few minutes longer to finish up some last minute things in her room, so she suggested I wait in the garden.

The hotel was a bit shabby as I walked through but I could see it had some wonderful character to it. The gardens were on the second floor in the back of the hotel. Most gardens and parks in Paris are formal with manicured hedges, immaculately cut trees, and symmetrical. The garden at the hotel was a welcome contrast, with its unkemptness and informality giving it that much more charm. Some of the flowerpots were empty or had dried, shriveled plants in them and some of the bushes and shrubs were overgrown.

As I waited in the peaceful setting of the garden on this sunny summer day my imagination ran wild and I thought about have a mad tea party with bunny rabbits running around or maybe making a grand luncheon for friends with everybody wearing white summer frocks and large brimmed hats.

Those thoughts of summer are a fleeting memory as my shorts and T-shirts are in storage and I am now putting on my down vest to go out into the overcast, damp day to do a tour this morning.

Hotel de Nesle
7 rue de Nesle, 75006
Metro: Mabillon or Odeon
http://www.hoteldenesleparis.com/

 

In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!

 

Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
 

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.