I Prefer Paris

Bee House in Luxembourg Gardens

Did you know there was a bee house in the Luxembourg Gardens? I have been to the gardens countless times but never noticed the bee houses till my friends Laurie and Blair had me meet them in front of them one day last November.

There is a beekeeping school (Rucher Ecole) in Luxembourg Gardens since 1856 that teaches apiculture classes. The current teacher is Jean Pauchon, who accidentally discovered that bees could thrive in Paris when he temporarily stored a bee hive on the roof of the Opera House 20 years ago and found that it thrived, collecting pollen and making honey. The classes supply you with a bee-keeping outfit with hat and netting plus a smoker.

 The bees are also used to pollinate the fruit trees in the Luxembourg Gardens. The French Senate- Senat- is housed the former Medici Palace at the front of the gardens and many of the fruit trees are named after the senators. 

Here are some more interesting facts Laurie sent me about the bees.

The bees are among the healthiest and strongest around. There are no signs of "colony collapse" which is plaguing bees worldwide.  They live in a pesticide-free zone. Their queen lasts 2-3 years, which is also a sign of health -- most US commercial hives replace their queen more than once a year.

 Although there is a collection of antique hives, the bees populate the modern wooden hives with copper roofs, surrounding the gazebo. There is a fountain in the bee area exclusively for the bees, which need water on a regular basis. 

 Enjoy but don't get stung!

 The bee house is located near the rue de Fleuris entrance of the gardens.

New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Reflection Photos on rue des Archives

I started experimenting with reflection photos last summer and was pleased with the results. Walking down rue des Archives in the Marais yesterday, I passed a popular gay bar, The Open Bar. Above the awnings were festive holiday decorations of round mirrors and disco balls. Looking at the mirrors closely, there were distorted reflections of the buildings, which I found most interesting and photogenic. I have had a hard time deciding whether the photos look best as I took them, in black and white, or in sepia. I have put black and white and sepia versions of some the same photos, and I am curious which you like best.

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

 New Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of a new set of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 20 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Courtyard Week 6

You are probably wondering why the headline for this post doesn't have an address. I am embarrassed to say I don't remember exactly. 

Here's the story. In July I was walking again with some tour clients in the Marais and a man was coming out of a courtyard. I went past the door after he exited and he said "Can I help you". I said I was just looking. He said "This is a private house and you are not supposed to be in here". I apologized and was ready to leave and he said " You can come take a look for a minute, I don't mind". I took my photos quickly and scooted out of there. In my haste I forgot to photograph the address. If my memory serves me correctly (although these days it's kind of a sieve sometimes) it was on the rue Beautrillis, in the Marais right off of the rue Saint Antoine, close to Bastille.

So how did you like Courtyard Week 6 and which one did you like best?

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis
 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Courtyard Week 6: 17 rue des Tournelles

I have passed this lacquered blue door with wisteria peeking out of it on the rue des Tournelles many times on my Marais tours. I could tell there was something special behind it and my curiosity became stronger every time I passed it. One Sunday morning last May while I was doing a tour, someone was exiting the building and I invited my clients to peer inside the doorway with me. The person exiting graciously asked us if we would like to see the inside. What music to my ears and we explored the small oasis of quiet and greenery. There were some unusual features about this courtyard like the iron wall sculptures and the little mail room with Lettres written on the door. Although it was great to be invited to see the courtyard, the thrill of sneaking in wasn't there.
 

17 rue des Tournelles, 75003
Metro: Bastille

 Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis
 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Courtyard Week 6: 2 rue du Pas de la Mule

It's that time of the year again, Courtyard Week. For my sixth edition I have combed the city in the last six months for new courtyards and have discovered a treasure trove of hidden gems behind the big doors.

Today is a courtyard right near the Place des Vosges. I have come to find that many courtyards have public access during the week, so sometimes I will just push the button below the keypad on the side of the building to see if it will open. I did this at 21 rue du Pas de la Mule, and Voila! the door magically opened. Inside was a courtyard with the usual features of cobblestones and lush plants and flowers, and dripping ivy but there were a few unusual details like the scalloped metal cornice, the large square gray metal planters, and stained glass windows. I believe this was a former hotel de particular dating from the 1600s. If you do go by there, make sure to stop by the yummy and clever chocolate shop Josephine Vannier next door at # 4.

2 rue du Pas de la Mule, 75003
Metro: Chemin Vert

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis
 

Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale

I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos.  I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.

Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.

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 Charlotte's 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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.

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

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. 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.
 Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Italian Embassy II

 

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

Sorry I didn't post this sooner but I had to post the FIAC sculptures at the Tuileries and announce the subscription contest winner first.

The photos today are of the gardens and the exterior of the building including the courtyard and the entrance. I love the decorated urns and the marvelous statues and was intrigued by the pointed, six-sided pavilion peeking out of the shrubs with the gold ornament on top. The gardens seemed to extend to over an acre all the way to the next block.

Here are more facts about the Italian Embassy. Although it was originally called the Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, it was also the Hotel de Boisgelin, named after the family that lived there at the end of the 18th century. It was bought by the Caisse des Depots et Consignations in 1937 and later given to the Italian government in a reciprocal agreement with the French government thus becoming the Italian Embassy. In exchange, the Italian government offered the Farnese Palace in Rome as the French Embassy.

The current ambassador is Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri from Rome but he comes from an old Neapolitan family. He has been the ambassador since 2009.

Italian Embassy
52 rue de Varenne, 75007
Metro: rue du Bac
 

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.

Sculptures in the Tuileries for FIAC Art Fair

FIAC is the largest contemporary art show of the year in Paris and is always in mid-October. For 2011 the dates are October 20 to October 23 and the major venue is the Grand Palais. This year they have also included outdoor venues, the Jardin des Plantes and the Tuileries. I went to the Tuileries to photograph the sculpture installation yesterday. Typical of the sometimes schizophrenic weather patterns in Paris, the light kept on changing, so in the course of an hour it went from sunlight to gray to dark, threatening clouds and the photos reflect that.

FIAC (International Contemporary Art Fair)
October 20-23 12PM-8PM
Grand Palais
Ave Winston Churchill, 75008
Metro: Champs Elysees-Clemenceau
Admission 32 euros
http://www.fiac.com

Wilfred Almendra-Reconstruction of a Monument II

Urs Fisher -Miss Satin

Jean Luc Moulene-Body Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Bertrand Grimont

Moataz Nasr-The Maze

Antoine Dorotte-Un Misteriosa Bola

Vincent Ganivet-Rivieres

Willem de Kooning-Standing Figure

Danh Vo-Cuivre Repoussé

Adrian Villar Rojas- Poems for Earthlings

Vincent Mauger-La Somme des Hypotheses

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

CONTEST EXTENSION-I am extending the contest below to next Monday, October 24, so you still have a chance to send me your subscriber list.

Eye Prefer Paris Contest
I realize it's been a while since I have had a new subscribers contest and figured it was time for one. I know many of you forward my blog posts to friends, family, and fellow francophiles and many thanks for that. The next logical step would be for them to subscribe.

I am obsessed with increasing my subscriber numbers for a myriad of reasons but one big reason is to attract advertisers. Right now I have 5522 subscribers and my goal is 6500 subscribers by the end of the year.  So please support my obsession and subscribe everyone on the planet you know to my blog.

I will make it simple for you: Please send me a list of the e-mails you want me to subscribe and I will personally subscribe them. My email is rn88@rcn.com. Once I sign them up they will receive an email saying this:
Please check your inbox for a verification message from “FeedBurner Email Subscriptions”, the service that delivers email subscriptions for Eye Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription. If you don't see a confirmation e-mail in a reasonable amount of time please check your bulk/spam folder.

The winner of the contest is the person who has the most people click the activation link. The grand prize is a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid, Food that French Women Cook Everyday by Wini Moranville. I just received a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook and I have not been this inspired to cook again since my catering days in New York before I moved here. I spent an hour looking through the surprisingly easy to execute recipes that are the staples of most French women. I highly recommend buying this cookbook with 250 mouthwatering, no fuss recipes which are easy to prepare with ingredients that are readily available at your local market.

Wini Moranville, is a food and wine writer and restaurant reviewer. She has spent over 20 summers in France learning the art of simple French cooking which she lovingly shares.

Click here to order from Amazon. Also check out Wini's yummy blog http://chezbonnefemme.com/

I will announce the contest winner next Wednesday, so send me your list right away.

Love the cover

 

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.

Queen Statues in Jardin du Luxembourg

I have always loved the statues of the queens in the Jardin du Luxembourg. I photographed them a few years ago with my old camera before I started taking my photography seriously. I vowed one day, someday I would come back to shoot them with my new camera and it went on the long list of my should do's.

Rushing to meet some friends in the garden last week (I am still rushing around all the time just like I did when I lived in New York), I stopped for a moment to see how the autumn leaves were dramatically enveloping the statues. The burnished colors of yellow, crimson, and green delicately highlighted the 20 proud, white stone goddesses that protect the park. I have also included a shot of the foliage with the Eiffel Tower jutting out, a new view of the tower I had never seen before while walking down the rue Soufflot in the fifth arrondissement.

Eye Prefer Paris on Twitter 

I just launched a fun new daily Twitter post- Paris Photo du Jour. Every day I will post a photo of Paris. Follow me on Twitter - http://twitter.com/eyepreferparis

CONTEST EXTENSION-I am extending the contest below to next Monday, October 24, so you still have a chance to send me your subscriber list.

Eye Prefer Paris Contest
I realize it's been a while since I have had a new subscribers contest and figured it was time for one. I know many of you forward my blog posts to friends, family, and fellow francophiles and many thanks for that. The next logical step would be for them to subscribe.

I am obsessed with increasing my subscriber numbers for a myriad of reasons but one big reason is to attract advertisers. Right now I have 5522 subscribers and my goal is 6500 subscribers by the end of the year.  So please support my obsession and subscribe everyone on the planet you know to my blog.

I will make it simple for you: Please send me a list of the e-mails you want me to subscribe and I will personally subscribe them. My email is rn88@rcn.com. Once I sign them up they will receive an email saying this:
Please check your inbox for a verification message from “FeedBurner Email Subscriptions”, the service that delivers email subscriptions for Eye Prefer Paris. You will need to click a link listed in this message to activate your subscription. If you don't see a confirmation e-mail in a reasonable amount of time please check your bulk/spam folder.

The winner of the contest is the person who has the most people click the activation link. The grand prize is a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook: Simple, Splendid, Food that French Women Cook Everyday by Wini Moranville. I just received a copy of The Bonne Femme Cookbook and I have not been this inspired to cook again since my catering days in New York before I moved here. I spent an hour looking through the surprisingly easy to execute recipes that are the staples of most French women. I highly recommend buying this cookbook with 250 mouthwatering, no fuss recipes which are easy to prepare with ingredients that are readily available at your local market.

Wini Moranville, is a food and wine writer and restaurant reviewer. She has spent over 20 summers in France learning the art of simple French cooking which she lovingly shares.

Click here to order from Amazon. Also check out Wini's yummy blog http://chezbonnefemme.com/

I will announce the contest winner next Wednesday, so send me your list right away.

Love the cover

 

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.

Best of EPP: Autumn at the Eiffel Tower

I am taking a blogging break this week, so enjoy the Best of Eye Prefer Paris for the next four days.

I was by the Ecole Militaire on Monday and couldn't resist taking in the Eiffel Tower. The Champ de Mars had trees with leaves clinging in burnished reds and sun drenched yellow and in the background was the mighty tower. My quest for new angles and shots of the tower is insatiable. There is the Monument to Peace on the eastern end of the Champ de Mars which was built in 2000 and has the word "peace" in 32 languages emblazoned on 32 columns and also on panes of glass. I took some shots through the glass and I think they came out great. Some are in black & white and some are in color and can't decide which I like better. Please let me know what you prefer.

Monument to Peace
Champ de Mars
Ave. de la Motte Picquet
Metro: Ecole Militaire

 

 

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.

Palais de la Decouverte

For some inexplicable reason, I have never visited Palais de la Decouverte which is housed on the Franklin Roosevelt side of the Grand Palais. I had my camera in tow when I discovered it last month and was lucky to have a clear, sunny day to photograph the exquisite details adorning the Grand Palais built in 1900 for the 1900 World Exposition. I love the cherubs playing with the lions and the beautiful nymphs intertwined, looking as though they are catching each other from falling. I also like the colored mosaic reliefs of what appears to be bible scenes perhaps from ancient Egypt.

Palais de la Decouverte is a science museum started in 1937 by Jean Baptiste Perrin, who was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 1926. It was originally part of the international exhibition on "Arts and techniques in modern life" and the government turned it into a 25,000 square meter museum in 1938. Today the museum houses permanent exhibits of mathematics, physics, astronomy, chemistry, geology, and biology

Palais de la Decouverte
Ave. Franklin Roosevelt, 75008
Metro: Champs Elysees-Clemenceau
Open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30AM to 6PM, Sunday 10AM to 7PM
http://www.palais-decouverte.fr/index.php?id=accueil2&no_cache=1

Please click here to watch this dazzling and romantic, video love letter of the Marais, In Love with Le Marais, that was made as a promotional piece for the Paris Marais website my friend Pascal Fonquernie runs. It perfectly captures the essence of the Marais on film and makes it come alive in a magical way.

http://www.parismarais.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.