I Prefer Paris

Trip to Annecy, France

I mentioned in my post about the Venetian carnival in Annecy earlier this month (CLICK HERE to read if you missed it) that I would post about the rest of my visit. 

The train ride from Paris Gare de Lyon station to Annecy is about 3.45 hours. My hotel, the Mercure Annecy Centre, was just a three-minute walk from the train station and not more than ten- minutes from all the local sites. The quiet and immaculate room had a comfortable queen- mattress, a full bathroom with a bathtub, and thoughtfully placed electrical outlets next to the bed. The front desk staff couldn’t have been nicer, and they told me about the carnival. 

Annecy is in southeastern France in the Haute-Savoie region and just 22 miles from Geneva, Switzerland. The two big draws of Annecy are the pristine lake surrounded by the snow-capped French Alps, and the old town, which has canals running through it.

The weather was delightful, clear and sunny, and not too cold, with the temperature reaching about 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the two days I was there. I strolled along the lake where the sun glistened over the water, casting a gorgeous green hue over the lake. The water was so clear, I was tempted to take a swim if I had a wet suit or if it was about ten degrees warmer. 

After furiously dashing around most of Sunday trying to get as many shots as I could of the participants gorgeously costumed for the carnival, I spent most of my time meandering through the old town. It was fun discovering ancient buildings with plaster and stone facades and painted shades of pale pink, mustard yellow, apricot, and laurel green. Every street or two, there was a bridge where water gently streamed through a canal with the vast mountain range peaking in the background. 

Even though it was still winter, I indulged in a scoop of yummy, coffee ice cream from Le Glacier des Alpes, rated the best ice cream in town. 

Across the street from the hotel was an excellent restaurant, Chez Ingalls, which had two, large dining rooms with tables generously spaced apart. It was cold that evening, the temperature dropping down into the 30s, so I savored a warm bowl of mushroom soup with chestnuts, followed by a succulent piece of salmon topped with a lemon, cucumber, and tomato confit. 

Before leaving on the 9:30 am train on Tuesday, I took a brisk walk one last time on the lake to take in its beauty and deep breathing in the mountain air.

Mercure Annecy Centre

26 Rue Vaugelas, 74000

https://all.accor.com/hotel/2812/index.en.shtml

Le Glacier des Alpes

16 Rue Perrière, 74000

https://glacierdesalpes.fr/

Chez Ingalls

26 Rue Vaugelas, 74000

https://www.chezingalls.fr/

 

 

1997 Fashion Big Bang

1997 Fashion Big Bang is an exhibit focusing on 1997, a game-changing year in the fashion world in Europe.

In Paris, two British, under-the-radar designers, Alexander McQueen, and John Galliano were chosen to pump new life into ailing fashion houses, Givenchy and Christian Dior, becoming fashion superstars practically overnight with their dramatic and outlandish creations. A breed of young designers such as Martin Margiela, Olivier Theyskens, and Ann Demeulemeester, put Antwerp, Belgium on the map as a new fashion capital, breaking the rules by deconstructing classic fashion staples. It was also the year Tom Ford brought back sexy clothes by reinterpreting the 1970s glamour for the almost bankrupt house of Gucci. Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo sent dresses down the runway with over-exaggerated bustles and peplums in bright colors at Comme des Garcons. Gianni Versace designed his last collection before he was tragically gunned down by a psycho stalker, and finally, 1997 was the year Fendi launched its eponymous and best-selling baguette handbag, which celebrated its 25th-anniversary last year.

Until July 16, 2023

Palais Galliera

10 Avenue Pierre Ier de Serbie, 75116

https://www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/en/exhibitions/1997-fashion-big-bang

Versace

Martin Margiela

Comme des Garcons

Thierry Mugler

Alexander McQueen for Givenchy

John Galliano for Christian Dior

Ann Demeulemeester designed this suit for Patti Smith

Olivier Theyskens

Jean Paul Gaultier

Comme des Garcons

John Gallano for Dior

Christian Lacroix

Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga

Alexander McQueen for Givenchy

Fendi baguette

 

 

 

 

 

Amourette Restaurant Passy

The Passy neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement is not a place I often visit, but when I do, it’s lovely and charming with oodles of handsome Haussmann-style buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

A few months ago, I received a text message inviting me to check out Amourette Restaurant Passy and I replied I would visit next time I was in the 16^th. Fast forward to last month when Vincent and I were invited to an art opening nearby and decided to have dinner at Amourette.

Located on a two-block long boulevard near Place Trocadero, the outside was a typical café setting with a gray and white striped awning with scalloping on the bottom and white chairs and café tables. The inside is small and intimate with about 15 tables, tastefully decorated with mint green rattan and bamboo chairs and eclectic lamps, with the ambiance of a restaurant on the upper east side of New York City.

We liked the long list of entrees and plats on the menu because many Parisian restaurants these days offer only four or five dishes in each category. For our starters, we chose foie gras served with mango chutney and grilled eggplant with burrata. The texture of the foie gras was smooth and velvety and the mango flavor was a nice alternative to the usual fig jam and the eggplant was artfully presented. Our mains were sea scallops’ Provençale style, which were rich and buttery in a red, peppery sauce, and Vincent had the chicken paillard, thinly pounded with a tangy lemon sauce. Dessert was outstanding, a house-made clafouti with figs, a perfect warm winter treat.

Other appealing dishes on the French and Italian menu include macaroni and cheese with ham and truffles, risotto with grilled shrimp, butternut squash soup with hazelnuts, escargots from Burgundy, pistachio, and hazelnut crème brulee, and a separate raw seafood menu with clams, oysters, lobster, and crab.

10 Boulevard Delessert, 75016

https://www.amourette-passy.fr/en/

Views From the Dome at Sacre Coeur

I’ve only been to the top of Sacre Coeur once, about 14 years ago with a tour client, and recently returned to it because I wanted to take photos of the views. In 2020 I started a photo series with views of Paris from some of the highest points in the city and this is a continuation of the series. I went with my friend, Bill O ‘Such, another avid photographer, and we climbed 300 steps to the top, with winding, narrow stairways which almost made us dizzy, but we managed to get to the top in one piece. Once we got to the top, the passage around the dome is super narrow, fitting only one person width-wise. There wasn’t much of a crowd, but we still had to brush closely against one another in order to pass through.  It was a bit of a hazy day but on the plus side it was sunny, and the 360-degree views were spectacular. We both shot dozens of photos and below are my results.

On another note, did you know you can spend the night at Sacre Coeur? Titled One Night of Adoration on the Sacre Coeur website, the program starts at 8;30, where you are welcomed into the basilica to settle into your room or dorm. At 9 pm is the spiritual introduction to the evening mass, followed by the choir singing at 9:30 and then mass from 10 pm to 11 pm. After 11 pm, guests can retire to their living spaces or continue praying, but they must be silent. The next morning, the first mass is at 7 am in the Chapel of the Virgin, followed by continental breakfast from 7:30 am to 8:30 am for 4€ per person. Room rates start at 10€ for a dormitory room, 25€ per person for a shared room, and 30€ per person for a private room.

The entrance address is 35, rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018

https://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/english/night-adoration/article/one-night-adoration-at-the

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more.  In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

https://eyepreferparistours.com/

Venice Carnival in Annecy, France

I took a quick two-day trip to Annecy, France last Sunday and Monday and I was pleasantly surprised when I learned there was a Venetian-style carnival happening that weekend. Annecy has an old town filled with canals and ancient buildings and is sometimes called the Venice of France, hence the carnival. The narrow streets were teeming with tourists, and I had to fight through the crowds to take photos of the beautifully costumed and masked participants in the carnival. I discovered another stunning costume every few minutes and practically elbowed other photographers to get my shots. Unfortunately, I missed the ceremony where they selected the winner of the best costume but I still felt lucky to be there and take these great photos. Do you have some favorites?

I will write more about Annecy in the coming weeks and post additional photos.

https://www.carnivaland.net/annecy-carnival/