I Prefer Paris

Lunch with Lynn/Under 20 Eats: Biglove Caffè

It’s been a long time since I’ve written Lunch with Lynn/Under 20 Eats. It’s just not the same without Lynn but I decided to move on and still honor the monthly tradition with new friends.

My friends Jan and Kathy were visiting from Los Angeles for the month of April. Kathy asked me what trendy restaurants I could recommend and I thought Biglove Caffè, a new branch of the ultra popular Big Mamma restaurant fit the bill.

Located in the northern Marais/NORMA in the former storefront where The Rose Bakery used to be, the space has been totally transformed. The utilitarian décor of concrete floors, fluorescent lights and plastic bins of potatoes and turnips has been replaced with a warm and cozy atmosphere with an humongous copper cappuccino machine, shelves packed with Italian food products, rust colored leather banquets and most Italian of all, hanging cheeses and meats wrapped in string.

It was already packed at 12:15 because of the school holiday and the lively crowd elevated the fun factor. I liked the slightly schizophrenic menu, ranging from pizza and pasta to American brunch favorites such as French toast, pancakes and eggs Benedict. Jan went for the French Toast (pain perdu in French) with Marscapone cream and raspberries. Pure decadence, I took a taste and considered it my dessert. Kathy ordered pasta with artichokes and red peppers served in copper pot. Gluten free pizza with Buffalo mozzarella and arugula with a touch of red sauce so much better than I expected it be. The crust was excellent and if you didn’t tell me it was gluten free, I would have never known.

I hadn’t seen Kathy or Jan in over a year and it was great to catch up with them. I met each of them separately three years ago and when each of them said they were from Los Angeles and were about the same age, I thought I would introduce them to each other. I arranged a coffee and it turns out Kathy and Jan knew a lot of the same people growing up and in fact Jan’s close friend, who I also knew through Jan, went to high school with Kathy. Very small world!

We all loved the blue and white ceramic tea and coffee service painted with delicate flowers. Great fun was had by all.

30 rue Debelleyme, 75003
Metro: Filles Calvaire
Open everyday 8AM-11PM
https://www.bigmammagroup.com/fr/trattorias/biglove-caffe

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

 

Garden Shops on Quai de la Mégisserie

On route to Place Dauphine last Friday I strolled the Quai de la Mégisserie, which stretches from Pont au Change to Pont Neuf along the Seine. Quai de la Mégisserie is the unofficial garden and plant shop district of Paris. Now is the time of the year when Parisians start to plant their window boxes so they will be in full bloom in May and June. The fresh smell of just watered plants and flowers still lingers a few days later. I also love the colorful packaging of the seed packets.

Our first year in Paris we bought window boxes, planting them with various flowers, thinking we would have lovely buds to look at from our window. We failed miserably at maintaining them and a week later they were all dead. We never attempted to plant our boxes again but passing Quai de la Mégisserie, I am inspired to try again.

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

 Eye Prefer Paris Postcards

I am thrilled to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards, a 3, 6 or 12-month subscription service where the subscriber receives three physical postcards of my iconic Paris photos every month. Each month will have a specific theme, from architectural street scenes to romantic outdoor cafes to beautiful gardens to unique shots of iconic monuments. Each mailing will include two postcards in color and one in black & white or sepia, beautifully packaged in a special French Blue postcard holder with a custom designed seal.

Each 6” X 4.25” traditional size postcard is printed on thick matte coated card stock, similar to traditional vintage postcard stock that enhances the vibrancy of every image.

Only $30 for a 3-month subscription plus shipping or

Only $60 for a 6 month subscription (plus shipping)or

$110 for a 12-month subscription (plus shipping)

Click here to order a 12-month subscription from my Etsy store

Click here to order a 6-month subscription from my Etsy store

Click here to order a 3-month subscription from my Etsy store

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

 

Place Dauphine

Spring and all of its bounty prevails in Paris and the good fortune of mostly sunny days has made wanting to be outdoors irresistible. I’ve been making excuses to be outside whenever I can- spontaneously contacting friends to meet for coffee or drinks at cafes on the sunny side of the street, extending tours sometimes and exploring parks and gardens, when I should be on my computer writing.  

Since I’ve grown so accustomed to shooting on my I-Phone, I realized I hadn’t taken out my camera in weeks. Dusting of my camera, I pondered where to go on this perfect April day. I’ve always loved the perfection of Place Dauphine, a stunning square on the western tip of Ile de La Cite, long been overshadowed by the Place des Vosges.

Place Dauphine, which in actuality is triangular shaped, was commissioned by King Henri IV in 1607, on the heels of the Place des Vosges started in 1605. As an ongoing project to create public squares in Paris, Place Dauphine was named after King Henri IV’s son the Dauphin of France and the future Louis XIII. The Pont Neuf connects Place Dauphine from the Left Bank to the Right Bank.

It was lunchtime when I arrived and Parisians were taking full advantage of the weather- picnicking on the benches, playing boule, nabbing the outdoor tables at cafes and restaurants- all in a quest to embrace the season. One group had such an appetizing picnic, I asked where they bought their food. Their recommendation yielded a yummy chili con carne and fresh Cesar salad, which I ate in another favorite spot, Luxembourg Gardens.

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

 

David Burke's Writers in Paris:Baudelaire on the Ile Saint-Louis

I am happy to welcome back David Burke and his Writers in Paris column. Today's story is a juicy one.

In the summer of 1841 the young Charles Baudelaire’s mother and his hated stepfather, General Aupick, sent him on a voyage to India. They hoped that a long absence from France would make the young man forget about becoming a poet. But after three months, he jumped ship in Mauritius and made his way back to France. With his twenty-first birthday approaching, he was eager to get his hands on his inheritance from his late father’s estate.

In March 1842, a month before reaching his majority, he moved to the Île Saint-Louis, to the house at No. 22 quai de Béthune, where a plaque marks his stay. He received his legacy the following month and immediately plunged into a dandified Bohemian style of life, spending freely at the finest tailor shops, and buying paintings and objets d’art. And as befit a young man of means, he also took a mistress.  She was Jeanne Duval, “La Venus Noire,” the illegitimate daughter of a mulatto prostitute from the West Indies, and a bit-part player in a vaudeville house when he met her. He installed her in a nearby flat at No. 6 rue le Regrattier. She was a drinker, a drug user, and an unfaithful woman, without heart or mind by most accounts, who held him in the trap of his sexual attraction to her during their tempestuous twenty-year-long affair. “The strange thing about Woman, her preordained fate,” as Baudelaire would later write, “is that she is simultaneously the sin and the Hell that punishes it.” But Jeanne Duval also inspired some of his finest poems, such as “Parfum exotique”:

“Warm autumn nights when, eyes closed, I breath
The scent of your welcoming breast
I see spreading out before me happy shores
Drunk on the fire of a monotonous sun”

In June 1843 he moved to the magnificent seventeenth-century Hôtel Lauzun at No. 17 quai d’Anjou. Impeccably restored, this gem of a grand siécle mansion is one of the most beautiful in Paris.  But in Baudelaire’s day, writers and artists lived in it. His three-room flat was on the top floor, rear. He continued to play the dandy, supporting his mistress and ripping through his inheritance at a breath-taking pace. Yet, as Théophile Gautier, another writer in residence, observed, “An English coldness seemed to him the height of good taste.” Both were members of the Hashish Eaters Club, which met in the grand salon. Some dipped heavily into the jar of jellied green substance passed around during the meal, but Baudelaire was not one of them, despite his well-merited reputation as an opium user years later.

Young women came to the soirées, most notably the bright, gorgeous artists’ model Apollonie Sabatier. Then in her early twenties, she was at the peak of her physical beauty. Baudelaire’s  poem “L’Invitation au voyage” (‘Luxe, calme, et volupté’) was inspired by her.

But by the summer of 1844 Baudelaire had run through half of his inheritance. To prevent him from squandering the rest, his mother and stepfather obtained a court order placing his legacy under the control of an administrator. A frugal person could have lived comfortably on his monthly allowance, but not Baudelaire. For the rest of his life he would systematically blow his stipend, borrow money, and beg his mother to cover his debts.

In June 1845 he wrote a suicide note and tried, not very convincingly, to kill himself with a knife. His mother responded by moving him into her and General Aupick’s residence on the Place Vendôme.

Baudelaire’s three glorious years on the Île Saint-Louis were at an end.

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

London Skyline from the Tate Modern

During my brief stay in London last month for the premiere of Vincent’s film After Louie, I visited The Tate Modern, one of my favorite museums in London.

The Tate Modern recently added a new wing next to the original galleries and I was anxious to see it. There was a brilliant Robert Rauschenberg retrospective which showed the astonishing depth of his sprawling talent for over five decades. Rauschenberg teamed up with composers and choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Trisha Brown, collaborating on designing sets for their dance productions in the 1950s and 60s.

A feature of the museum that was either new or I didn’t know about was the outdoor observatory on the top floor. It was a blustery day with the sun peeking intermittently out of the undulating clouds and the 360-degree view looked out on all of London and beyond. The front view was of the Thames River, with red crane’s hovering over the skyline keeping up the relentless building boom happening in London now. The industrial brick buildings of the 20th century were a stark juxtaposition to the dynamic glass and steel structures giving London a new dramatic skyline.

http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

Door of the Month April 2017: Instagram

Now that it’s springtime in Paris, I’ve been madly shooting photographs in many arrondissements. Below are my top door photos for April. Do you have a favorite?

If you still don’t follow me on Instagram here is my tag
@parisian_doors

Please read the article and interview of my partner Vincent Gagliostro in Passport Magazine

https://passportmagazine.com/vincent-gagliostro-activist-artist-film-maker/

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Rue de Petits Champs, 75002

Rue Beranger, 75003

Rue Beranger, 75003

Rue de Sevigne, 75004

Saint Sulpice Church, 75006

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

Easter in Paris 2017

The Easter Bunny has been hopping all over Paris delivering eggs to all the best chocolate and pastry shops including Jacques Genin, Angelina, Foucher, Patisserie de Reves, Chapon, Sebastien Gaudard, Puyricard and La Patisserie des Reves. If you walk down the rue du Bac you will find these goodies below except for Sebastien Gaudard, who is located on the rue des Martyrs.

Happy Easter from Paris. 

Please read the article and interview of my partner Vincent Gagliostro in Passport Magazine

https://passportmagazine.com/vincent-gagliostro-activist-artist-film-maker/

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

 

Wagyu Beef Tasting Menu at Chez Josephine

I eat mostly fish and vegetarian these days but every once in a while I crave a juicy steak.

Jean-Francois Clavier, the owner of a company Archibald Gourmet which imports Wagyu beef to France and Jean-Francois Celbert, owner of the upscale Josephine Restaurant and Boulangerie have teamed up to serve a Wagyu tasting menu. I was happy to be invited two weeks ago to experience the menu and satisfy my meat craving.

Wagyu is a breed of Japanese cow that yields a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat, producing a high quality beef with increased marbling. The most well known Wagyu beef is Kobe, which sells for about $400 a pound.

The five-course menu starts off with a platter of two appetizer meats, a thinly sliced dried version of Wagyu beef aged six months with Jamaican pimento and a sliced rum steak with a mélange of pimentos, dried and aged for one month with sprigs of rosemary, both created by Archibald Gourmet. They were served with excellent thick slices country bread with honey and smoked salt, a specialty of Josephine created in collaboration with Benoit Castel and my favorite French butter, Bordier, hand churned from Brittany.

Next up was a decadent platter of Cote de Boeuf (similar for filet mignon), the signature beef of Archibald Gourmet. The meat was served rare but not bloody, so I chose the ends, which were cooked almost medium and better suited my taste buds. In general I find most French beef is tough and hard to chew but the beef that day was succulent, easy to chew and  digest. I usually like some kind of sauce with my beef such as Béarnaise or just strong mustard but the beef was so flavorful it didn’t need it. Side dishes included frites, divine potatoes au gratin and a mix of green vegetables served in copper pots.

Full and happy from the last course, a selection of seasonal cheeses from fame fromager Jean-Yves Bordier was served.

Last but certainly not least was dessert, the largest chocolate éclair I’ve ever seen, surely in the Guinness Book of Records.

I chatted with the two Jean-Francois’s for a bit in between courses. Josephine is a very successful enterprise with over 30 employees. The ground floor is a busy boulangerie and patisserie and upstairs is a popular lunchtime restaurant for local workers and businessmen and women. Archibald Gourmet supplies meats to some of the top chefs in France.

There’s a special table for the Wagyu beef tasting menu, which seats up to six people with drapes around it so it can be sectioned off as a private dining experience.

The minimum reservation is for two people. The cost is 75€ per person, which I think is a bargain for the quality of the food and the amount of courses.

La Table Archibald Chez Josephine
Monday to Friday 12:30-2:30PM, reservations a must and a minimum of two people and maximum six people.
69 Ave. Marceau, 75116
Metro: George V or Alma-Marceau
You can book a reservation on line
https://www.archibaldchezjosephine.com/
or call + 33 6 87 50 04 63

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

OMG!-look at this eclair

Jean-Francois Clavier, left and Jean-Francois Celbert, right

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

 

From Mughals to Maharajas: Jewels from the Al Thani Collection

Want to be dazzled by magnificent jewels from the Far East?

Go see From Mughals to Maharajas: Jewels from the Al Thani Collection at The Grand Palais immediately.

The Al Thani Collection is a private collection of exceptional Indian and Indian-inspired gems and jewelry spanning a period of four hundred years, from the Mughal period to the present.

I learned about From Mughals to Maharajas exhibition last year when I attended a lecture at the L'École des Arts Joailliers. The exhibition was in London at the time and I was so impressed with the history and images that I wished I could have seen it. When I learned it was in Paris, needless to say I skedaddled toute de suite to see it.

The collection is over 250 pieces including jewelry- earrings, rings bracelets, collars, necklaces, tiaras, brooches,- vases and objets, it was almost overwhelming to take it all in. It was smartly curated with a chronological timeline with intimate, dimly lit rooms showcasing either one or a few pieces of jewelry in each vitrine.

The Idol’s Eye, the largest cut blue diamond in the world, weighing 70.2 carats and The Agra, an exquisite rare pink diamond with a mysterious past were standouts.

Towards the end of the exhibit is a collection of 20th century and contemporary jewelry. Louis Cartier journeyed to India in 1911to seek out new clients and succeeded in receiving some of his greatest commissions from Indian royalty. This opened up a fruitful exchange between the East and the West with European jewelers supplying jewels to a burgeoning market and Indian rulers sending their stones to be re-set by European gem houses. Today Parisian jeweler JAR is drawing from historic, designing his jewelry with stones from India.

Make sure to order tickets on line. That said, you may still have to wait. I went on a Friday morning and waited over 25 minutes even with my press pass and left because I ran out of time. I ended up going at 6PM on Monday (the exhibit is open till 8PM every night except Tuesday & 10PM on Wednesday), which was perfect, I breezed right through with no line or wait.

From Mughals to Maharajas: Jewels from the Al Thani Collection
Till June 5
Grand Palais
3, avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008
Metro: Champs-Elysees/ Clemenceau
http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/event/great-mughals-maharajas

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.

 

 

 

 

 

April in Paris

April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
 

Holiday tables under the trees


April in Paris, this is a feeling


No one can ever reprise

 

I never knew the charm of spring


Never met it face to face


I never new my heart could sing


Never missed a warm embrace

 

Till April in Paris


Whom can I run to


What have you done to my heart

Yes, it’s April in Paris and we’ve been blessed with some beautiful weather lately. I’ve been strolling through the Place des Vosges, the Palais Royal, the Jardin des Plantes, the banks of the Seine and petit squares in the Marais gleefully watching spring arrive.  Daffodils and tulips are poking their brilliant colored petals above ground and magnolia and Japanese Kwansan cherry trees are bursting their pink blooms. Delicate lilacs are also making their spring debut.

Parisians already look happier than they did a few weeks ago with smiles on their faces instead of cold weather grimaces and shivers. Outdoor cafes facing the sun are packed to the gills with people soaking up some rays and much needed Vitamin D. Children are playing freely in playgrounds unencumbered by heavy winter layers, climbing on their bicycles, hopping on scooters, scaling the monkey bars, swinging on swings and building sandcastles in sandboxes.

What’s your favorite season in Paris?

Don't forget to order your copy of The Price of Illusion by Joan Juliet Buck

My Paris Apartment for Rent June 21 to June 27

I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from  June 21 to June 27, a total of  7 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C,  washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S.  The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.

The price is $225 a night.Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.

Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour 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, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.

Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 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 

  Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour

Checkout my new photo site www.richardnahemphotography.com if you would like to order prints of my photos.