I Prefer Paris

Meredith Mullins: The Art of the Cirque d’Hiver

Yes, I’m still a circus addict (no intervention needed here).  And, happily, winter circus season is upon us in Paris. Multi-tasking jugglers, flying trapezers, comedic characters that pratfall when faced with the slightest obstacle, acrobats with abs of steel, and well-trained animals that perform in spaces way too small for their wild hearts--all punctuated by the pure laughter and frenzied clapping of the children (and the children-at-heart) in the audience.

 

It’s mesmerizing. And, although the circus is full of color, I like to bare its soul in black-and-white—leaving just the grace and form of the art itself.

 

Vive le cirque!

 

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris.  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net 

 

 

 

 

Please watch my latest A Bite of Paris video, Honey Tasting at Famille Mary, where I taste a bunch of yummy flavored honey's. 

Click here to watch or link below. 

https://youtu.be/oR2LLlFSjeM

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 

 

 

Meredith Mullins: Out of Paris--In Silent Search of Spirit

 Oui, I prefer Paris. But every summer I head to the central coast of California to “get away from city life.” By mid-July, after hordes of Parisian summer tourists, pollution alerts, and an accumulation of street symphonics and “Pardon, excusez-moi” pushing, I am in need of asylum.

 This year, I even got away from “getting away from it all” and headed to the mountains south of Big Sur for five days of silence at the New Camaldoli Hermitage.

 For someone as “wired” as I am, the idea of no wifi, no phones, and no talking was daunting. I was pretty sure it would kill me. Instead, it gave me new life.

 In the depths of a silent world, my photography changed. I saw things differently, more simply. Just the beauty of nature. As Annie Dillard says, nature is so brilliant, all you have to do is show up. 

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris.  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net 

I am so pleased to have Ann Mah as my guest this week at on A Bite of Paris. We went to Le Mistral, her favorite Paris bistro and had their signature dish, aligot, a rich, creamy mix of whipped potatoes and cheese from the Aveyron region.

Click here   or link below to watch Ann and I enjoy aligote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRHIW7Oitw&t=4s 

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 

Meredith Mullins: Back on the Paris Streets Again

Street photographers are a rare breed. (I consider myself part of the tribe.) We are constantly watching . . . always looking for compelling stories to tell. We are never really “off" the streets. Cameras and iPhones (and heart and mind) are invariably ready to engage and connect no matter where we are. From stealth moments to the best of personal interaction, we humans are fascinating folks. It is one of life’s pleasures to capture these memorable moments in images.

 

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris.  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you love cheese? I go for a cheese tasting at Beau et Fort, a restaurant and cheese shop in the 9th arr. on A Bite of Paris

Click here to watch or link below.

https://youtu.be/4SAKUoiuBoM

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 

 

 

 

 

Meredith Mullins: A Giverny Gift for the Holidays

The holidays may be an odd time to think about Giverny and Monet’s gardens, especially because the gardens are closed to the public until March 23 and the flowers are in repose. But it is a time to celebrate the beauty of nature amidst a gray winter. And perhaps it's time to think about the arrival of spring and a gift for a creative person in your life ... (or yourself!) with a unique opportunity to spend a week in June in Giverny with renowned Monet expert Elizabeth Murray—painting or photographing in the gardens, visiting artist studios and places where the impressionists painted, and enjoying the fellowship of a creative group in a charming 18th-century manor house in the countryside.

Elizabeth worked in Monet’s gardens during its restoration in the 1980s and is the author of the best-selling book Monet’s Passion. She will share her intimate knowledge of the gardens as well as her talent as an instructor of painting and photography during this week of artistic exploration. Dates are June 3–9 or June 10–16. 

In addition, I am creating a four-day Paris adventure, designed as a standalone journey or as a pre-Giverny experience. We’ll enjoy special visits to the Orangerie, Musée d’Orsay, and Marmottan museums; picnic in the Luxembourg Gardens; cruise the Seine enjoying the sparkling night lights; dance (and sing?) at a French guinguette; experience some guided flaneuring on the Ile de la Cité, Ile St Louis, and the Marais (with appearances by none other than Eye Prefer Paris’s Richard Nahem), as well as visit the artist paths in Montmartre.  We’ll also practice creative skills with photography and sketching, and we'll experience the finer things in French life with some traditional French dining, lunch at the Eiffel Tower, and a special wine and cheese tasting. Dates are May 30–June 3 and June 6–10.

For more information about the Giverny Workshop, email Elizabeth Murray at murray@elizabethmurray.com. For the Paris Adventure Tour, email Meredith Mullins at meredithmullins@earthlink.net. You can join us for either Giverny or Paris … or, of course, both. More information is attached in PDF form. We hope to see some Eye Prefer Paris readers (or friends of Eye readers) for this fun adventure.

Happy Holidays to all and here’s to a creative 2018.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Meredith Mullins: Exploring Paris

Sometimes, as a local, you need a little nudge to get you out flaneuring after a lazy summer away from the city. For me, that kick in the pants is my Photo Exploring Class. We wander to far-flung corners of Paris or to closer hidden treasures. We discover new places or see familiar quartiers in a different way. And the real joy of it is to inspire and be inspired by my students.

I tell them a photographer should feel lucky to get one great image each time we go out. This intrepid class gets many more. Beating the odds every time.

 

From Canal Saint-Martin to Montmartre to Parc de la Villette, this fall we sought the energy of the streets and the calm beauty of reflected light and color. And, in the process, I got to make new photographs of my own as we all explored our rich and layered city. How good a life is that?

 

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris.  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. Coming up in November is a class at her studio entitled “Creative Photography: Inspired by the Masters.” For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas & New Years in Paris-My Apartment for Rent December 24 to January 3(dates flexible)

How would you like to spend a magical Christmas and festive New Years in Paris?

I am renting my apartment out from December 24 to January 3,  (dates are flexible) a total of 10 nights for $2500.

Centrally located in the heart of the Marais near the St. Paul metro station, 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.

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

 

 

Meredith Mullins: A San Francisco Kind of Day

Toto, we’re not in Paris anymore. It’s a new world.

I’m visiting California--my old stomping grounds—happily wandering, with no particular agenda. Becoming a flâneuse in America makes me a little more random . . . and decidedly less focused re: photography themes. Last week, I spent the day in San Francisco, a place I’ve been many times before, but not since I moved to France.

It’s so different from Paris that I became a traveler along with all the other visitors. And, with iPhone in hand, I saw it as if for the first time—from iconic bridges to cable cars to museum rest rooms to unvarnished life in the streets.

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net

Christmas & New Years in Paris- My Apartment for Rent December 24 to January 3

How would you like to spend a magical Christmas and festive New Years in Paris?

I am renting my apartment out from December 24 to January 3, a total of 10 nights for $2500.

Centrally located in the heart of the Marais near the St. Paul metro station, 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.

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

 

 

 

Meredith Mullins: Stealth Photography

My photographic philosophy generally excludes stealth photography. I don’t shoot and run.

Although I am a street photographer, I prefer to make a connection with my subjects, even if that connection comes after the “decisive moment” (sometimes you have to grab the moment when you can and build the relationship later).  The connection adds depth to the image and strengthens the story.

With that said, I’ve been riding the metro and RER a bit more of late (lots of visitors; lots of trips to the airport). And, since I’m not addicted to texting, I take time to study my fellow travelers—each in their own world. Hundreds of unfolding stories.

As it turns out, stealth photography is not difficult with an iPhone (if you remember to turn off the sound of the shutter). And, as it turns out, I rather like capturing moments when the world is unaware. We humans are so very interesting.

So, I’m adding stealth photography to my repertoire. I still don’t shoot and run. I just shoot and pretend to text.

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.

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

Meredith Mullins: The Merry Month of Visitors

June seems to bring a slew of visitors to Paris (and to my doorstep). I revert to being a part-time tourist as I wander around town with them. The reward is that I see Paris in a different light. Through new eyes. From Palais Royal to Versailles to the Seine, The scenes are familiar, but the set is always made more interesting when a human element enters the stage. The world is full of characters, connections, and comedy. These stories unfold near us everyday. You just have to be looking.

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.

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

Meredith Mullins: Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain

Hi, my name is Meredith. And yes … I’m a circus addict.

The one Paris event I always attend is the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. Four days of talented young international performers, feeling a camaraderie with their fellow artists and competing for awards and recognition in the wonderful world of circus arts.

I am mesmerized by acrobats flying fearlessly across the stage, jugglers devising new ways to maneuver as well as innovative objects to launch into the air, contortionists bending and folding themselves as if they were origami, and solo and group performers executing improbable feats of strength, balance, trust, and gravity defiance.

I come away with an insatiable desire to fly … and, more importantly, the belief that I can.

It is quite simply … circus heaven.

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and  Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net. For more information about the Festival Mondial, visit Meredith’s Bonjour Paris story.

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

 

 

 

Meredith Mullins: A Day in the Magic Kingdom

Even though the skies were heavy with gray, the metaphoric sun was shining brightly. The Disney colors were laughing out loud, and our favorite goofy and cuddly characters, well-known by the child in our heart, were alive with permanent painted smiles and wide-eyed exuberance.

From the new Ratatouille ride, set in a corner of the village with cobblestone streets and skewed Paris architecture (imagine a perfect replica of Paris not 25 miles from the city), to the elevator drop in the cobwebbed Hollywood Tower Hotel to the fiery Pirates of the Caribbean to the sparkling, swirling dolls of “It’s a Small World,” all signs pointed to becoming a child again. I couldn’t help myself. I danced and sang all the way home.

Meredith Mullins is a fine art photographer, photography instructor, and writer for OIC Moments and Bonjour Paris. Her work can be seen at www.meredithmullins.artspan.com or in her award-winning book, In A Paris Moment. She is available for private photography instruction/exploration in Paris and also teaches WICE photography classes. For more information, contact her at meredithmullins@earthlink.net.

 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

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: 195 euros per person (about $210)
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.