Paris & Ile De France | A French Collection

Paris the City of Light

Paris has the endearing nickname of The City of Light. Some say it's because of the inhabitants' enlightened thinking in terms of culture and learning. Others argue that it's because of the city's early adaption of street lighting.

Paris the City of Light

Ville Lumière or City of Enlightenment

The French translation of City of Light is Ville Lumière, meaning "city of enlightenment". This blog post pays homage to the most beautiful lighting in the world, the Parisian lamp posts. Many lamp posts are a story themselves heralding to a person, historical event or place and wandering the city, there is no shortage of their beauty.

Angelina – The Best Hot Chocolate in Paris

Angelina - The Best Hot Chocolate in Paris

Angelina café serves the world's finest hot chocolate and has been the essential gourmet and refined meeting place for Parisian aristocracy for over 120 years. Angelina is a space of calm that has seen the likes of Proust, Coco Chanel and the greatest French couturiers in the past and today welcomes Parisians, passing tourists and celebrities.

As well as the unforgettable hot chocolate known as "L 'African", Angelina is world famous for its famous dessert Mont-Blanc.

Square Boucicaut, Paris

Square Boucicaut in the 7th Arrondissement, Paris

On our Paris walking tours you'll get to enjoy many of Paris' gardens. Some are large public spaces that attract hundreds of locals and tourists, and others we explore are slightly more hidden and usually only frequented by the residents living nearby. This is the Paris I love to share.

Square Boucicaut is one of the parks we spend time in as it's close to our hotel in the elegant 7th arrondissement. The park was named in honour of Aristide Boucicaut, who was the creator of the first luxury department store in Paris. That's right, Le Bon Marche.

Jardin du Luxembourg – A Paris Garden

Jardin du Luxembourg - A Beautiful Paris Garden

A stroll around Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden) takes you back in history to the golden days when ladies dressed in their Sunday best and shielded their fair faces from the sun with frilly parasols. Being out and seen by others was almost as important as people watching yourself, and really, not that much has changed! Jardin du Luxembourg is still the perfect garden to stroll through or to sit quietly and watch others as they also enjoy the garden.

Let's explore the garden together along with just a few of my photos taken on visits to Jardin du Luxembourg.

Rue Crémieux – The Most Colourful Street in Paris

Rue Crémieux Paris The Most Colourful Street of Paris

Rue Crémieux - The Most Colourful Street in Paris

Rue Crémieux in the 12th arrondissement of Paris is one of the prettiest and most colourful streets in Paris and for everyone who loves coloured buildings, pots of greenery and cobbled streets, you'll love Rue Crémieux.

This delightful Parisian street has become so popular it's the subject of blog posts and loads of Instagram photos and because of its extreme popularity, this previously quiet residential street has gone from unknown to a highly sought after tourist location. Because of this and in respect of the owners living in Rue Crémieux who are often inundated with over zealous photographers, come visit the street with me via my photos take some years earlier (before it was 'discovered') instead of adding to the pedestrian traffic in Rue Crémieux - the locals will thank you!

The Wallace Fountains of Paris – Water for All Parisians

Wallace fountains are the iconic green metal water fountains found through out Paris. You may have seen them in public squares or parks, or on the more busy boulevards as you walk around the city. One of my favourite fountains is outside my frequently visited bookstore Shakespeare & Company (see it over on the left of my photo above). As you can imagine there is an interesting history behind the origin of these fountains.

A Very Brief Background to the Wallace Fountains

The fountains provide fresh drinking water to the public and have done so since their creation. British philanthropist Richard Wallace who lived in Paris thought it a travesty that in the great walking city of Paris, there was no source of fresh free water to quench walker's thirst.

The design of the fountains features four lovely sisters - kindness, simplicity, charity and sobriety and they were sculpted by Charles-Auguste Lebourg. They are still the main source of fresh drinking water for the homeless today.

Carousels in Paris – A Complete Guide to Finding Merry-Go-Rounds in Paris

Paris Carousels - Your complete guide on where to find them

Carousels or merry-go-rounds, have always been a favourite of mine. In reality they are little more than an amusement ride that moves round and round in a circle but I think they are magical and I cannot resist them, especially the beautiful carousels in Paris. Once you start exploring Paris you'll find them dotted over the city and if you're like me, they'll draw you to them with their lights, music and happy children.

Have you noticed that many carousels turn in an anti-clockwise direction? Historically this is because they were designed for children to be able to wave with their right hand (closest to watching parents and minders) while holding on with their left. The French claim the invention saying they are derived from Louis the XIV’s jousting competitions.

Saint Sulpice – Paris’ Second Largest Church

Saint Sulpice Church - The Largest Church in Paris

Saint Sulpice is the second largest church in Paris (only second to Notre Dame Cathedrale) and it's just off the main tourist drag along the Seine. Saint Sulpice is worth a visit for many reasons. Here is a brief history, a description of the main areas within the church and some interesting, quirky facts you may not know. As I stay not far from Saint-Sulpice a few times a year when I'm in Paris, I've come to know and love this huge church.

The Second Largest Church in Paris, Saint-Sulpice

Saint-Sulpice was built to replace the village church which was not large enough for its growing district and the surging Catholic revival at the time. Rector Jean-Jacques Olier (1608-1657), Master of the French School of spirituality and founder of the seminary of the Society of the Priests of Saint-Sulpice was the inspired originator of the new church.

« Previous Page

Paris the City of Light

Paris the City of Light

Ville Lumière or City of Enlightenment

Angelina – The Best Hot Chocolate in Paris

Angelina - The Best Hot Chocolate in Paris

Square Boucicaut, Paris

Square Boucicaut in the 7th Arrondissement, Paris

Jardin du Luxembourg – A Paris Garden

Jardin du Luxembourg - A Beautiful Paris Garden

Rue Crémieux – The Most Colourful Street in Paris

Rue Crémieux - The Most Colourful Street in Paris

The Wallace Fountains of Paris – Water for All Parisians

A Very Brief Background to the Wallace Fountains

Carousels in Paris – A Complete Guide to Finding Merry-Go-Rounds in Paris

Paris Carousels - Your complete guide on where to find them

Saint Sulpice – Paris’ Second Largest Church

The Second Largest Church in Paris, Saint-Sulpice

PRESS & MEDIA

Follow Us

GET OUR NEWSLETTERS

JOIN ME IN FRANCE ON INSTRAGRAM

afrenchcollection