Friday Foto - Eiffel Tower in Black and White

I never get tired of seeing the Eiffel Tower. This photo was taken on a rainy day from the La Cité de l'architecture & du patrimoine.

1 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre 75016 Paris
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Wednesday Wanderings: Ice-Skating at the Hôtel de Ville

Last week Susan and I were looking for something to do during the day and we decided to go ice-skating. We found out that every winter the city installs an ice rink outside the the Hôtel de Ville so we put on our thick socks and headed there. And it is cheap. It only costs 5€ to rent skates and it is free if you have your own.

Sipping on Saturdays — Christmas Beer

It is almost Christmas and that means you can find Christmas beers gracing the shelves of grocery stores in Paris.

The tradition of France's Christmas beer started in the 11th century and comes from the North (thanks to the strong beer traditions of Belgium). It is said that the brewers used to serve their favorite clients beer made from the ingredients harvested in October. This late harvest allowed the malt to mature at a much slower pace—which made a very delicious brew.

Terrine de Canard - Duck Terrine

Terrine is such a quintessential part of French cuisine and is a great addition to any "apero" or dinner party. Most of the time I just buy a terrine at the market (never at the grocery store), at the local charcuterie but this holiday season I decided to make one to have over Christmas.

We always serve a bit of terrine at our cheese & wine classes that we offer to our guests. Terrine defers from paté in that it is not smooth (most of the time). This is the third time I have done this terrine though previously I made it with less whole pieces but I am dying to have my French friends try it and give me their opinion.

Christmas Shoes - French Christmas Tradition

One of the first Christmas' I spent in France was with a lovely French family in a little village called Mézières-en-Brenne in Indre below the Loire Valley, was one of the best Christmas I had ever spent. I enjoyed the festivities and the really really long dinner that started some time in the afternoon and didn't seem to end till everyone was ready to pass out from exhaustion (or maybe that was just me).

On Christmas eve my hosts asked me to leave out a pair of my shoes so that "petit Jésus" (little Jesus - they were Catholic), would fill them with gifts for us to open the following morning. I was amused by this very interesting tradition and eagerly awaited the next morning to see what I would get. Though already of adult age, I was giddy as a child.

Les Marchés de Noel à Metz

France has quite a few Christmas markets throughout the country—with the Strasbourg Christmas Market being the largest. Unfortunately, train tickets from Paris to Strausbourg are quite expensive and hotel rates shoot up during the holidays (which is why you should book thing in advance—don't forget to check out Yetunde's post of Strasbourg's Christmas Market. Luckily the second largest Christmas market is in Metz— which is less than 90 minutes away from Paris. So my wife and I booked our train tickets and headed off to the cute city of Metz.

Holiday greetings from Feels Like Home in Paris

Happy Holidays

from 

Feels Like Home in Paris!

Last minute Holiday Rental Specials! We still have availability in some of our apartments over Christmas/New Year's. Check out our discounts below. Tell us you saw it on our blog.

Sipping on Saturday: All that Jazz at Jazz Club Etoile

 

Paris loves Jazz! So it is no wonder that you can find several venues throughout the city that offer live Jazz concerts from clubs to small bistros.

Friday Foto: Winter in the Jardin de Tuileries

Paris is beautiful year-round and a photo opportunity awaits you at every corner.

The new face of the Murano - Nouvelle French cuisine

 

I didn't know the Murano before my dinner there a few weeks back but when I mentioned it to some people they didn't seem to have rave things to say about it. But as the new sous chef is a friend of a friend we promised to try it out and give an honest opinion. I can safely say that I was impressed!

Sipping Saturday — Harry's New York Bar

You can get good wine just about anywhere in Paris but it is a little harder to find a good cocktail. Luckily mixed drinks are starting to become more popular in the cit and there is one famous bar in Paris that has been serving libations for over 100 years—Harry's New York Bar.

Paris Through the Lens of by Pamela Jane Photography

Paris Through the Lens of Pamela Jane

 

All photographs are courtesy of Pamela Jane Photography.

Paris is the birthplace of photography and it continues to be one of the most photographed cities in the world. Today we interview photographer Pamela Jane and we take a look at some of her Paris Photography.

We're also running a contest and you can win a print or notecard set of your choice from Pamela Jane Photography.  Head to our facebook page and simply comment or 'like' our post about Pamela Jane Photography. 

Pizza by the slice at di Loretta Pizza

Eric texted me to say that he had heard about a new pizza place we needed to try in the 9th. I thought, "Okay, great another pizza place." Well it was probably going to be OK - I mean how bad could someone screw up pizza?

"It's in rue Rodier," He said. "Do you know where that is?" Ah yes, the 9th district! It seems that so many new things are popping up between the lower 18th ad upper 9th districts. I had already talked about Braisenville. I went willingly but without any expectations at all. Boy did that all change.

Street Art in Paris’ 5th and 13th arrondissements

In today's guest-post we follow Monique of Discover Paris! as she shows us some examples of street art from the 5th and 13th arrondissement. Our regular readers might recall that we posted about street art a few months ago but the great thing about this art-form is that it is always changing. Check out our previous street art post. 

Street Art in Paris’ 5th and 13th arrondissements 

Street art is ubiquitous in Paris. From “traditional” graffiti to stencil art to “art appliqués,” almost every neighborhood has its “collections.”

Thanks to the organization Lezarts de la Bièvre, the 5th and 13th arrondissements have perhaps the most unusual concentration of this art form. The association promotes contemporary artists whose studios are located in the vicinity of the Bièvre River, the underground waterway that once flowed openly through Paris and emptied into the Seine. Every year since 2001, it has sponsored a treasure hunt – an artist is selected to “decorate” buildings and walls along the river’s trajectory with works of art, and the general public is encouraged to search for the images. Samples of their work punctuate the landscape and provide remarkable viewing!

 
Art by Speedy Graphito

Blame it on Napoleon

rue Castiglioni

Napoleon is and always will be an emblematic figure in French history, architecture and culture. If you've ever been to Paris who have no doubt seen his influence on this city. His vision for Paris can be seen at Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, rue de Rivoli & Pont des Arts. His arms though perhaps not long, certainly reached far across Europe and into North Africa with many successes and a number of memorable failures. He is a fascinating personage who has been caricatured, idolized and detested - the man even has a complex named after him (though this is an informal reference). But who was this man?

Sipping on Saturday - Vin Chaud

Any decent Christmas market in France is bound to have at least one stand serving hot wine (vin chaud). In my recent trip to Strasbourg, I sampled a number of them varying from both red and white wine recipes as well as ones flavored with raspberry and even tried the jus du pomme chaud (hot apple juice).

What a way to warm yourself up as you make your way through the market and simply amazing how many of those I had. I'm assuming that the majority of the alcohol is burned off in the heating process though I assure you that I was not driving anything but my two feet.

Friday Foto: Under the Starlights of rue Caulaincourt

 

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Paris. They recently put up lights over rue Caulaincourt. It might not be as fancy at the Champs Elysees but is helps put people in the holiday mood. You can see the view for yourself by renting our Serene Caulaincourt apartment or Caulaincourt Classique apartments over the holiday season. Don't forget to check out our deals for extra savings.

An Alsacian Pizza: La Tarte Flambée

Keeping with our little voyage in Alsace, today's Thursday Food for Thought comes with a recipe (or two). At almost every food stall at the Christmas Market in Strasbourg, you will find this wonderful snack, a tarte flambée also called a flammeküeche. At the market they were mainly in form of a baguette covered with crême fraiche, lardon or mushroom, onions and cheese, probably making it easier to eat as you walk through the streets, but here is the traditional recipe from Marie-José Strich's Recette d'Alsace which I've written out for you in a slightly clearer version.