Paris, Peddling and Peonies

What's not to love? OK, maybe peddling, but think cool sunny day on the Seine not over crowded cycling class at the Y.

I am officially obsessed with peddling in Paris.  If you are a little adventurous, Paris by peddle is the very best way to see the city in Spring.... although it is definitely not for the faint of heart.  With buses zooming by and bike lanes disappearing out of no where, it takes some serious determination to tackle this city's roadways.  Nonetheless, it is totally worth it.

In less than an hour, I rented a Velibe bike and peddled all the way from the 16th to the Bastille in the 11th, clear across the city (for less than 2 euro).  Just in case you aren't impressed, here is a map for reference. (We live in the 16th between Trocadero and Bois de Boulogne and the Bastille is on the opposite side of the map in the 11th). 

Just in case you are impressed, don't be.  There is a great bike lane that hugs the Seine straight across the city.  It is completely flat and in 75 degree whether, it couldn't have be easier.

It is amazing how much you can see on one little bike trip across the city.... Eiffel, Invalide, Place de la Concorde, d'Orsday, le Louvre, Notre Dame, Ile St. Louis and at least 10 some odd bridges. Tres fab!!

Oh, and peonies are a steal in the 11th! Found a great flower shop on the way home.  Loved peddling home with the wind picking up the smell of peonies sitting in my basket. 

Passed this Maje window on the way home. Love!

Although, denim jumpsuit? Really? This is a trend I don't think I'll be subscribing to anytime soon. (Fashion week kicks up again late June.  Can't wait to see what's in store for Summer 2012!)

ANYWAY, the point of the Bastille trip was a Brocante fair that looks fabulous.  (I am all of the sudden obsessed with finding a Limoges tea set.... maybe because I picked up tea drinking after the royal wedding.  {who didn't?} ) However, I totally forgot to print off my invitation gratuite for the fair!  Good news, Merci was just a few blocks away.  (Concept store with everything from designer furniture to chic plastic dinnerware).

The store really does have an old red beetle parked in the front (sans the cow).  I fell in love with a pair of K. Jacques orange and zebra thong sandals.  Counting down the days until the Summer Soldes.   

In the meantime, we are looking forward to the French Open and squeezing as much out of Paris as we can before I head to Atlanta Sunday.

Au revoir, for now!

Nuit des Musées

Musée Rodin at dusk

One evening every May France hosts a free museum night.  With so many to choose from, we finally we decided on the Rodin at dusk followed by a visit to the Archaeological crypt at Notre Dame.

I had a hard time concentrating on the sculptures because the roses were so captivating.



The flowers in Paris have been blooming since April but the roses have only recently made their debut. 

I had been to the Rodin before during the depths of early March, but it felt like an entirely different museum in the middle of rose bloom May.

As you can see, Invalide (Napoleon's tomb), sits magnificently the background.

After the roses, the museum itself also captured my full attention.  Such an exquisite old Parisian villa (once the Hotel Brion). 

I loved everything about the Rodin at twilight.  The entire experience was even more poignant than usual with the light playing off of the sculptures, gardens  and surrounding monuments.

And last, but not least of course, some favorite sculptures.

If you can't make it to Paris, there is another museum in Philadelphia that houses the largest Rodin collection outside of Paris.

After a pleasant stroll through the Rodin, it was off to Notre Dame.  Feeling a little adventuresome, we decided to take a city bike.

Probably not our best decision to try out the bike rental for the first time at night, as you can imagine, the city roadways were not designed with pedalers in mind. 



For 2 Euro you can rent a bike for 24 hours and return it to any of the racks scattered around town (we promptly downloaded the Velib app once home which includes a map with the locations of the bike racks in each arrondisment).  I especially loved the basket and the headlight, which is light and motion sensor activated. 

After a few wrong turns, we had a pleasant detour down Rue Jacob, my favorite street in the 6th.  It has the best shops and cute restaurants. 

photo courtesy of photo eye candy

Finally, we arrived at Notre Dame, which is always a breathtaking sight at night.

Unfortunately, for a reason spelled out clearly in French (still unknown to me) the Archaeological Crypt is no longer participating in Nuit des Musées.

But don't worry, a crepe stand nearby quickly erased any memory of the Crypt closure misfortune.

Adventured out, we said bonne nuit to the city lights and headed home.