Paris Flashback: Christmas windows of 2012

Even though I prefer living in Lyon to living in Paris (more on that later) no one does Christmas window displays like Paris department stores. Here's a flashback from my life in Paris last year, Christmas in Paris 2012.

Lights at Le Bon Marché

Le Bon Marché, Rive Gauche. I miss bringing home Christmas goodies from the Epicierie! Do you know how hard it is to find Christine Ferber jam in Lyon? 

Printemps, on Boulevard Haussman, was nothing short of spectacular

Dior was the official sponsor

They even had a window display featuring one of my favorite perfumes. La classe.

Not only did these ladies move, they were ice-skating.

The snazziest, jazziest flamingos in all of Paris were celebrating Christmas right here at Printemps

These windows always draw a crowd - I had to push some kids out of the way to get a decent photo.
(jk, jk)

Shoddy photo, I know, but can we talk about how much I want this dress? And a unicorn?

These guys are blurry because they were dancing! This little guy in the front is literally kicking up his heels. 

Over at Galeries Lafayette, they were dancing too...

...but I think they went to a different ball

Speaking of going to the ball, inside Galeries Lafayette was Cinderella's carriage (which, apparently, you are not allowed to ride in)

But most spectacular of all is the iconic Galeries Lafayette Swarovski Christmas tree

And the stained glass ceiling

When is the view of department store cosmetic counters ever so lovely and lit up? 

Galeries Lafayette, beautiful inside and out

Now I live in Lyon, and I miss the Christmas displays of Paris (but not the Christmas crowds.) 

                                  Did the grands magasins of Paris top last year? 

The best pizza in Paris: Golosino

On a cross-Atlantic plane ride at the end of 2012, I sat next to a nice Canadian gentleman who had been living in Paris for eleven years. He told me that the best pizza in Paris was at Golosino in the 5th arrondissement. 

Other people (who have never eaten at Golosino, I might add) argued their favorite pizzeria was the best in Paris, but they were all wrong. Wrong, I tell you!

Here's why I had a major coup de coeur for Golosino:

It's authentic

You walk in, and everyone is speaking Italian. It's so awesome. My Italian sucks, but I love to listen to it. And while I'm absolutely not an expert on what makes something authentically Italian (despite the diluted Italian blood swishing in my veins) I'd say that it's a good sign when all the staff and half the customers in a pizzeria are conversing in Italian, wouldn't you agree? 

It's affordable

No trendy overpriced pizzas here! A pizza will run you about 10€ or less (8€ if you get the margherita), and they're big! One is definitely enough for two people. They also have calzone, stramboli, minipizzas, and more for between 3-4€, and takeout lasagna and pasta for around 6€. 

It's delicious

Yum yum yum. I don't think there's anything mediocre on the menu, but if I still lived in Paris, I would work my way through every single dish, just to be sure. 

Capricciosa pizza = deliciosa pizza

It's un-pretentious

This is a hole-in-the-wall lunch and takeout place, not a fancy restaurant. If you eat in, you grab a stool at the little counter, but many people choose takeout (emporter) instead, and thankfully - customers are many, but space is limited. (Picnic in the Jardin des Plantes?) 

If you can't finish your pizza, there is no shame in taking the rest to go! If you know about my French pet peeves, you know this is huge! In fact, the Italian guy who kindly boxed up my uneaten slices said he didn't understand why this isn't "done" in Paris - apparently it's fine in Italy. On the other hand, my French chéri said it was "la honte" (so embarrassing) to be seen carrying leftovers! 

Practical Information

I've only visited the location right off Rue Mouffetard (4 Square Vermenouze Paris 75005) but apparently there's another near the Jardin de Luxembourg (8 Rue Gay Lussac Paris 75005), both in Paris' 5th arrondissement. 

They are closed between 3pm and 6pm during the week as well as all day Sunday. Check the website for the Saturday hours of your preferred location. 

Oh, their website! It's http://golosino.fr/.  You can browse their menu and call to place a to-go order, if you like. 

Buon appetito! 

Parisian Places: La Promenade Plantée & Jardin de Reuilly

If you've ever been to New York, you may have visited the High Line, an abandoned railway turned into a long, walkway-shaped park where you can stroll, picnic, and admire a view of the city and

art of sorts.

Strolling 

Art of sorts

Well, in Paris, they have La Promenade Plantée, or La Coulée Verte (why does it have two names? I don't know) another abandoned railway-turned-park in the Eastern part of the city that actually predates New York's High Line by a good chunk of time.

When the weather is nice, the Coulée Verte is one of my favorite places to walk and talk with a friend. It's like being in another world - you're lifted up and out of the city, away from traffic, away from buildings and businesses, away from velibers ringing their bells and les vieilles trying to trip you with their enormous rolling market caddies that take up the entire sidewalk - all you can see is picturesque Parisian rooftops and blooming flowers. And sometimes graffiti. 

Picturesque Parisian Rooftops

Bloomin' flowers on the Coulée Verte

If you keep walking, you'll eventually come to Jardin de Reuilly, a big lawn, essentially. You can usually find friends picnicking, families playing, and people soaking up rays (watch out - it's not always the people you want to see who are baring the most skin!)

And here's something mind-blowing. If you take the little walkway to the right that goes just around the pelouse and then down the stairs which lead to a park exit, at the bottom you will find the most amazing public water fountain I have ever seen. 

You press a button, and fresh, cold water shoots out and fills up your bottle. And you have a choice between, get this, regular water and sparkling water. Sparkling water! Am I the only one who thinks this is amazing and totally worth a trek across town?

Because trek we did. I found out about this miraculous modern-day sparkling spring through Instagram after I had already left Paris, and so on my next trip back, I insisted on coming back, down the Coulée Verte, to the Jardin de Reuilly, on a hunt for this magical eau petillante. 

It would have cost less than a euro to just buy a bottle, but what's the fun in that? 

Practical Information

How do I get there? Well, if you're in the middle of Paris, get yourself to Bastille, and then find the opera house and plant yourself right in front. Face the opera, and walk left. Follow the sidewalks left left left, around to the side, and down the subsequent street - keep going, keep going, a block or two away from Place de la Bastille, and then look to your left - the non-descript stairs take you up to the beginning of the Coulée Verte. Voila! 

Metro: Bastille and Ledru Rollin are closest to the west entrance, and Montgallet is closest to Jardin de Reuilly.  Gare de Lyon and Dugommier are not too far, and since the walkway continues all the way to the Peripherie (4.5 kilometers!), Daumesnil and Bel Air are two more metro stops in proximity. 

When can I go? The Promenade Plantée opens at 8:30am and closes anywhere between 5:45pm and 9:30pm depending on the time of year. 

How to get cheap tickets to the opera in Paris

Recently, I went to the Opera Garnier in Paris. Guess how much it cost me?

10 euros.

I've gone to the opera for cheap several times in Paris by queuing for last-minute tickets at the opera house. It's easy to do and easy on your wallet. Here's what you need to know:

Ask around. There isn't information posted online about last minute tickets. You just have to know. Show up at the opera house before a show, and ask around to make sure you get in the right line.

Go early.  Even if  the cheapest tickets don't go on sale until 45 minutes before curtain, that doesn't mean people aren't waiting in line two hours beforehand.

Wear flats.  Seating for the queuers is limited - you might be standing up the whole time.

Bring snacks if you get hungry while waiting in long lines.

Bring something to do while you wait.  A book you can read standing up, an audio device full of freshly downloaded podcasts, the toe socks you're knitting...

Bring cash and exact change. At the Opera Garnier, I noticed they took credit cards, but at the Opera Bastille, exact change in cash was required.

Be patient.
There are several options for last minute tickets with a range of prices, and it can be confusing to know which line to queue in.  At the Opera Bastille,  25 euros bought me a ticket in the fourth row, center, a seat the would normally cost well over 100 euros.

Golden opera ticket

Thisclose to the stage!

At the Opera Garnier, 10 euros bought me a seat wayyyy up high in the stalls, but the view was barely obstructed and the sound was still excellent.

The cheapest of the cheap                                                                                                                   

At the Opera Garnier, students and under twenty-sixers had access to six euro tickets. Rumor has it that at the Opera Bastille, there's an automatic machine that sells 5 euro tickets - you can buy up to two tickets per person, but they are limited and sell out like the Doughnut Vault (Chicago shout-out! Hey Chicagoans - is the Doughnut Vault still cool? Or is it all about Glazed and Infused now? I'm so out of the Loop! Haha - pun intended. I crack myself up.)

You may have to sneak past security to get people-free pictures of the Opera Garnier

Right, the opera. You should go! If you've never been, where better to go than in Paris? Just seeing the inside of the beautiful Opera Garnier and the Chagall ceiling is worth 10 euros. 

If you're tired of Handel's da capos, just look up at the ceiling. Voila! Art!

One last tip - you might want to Google the plot of the opera you're going to see, especially if you don't speak French. (Even if the opera is in your native language, you still might need the supertitles at times, and they are in French.) You can print out the wikipedia article and read it while you queue for your ticket. 

To find out what is showing when and where and for other details such as which operas are under four hours long and which feature eye-candy tenors, visit http://www.operadeparis.fr/

Parisian Places: Maison Européene de la Photographie

There are so many museums in Paris. Before my 26th birthday, I tried to hit as many museums as I could that offered free admission to students 25 and under, and so by the time winter rolled around in Paris, I was a little burned out on museum-ing. I never would have gone to the Maison Européene de la Photographie had it not been personally recommended to me by a photographer and Francophile back in Chicago. 

I like museums that are big enough to be interesting, but small enough that you can see most everything in a few hours and not feel overwhelmed.*  In case you were wondering, the Louvre is not one of my favorite museums in Paris. (Gasp, blasphemy!)

Best of all, I like museums that are free, and La Maison Européene de la Photographie is, on Wednesdays from 5pm to 8pm. (Regular admission is 8 euros, or 4.50 if you qualify for a discount)

When I visited in the spring of 2013, the featured photographers were Martial Cherrier, Joel Meyerowitz, and Diana Michener. 

Michener's featured work was dreamlike, in black and white. If I knew any photography lingo, this would sure be a good place for it. 

Yes, I felt weird taking photos in a photography museum (...with my iPhone.) But it had to be done!

Joel Meyerowitz, my preferred artist of the ones exhibited, had an extensive amount of work on display. 

A Question of Color featured photographs of the same scene side by side, one in color, one in black and white. 

Face to Face featured portraits. Of humans. I liked it for the same reason that I like Humans of New York. 

           

Aftermath depicted scenes in New York directly following September 11th. According to the white plaque on the wall, he was forbidden to take photos at the site because it was a crime scene. Somehow, he did it anyway.

I don't remember exactly what this was from, but the photos sure were beautiful.

              

 

Meyerowitz's Restrospective featured his photos from a road trip through Europe, decades ago. I loved seeing pictures of places I knew in Paris, my home at the time, from years past.

         

Martial Cherrier's work was interesting... his fascination with the human body and drugs was clear. 

Exhibits change often, so this is a museum to return to again and again. It's just steps from the St. Paul metro strop in the heart of the Marais, so grab a falafel afterwards or wander over to Ile Saint-Louis for some ice cream. 

Practical Information

5/7 Rue de Fourcy - 75004 Paris

Metro: Saint Paul or Pont Marie

Open Wednesday - Sunday, 11am - 8pm

http://www.mep-fr.org/

Other things to do (and eat) in The Marais

*Musée d'Orangerie and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris also fit into this category.