Archive for August, 2008
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
Paris for kids in the 6th arrondissement and close to our rental apartment – 39 Vaugirard.
This is just a big playground with a few extra slides and a tie-line, but, warning: there is a 2 Euro entry charge (more if you want to go in and supervise). … Bon Marché toy store (basement level) Montparnasse Cemetery – This nearby cemetery is a fun walk for kids with the final resting places of Charles Baudelaire, Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, Man Ray, Simone de Beauvoir, and Tristan Tzara, among many others. … Jardin des Plantes – Especially, la Grande Gallerie de l’Evolution with it’s stuffed huge animals on display walking almost among us, is fascinating for little kids.
1 Comment » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Travel with Kids by Paul
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
A deux pas du Bon Marché dans le sixiéme arr, le restaurant L´Épi Dupin vous accueille
L’Épi Dupin is my idea of a great restaurant, and a neighborhood restaurant to boot. It has wonderful food, incredibly welcoming and gracious staff. At our dinner, the maître d’ was patient making menu recommendation for our children, as well as speaking fluent Japanese to the mother/daughter sitting in the booth and articulate English to [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Apartment - 39 rue de Vaugirard - short term rental,Apartment neighborhood,Food,Restaurants,Travel with Kids by Jasmine
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
Rent a barge apartment for your Paris stay
Who hasn’t cruised on the Seine and wondered what it would be like to live in a houseboat at the center of Paris. … While there are some 200 livable boats moored in Paris along the Seine, there aren’t a lot of these boats that rent for short term apartments in Paris. … The little boat is located down the Seine near the Gare d’Austerlitz and about a 15 minute walk from Notre Dame additional.
3 Comments » - Posted in Where to stay by Paul
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
Tati comes to quartier St. Germain
Tati” title=”Tati”>Tati Tati is one of Paris’s most iconic stores, and it has arrived in our neighborhood, on Blvd. … On an average day it’s jam-packed with people rifling through the jumbled trays in search of a great buy, which they always succeed in finding, since the key word here is cheap — utterly, unabashedly cheap.
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Culture,Shopping by Jasmine
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
Rue de Montparnasse for crepes!
If you like crepes and the Breton specialty, buckwheat galettes, there is a street right off the Boulevard Montparnasse with at least ten restaurats, kind of like a mini Brittany-town. The crepes and galettes here are authentic, with some original variations. Don’t forget to order a “bolee” (bowl) of cider and a dessert crepe with [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Crepes,Food,Restaurants,Travel with Kids by Paul
Thursday, August 21st, 2008
Don’t drink the water!
It’s been some thirty plus years since there were any water purity issues in Europe (though I’ve heard of recent problems in Barcelona), but that doesn’t mean you should drink every bit of water you see. … In older buildings where you’re not sure of the water supply, it’s wise to drink filtered water or buy your water at the store, especially if you are staying there for an extended period. … All but about 3 percent of public pipelines containing lead have been replaced with nontoxic materials, according to the American Water Works Association, a water-treatment industry scientific and educational group.
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment - 39 rue de Vaugirard - short term rental,Apartment features,Where to stay by Paul
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
New Monoprix open next to our apartment
Now, instead of walking to the end of the block to the store, we have a Monop (a mini Monoprix) three doors away next to the pastry shop,at 33 rue de Vaugirard. It’s a far bigger selection than the Huit a 8 at the end of the block though their selection of fruits and vegetables leaves much to be desired. We are back in our apartment for 10 days and enjoying refinding old loves and finding new ones.
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment - 39 rue de Vaugirard - short term rental by Paul
Friday, August 15th, 2008
Here’s a rumour I’m looking forward to following – the fall of the EURO?
I haven’t been following the EURO too closely, just keeping my head in the sand because it’s out of control and we just know that on our upcoming trip we’ll be almost doubling shop window prices to get the dollar equivalent. … For a long time, every economist and banker we know has said that the EU can’t tolerate an over-valued EURO for too long. Yet, it has continued to rise, topping out at the beginning of August at $1.59, before a precipitous $.08 drop in the last two weeks (as shown in this chart at Yahoo Finance ).
1 Comment » - Posted in Uncategorized by Paul
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
A city’s best-kept secret by Conde Nast Traveler
Means that it’s no longer a best-kept secret. Oh well! This particular secret has already been found as it is right next to our place on Rue Vaugirard. Sadaharu Aoki, the pastry wizard. The French are passionate connoisseurs of patisseries. Really, only in Paris, do people line up around the corner for gateaus. So, it’s [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Apartment neighborhood,Culture,Restaurants,Where to stay by Jasmine
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008
My favorite Paris blogs
If you are following France and Paris, here are a few places I like to watch to get a feeling for the culture and social movements: Ô-Chateau, a Paris wine-tasting company (with champagne cruises on the Seine!) … We’ve always loved following Kristin Espinasses continuing travails as she inserts herself deeper and deeper into provincial French life in her French-word-a-day blog . Using examples from her life with her husband and two kids, she tells funny and often poignant stories of her life in France, including things she loves, hates and is just plain confused by.
