The Griffon and the oldest graffiti in Paris

Hidden on a pillar amongst the many Parisian sunbathers at the Place des Vosges hides the oldest graffiti in Paris. You won't find this in the pages of Rick Steve's guidebooks, and you would be hard pressed to find a tourists with a selfie stick waiting their turn for a pictures and thousands walk right past it everyday and never notice.

Just outside No 11 Place de Vosges halfway up the pillar the faintest of markings can still be found. For it was here on this stone pillar that in 1764 a man from Bourgoun,  Nicolas Restif de la Bretonneleft a little something behind. Restif de la Bretonne (1734-1806) was a printmaker and typographer that moved to Paris and later became a controversial  author who would stroll the city streets for inspiration leaving behind hundreds of markings on the city walls.  He was given the very fitting nickname "the griffon" (the scribbler) but the residents of Paris. Today only one marking remains and it is here in the beautiful Place des Vosges.  .  

1764 NICOLA is etched just as clear today and can still be seen 253 years later in the very same place. Today many corners of Paris are covered with graffiti from the amazing street artists like Invader, Banksy, Blek le Rat and so many more. But they all owe a little something to old Nicola and his midnight Paris strolls.

The best staircaise in all of Paris

The bends and curves of this amazing staircase in the Musée Gustave Moreau in Paris rivals that of all of the art hanging on the walls. The narrow steps twirl around like a little girl on a summer day, or like me in every given second in Paris.  The museum is located in the house his family lived in the 9th Arr. just below the famed Montmartre and shouldn't be missed.

A French symbolist painter, he spent most of his time painting mythical and biblical figures in the early to late 1800's. In fact he did more than 8000 drawings and paintings, where more than 6000 can be seen within the four floors of his former home. Moreau created an  extensive system of label and naming every piece he created in hopes that they would all be on display together. He turned the upper floors of his house into a gallery and studio and in 1901 it was opened as a museum following his death.  

The museum is off the main tourist tracks of Paris and not as well known so you can roam the small halls and rooms on the first two floors before you arrive to the second floor and see the crown jewel, this staircase.

Musée National Gustave Moreau
14 rue de La Rochefoucauld
75009 Paris

Open everyday but Tuesday and only 5 euros

Mur de la Paix, Wall of Peace

At the far end of the lush green grass in the shadows of le Tour Eiffel sits a glass wall that is known as the Mur de la Paix, the Wall of Peace.  Built in 2000, and very new in the grand scheme of Parisian monuments, the glass walls are covered with Peacewritten in 32 languages and 13 alphabets and inspired by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.  Much like the grand iron lady at the other end of the Champ de Mars the Mur de la Paix was to be a temporary instillation, 17 years later it is still there.

The Champ de Mars is named after the Mars, the God of War and Champs means field, so a Wall of Peace sitting at the end of the vast space crowned with the most famous monument in the world is pretty iconic.  But the days of the wall may be numbered, in the spring it was fenced off and in disrepair. So you should plan a trip soon to see it before it is gone. The perspective looking back at le Tour Eiffel is breathtaking.

Le Baiser

On this day, 12 June, 1950 Life magazine published what would become one of the  iconic photos of Paris. Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville, (The Kiss by the Hotel de ville) by Robert Doisneau. Taken in front of the Hôtel de Ville in the 4th arrondissement of Paris just over the Pont d'Arcole which will also take you right in front of the Notre Dame de Paris. 

I love this photo, but more for what is around the couple then the couple themselves. The essence of Paris comes so clearly across in this piece.   The people walking by without even a glance toward the couple in a close embrace is what is so very Parisian. It is not uncommon to see this exact scene on one of the many picturesque bridges, in front of the Eiffel Tower or on a sidewalk terrace, it's as common to see as a Frenchman walking down the street with a baguette.

It's the romance of Paris that oozes out of everything that is so easy to be whisked away into, and there is nothing wrong with that at all.  But back to this photo and where I will squash your romantic dreams of what looks like such a candid moment. By 1950 Robert Doiseneu had been documenting the streets of Paris for a few years after working for Vogue as a fashion photographer. He found his inspiration in the everyday life of Parisians and it was on one of these days he saw a couple kissing.  For more than 40 years it was a great mystery who the young couple were, but in 1992 they were revealed.  Jacques Carteaud and Françoise Bornet were dating and walking through Paris kissing away when Doisneau caught a glimpse of them. In 2005 Françoise said that, "He told us we were charming, and asked if we could kiss again for the camera. We didn't mind. We were used to kissing. We were doing it all the time then, it was delicious. Monsieur Doisneau was adorable, very low key, very relaxed."

So he took them to a few famous spots in Paris to recreate their kiss, but it was in front of the Hôtel de Ville that they struck gold and the iconic photo was created.   When you are in Paris, go to this same spot and at the café across the square stand across from the "C" and kiss away and you can make your own version. I can promise you it's not hard to be swept away in the romance of Paris and you too can find out exactly why they call them French Kisses. 

Joyeux anniversaire Tour Eiffel

On 15 March, 1889 the last rivet was installed on what has become the grandest lady in all of Paris. Built for the 1889 World's Fair honoring the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille the iron lady was only meant to stay up for twenty years.  As the crowning entrance to the exhibition, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world and was a site to behold, just as it is today.. Standing in the center and looking up much like in this picture that I took the first time I stood below the amazing delicate and strong structure it would be almost impossible to imagine the thoughts one would have had 128 years ago.   It took less than two years to complete the structure with most of the pieces being made and assembled at an offsite factory and brought into Paris by horse drawn carts. An amazing 2.7 trillion rivets hold this work of art together that Gustave Eiffel championed to create against all of the criticism from Parisians at the time.  

Today she is the crowning icon of Paris and the most visited paid monument in the world. Of my giant list of things to see in Paris on my first trip she was at the very top of it. From the first time to the tenth time that I have stood there looking at her, if it's in the bright fall sun, the dark of night as she sparkles or standing underneath looking up with a Frenchie, it takes my breath away EVERY SINGLE TIME. I don't think that will ever change. 

Joyeux anniversaire grand dame, may you forever inspire so many near and far and I shall see you soon.  XO

Serge, Bardot and a Birkin Bag

The amazing French singer & actor Serge Gainsbourg passed away on March 2, 1991 at 62 years old, one month before his birthday. Born and raised in Paris most of his life, but spent the period of the German occupation of Paris with his family in the town of Limoges. The Ginsburg family were considered  yellow star Jews, they obtained fake papers and were able to safely get out of Paris into the Zone libre, the free zone. The war years effected him greatly and he had a hard time ever getting past what he would learn during that time.

His musical career and his love life, both of which intertwine at times have been talked about as much as his music. Serge dated the French bombshell Brigett Bardot for one very hot and steamy year, I am just guessing that but come on, Bardot! They recorded a few songs together including Bonnie and Clyde and Bardot was his first partner on the controversial song. Je t'aime...moi non plus.  The broke up before it could be released, so he enlisted his new partner Jane Birkin. The song made waves with its naughty lyrics and the sounds of what resembles a female orgasm throughout the song and in 1969 it was blocked in many countries from even being played, France even edited for the airwaves. Even the Pope weighed in calling the song "offensive", but the song was a top 10 hit across the world.

Largely remembered for his song, Le Poinçonneur des Lilas, which was about a Metro ticket taker, to this day people leave their Metro tickets on his grave. Buried in the Montparnasse cemetery in a pretty humble grave lays Serge along with his parents. There is no statue or monument, just a sheet of marble with his name on it in gold. Potted plants. notes and hundreds of metro tickets cover his gravesite.

On a small side street in the 7th arrondissement just a few blocks from the Seine is, 5 bis Rue de Verneuil. the final address and home he lived in from the mid 60's on. His daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, had plans to turn his house into a museum but has left it the same exact way it was the last day he was alive. The wall outside has become an ever changing shrine to him from his fans. From time to time they paint over it to appease the neighbors, only to have his faithful back with stencils and spray paint. 

On my first trip to Paris this was a must see stop, of course I love Serge and his music and made sure on this day I was listening to him as I walked my way through the 7eme until I came upon the colorful wall. Covered with love notes to him, stenciled images of him or just some random tagging it is pretty amazing in all it's chaos. I can't wait to see what it looks like in 41 days.

Another fun fact about Serge is that his partner Jane Birkin was THAT Birkin. She used a large opened straw bag as her purse and on a flight from Paris to London she happen to be sitting next to the Hermès head honcho. Her bag spilled out and she expressed how hard it had been for her to find the perfect leather bag. He then created a bag for her, today it is known as a Birkin Bag. A handbag that can take years to obtain from the multi year waitlist. and most cost more than a car, a few cars at that and is quite possibly the most infamous item in fashion there is.  

The cutest great grandmother....ever

This cute little thing is my Great-Grandmother Adeline McCormick Pearson, born on leap day 1896..... She lived to the ripe old age of 103 or as she liked to tell us 24..... She only had 24 real birthdays and once I was 24 she would tell me how we were the same age, but I think my grandma may still be going with 29 and I foresee I will play this same game someday. She was the cutest thing ever, just look at those pearls. I wish I knew where my grandpa took this picture, it looks like it could be a street in Paris. She would tell me all the time how she had been engaged a whopping 8 times. She was married only once, to my great grandpa Nick who traveled the world as an engineer and his favorite place to visit was, you guessed it Paris! I thought her 8 engagements were so exciting and scandalous but she never liked to talk about it. But I did later get it out of her, she was a nurse for the army and would meet many solders and before they went off to war, they would ask her to marry them, she would say "well how could I say no."  I still like the idea that she was quite the catch to all these men way back when, I mean look at her!

Her name was Adeline but we called her Mickey, recently I asked my grandmother why we called her Mickey, her maiden name was McCormick  so Mickey evolved from there and it was pretty adorable and fitting for her. Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and Mickey for which I thank my lucky stars every single day.  I recall times at the beach with Mickey and she would tell me when she was a little girl she didn't have paper dolls like we did at that time and they had to cut them out of the newspaper and she would have to make clothes out of paper. Thinking this was the strangest idea as a 7 year old,  she and I sat there cutting out ladies from magazines and making them clothes.  

Mickey was an excellent cook and would make the best clam chowder and it had to be so hot you would burn your mouth on it, and always top it with a pat of butter. But her mac and cheese was the stuff of dreams, but as a 8 year old visiting her great grandmother you want the mac and cheese out of the blue box and the package of powder cheese.  What I would give for her macaroni and cheese today. The closest thing I have ever found is the Martha's Mac & Cheese. 

She lived in an apartment until she was 100 years old, and on one occasion she made dinner and my grandparents and I went, because you never missed a chance to have her cooking. As we ate the mac and cheese we wondered what the new addition of the little dark spots were. My grandpa looked at me and said, they are bugs from the flour, don't say anything just eat it, they won't kill you. It is one of my most vivid memories as a kid and one of the last times I think we had her amazing mac and cheese. I would go back to that moment to have her and my grandpa here today, bugs in the mac and cheese and all! 

Happy birthday Mickey! We miss you every single day

Arc de Triomphe & Victor Hugo

Today holds two milestones in the realms of Parisian history, both of which are held in such high regards they are both thought of as national treasures and they both have a portion of their history that crosses paths The Arc de Triomphe and Victor Hugo.

211 years ago today, February 26, 1806Emperor Napoleon decreed that the Arc de Triomphe would be built in Paris after his victory in Austerlitz, he wanted a grand arch dedicated to his military achievements, because he was of course, Napoleon. It took over two years for the first stone to be laid and construction to be started. In 1810 after the marriage of his second wife. Marie-Louise of Austria he had a wooden replica built from the original plans and as he and his new bride entered onto the Champs Elysees they passed under Arc to much fan fair. Sadly he never saw it once it was completed in 1836, for he had been exiled by that point out of France.  But in fitting fashion when his King of France Louis-Philippe I was in power he decreed that Napoleon return to France for a proper burial. And on 15 December 1840 Napoleon made his way again into Paris and this time under the completed Arc de Triomphe, down the Champs Elysees and to his final resting place at Les Invalides.

• Also on this day the great French poet, author and statesmen Victor Hugo was born.  In 1802 in Besancon France, Victor Marie Hugo was born in Eastern France. Outside of France he is mostly recognized as the author of Les Misérables and the Hunchback of Notre-Dame but in Paris and France his an icon that is still as relevant today as he was when he was alive. His novel Hunchback of Notre-Dame saved the church from demolition and for that we should be eternally grateful and Les Misérables has been on the stage and screen many times over the years. But it was his voice regarding political and social issues that also add to his legacy. A supporter of the royalist party when he was younger he moved away and against all they stood for and began a fight for those who didn't have a voice. In 1849 he made a series of speeches asking for the end of poverty and to supply free education to all and to end the death penalty. Upon the election of Napoleon III as Emperor of France in 1851 he declared him a traitor of France and moved to Brussels and was later exiled from Jersey until 1870 when he finally returned to his beloved country.

On 22 May 1885 Victor Hugo died of pneumonia at the age of 83 into what became a national day of mourning, not only for his amazing works of literature but also for everything he did to define the Third republic and life in France. He was paraded through Paris and rested overnight under the grand arch of the Arc de Triomphe for all to pay their respects. More than a few million people followed the procession from the Arc de Triomphe to his final resting place at the Pantheon where only those held in the highest regards in France are laid to rest.

The Arc de Triomphe has been the focal point of many historic moments in Paris. From Napoleon, to Victor Hugo, to the famous walk of Charles de Gaulle, Hitler driving around and admiring it and you can't forget the final stop of the Tour de France. A parade every year on Bastille Day as well as Armistice day which I was lucky enough to see last year and the beautiful giant tri-color flag hanging in the center of the historic arch.

Auguste Renoir, one of the Impressionist greats

On this day in 1841 Pierre-Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges, France, (yeah, the same place the amazing enamel and porcelain comes from.) Moving to Paris as a child he later found singing and not painting to be his calling and took up with a teacher until his family could no longer afford it so he decided to become an apprentice to a porcelain master.  His family lived close to the Musée du Louvre, where he would spend most of his time and he discovered he had a higher calling. In 1862 he began to study art and met Sisley, Bazille and one Claude Monet. The famed Paris Salon began to fight back against the Impressionist of the time and in response the banded together to create their own show, the Impressionist Exhibition of 1874.

In 1876 he painted the Bal du Moulin de la Galette one of his most famous works that can be see at the Musée d'Orsay. The Dance at the Cake Mill, was painted at his studio in Montmartre that he created from an abandoned building on the Rue Cortot. At the time most of the artists living and working in Paris moved to the Montmartre area as it was less expensive. Together they would live, work and create some of the Impressionists masterpieces of the time. 

Seeing this piece in person is amazing, the movement and the realness of the dancers and the people sitting back talking and taking in the Paris life is a perfect example of what it is like in Paris even today.  

The guardians of the French language

On the left bank overlooking the River Seine is a beautiful domed building that sits at the end of the Pont des Arts, my favorite bridge in Paris.  The building never has long lines of backpacked tourists waiting to get in, and if you watch for a bit you won't even see many people coming and going and sits rather lonely with a view of the Louvre, Pont des Arts and the end of the Ile de la Cite.   It may look familiar to fans of Sex and the City, for it was on this bridge with this majestic building with a tint of gold on it that was in the background as Mr. Big and Carrie had their final moment in the city of love.

This building is the home of the Académie Française,  the keeper of the French language that was founded 382 years ago today by Cardinal Richelieu "to labor with all the care and diligence possible, to give exact rules to our language, to render it capable of treating the arts and sciences".  To this day the forty members hold close the French language and admonish the usage of Englishin official documents, advertisements and daily use.

One of the many things that makes Paris and France so amazing is how they hold their culture so tightly. They cherish their buildings, history, art and language in a way that America never has. America is too busy or to care to type out entire words in a text, they shorten words when speaking and even the leader of the country can barely speak English. 

 Bon Anniversaire Académie Française

The most romantic spot in all of Paris

The most romantic spot in Paris is not the top of the Eiffel Tower or on a Bateaux-Mouches on the river Seine at twilight when all of Paris is lit up or a tiny café over many glasses of perfect French wine with the perfect Paris sky above you, it is in fact in  front of the Fontaine Saint-Michel, on the edge of the Quartier Latin overlooking Notre Dame de Paris.  But first things first....

I became fascinated by this very statue over 10 years ago, when writing my yearly Tour de French Cuisine project as the riders would go right past it before hitting the Champs Elysees and just the short glance of it had me hooked. The grand statue sits high above the confluence of  Pont-St-Michel and Boulevard St-Michel just down from Notre Dame de Paris. It depicts the patron saint of France the archangel Michel slaying the devil along side the statues of Prudence, Power, Justice and Temperance. St Michel can be seen many places in France from the walls of the Musée du Louvre to the gold gilded statue high atop Mont-St-Michel in Normandy.

 Although Sacre Ceour and standing together to watch the Eiffel Tower light up or the street corner in l'Odeon at three in the morning under the perfectly clear Paris sky with nobody around and just the two of us as we tried to say goodbye, well that one is pretty amazing as well. 

The sacred heart of Paris

On my first trip to Paris the one place I never made it to was Montmartre and to Sacre Ceour, I thought I should save something to explore the next time I had my feet on those amazing Paris cobblestones.  As I departed Paris and tried to hold back all the tears, little did I know that day that I would be back in just four short weeks and that trip to Sacre Ceour would happen in a way I could have only dreamt about a few short months before.

While talking to a friend one day, he said they had spent the day at Montmartre and it was his favorite area of Paris, and that when I come back he would take me there and show me. So on a clear and cool Sunday night in November we drove through Paris, passing the lit up Notre Dame de Paris, Place de la République and the Moulin Rouge and then all of the sudden you see the white stones of the Basilica Sacre Ceour. It was late, the streets were empty and it was like we had it all to ourselves. No tourists snapping selfies or looking for the sites they have seen in Amelie, it was a quiet church that just happens to be one of the most recognized in the world. Inside the Basilica they were in the midst of mass so we quietly walked through admiring the interior, well that is until I almost ran into a wall and we both couldn't stop laughing that is.

Outside and in front of the Basilica is a long set of steps, but instead of looking down, look straight out. In front of you is all of Paris. She was lit up as far as you can see, the golden dome of Les Invalides, Notre Dame de Paris and the sparkling of La Tour Eiffel stand out like jewels that dot the horizon. All around us young couples were kissing on the steps, teenagers dancing and listening to music and all I could do was  truly appreciate the beauty that was in front of me and overlooking all of Paris, I would have thought I was in the middle of a dream.  

When my grandparents went to Paris, my grandfather fell in love with the village that seems so far from Paris and bought some paintings from the many artists that make Montmartre their home. I now look at that painting of Sacre Ceour every single day and I remember that truly perfect night that only had  just started at this beautiful church that translates in English to Sacred Heart. I am glad I saved my first trip to Sacre Ceour for that night, and further proof that everything happens for a reason.

The moment that changes your life

I can track down to the minute that everything I knew in life changed in one blissful moment, and why this spot in the Jardin des Tuileries is one of the most romantic in Paris. Not only can you see some of her most amazing monuments in one perfect glance but if you are lucky, the sun will be setting on a perfect September night. September 7, 2016 at 20:30pm, standing in this very spot, happy laughter and French chatter all around me while friends drank wine in front of the fountain of the Tuileries, the sun had set and cast the most amazing pink glow across the sky. It was the first cloudless sunset I saw in Paris and the first that would fall behind le Tour Eiffel. In this very moment every single thing in life clicked into place like a puzzle and I fell madly in love with Paris and I found a feeling of home you can't explain to somebody until they have had the same experience. 

La Tour Eiffel

You might think that the  iconic Iron Lace Lady that stands tall over Paris that I have loved since the first time I saw her in a picture my grandpa showed me would be my favorite romantic spot in Paris. Oh it's up there as one of the top spots for so many reasons and even more that I discovered the many times I was standing in front of her and looking up.  But La Tour Eiffel has not always been loved by the city of Paris, but now you can't imagine the skyline without her and most Parisians are pretty proud to call her their own.  

Her beauty can be seen from all points of Paris, but she will disappear behind buildings and around corners to only pop right back up as a reminder that she is always close. Driving through Paris one night, not knowing the street I was on to just turn a corner and there she is, sparkling like a diamond as if to appear out of nowhere. On the hour from dusk until 1am for 5 amazing minutes, and best viewed from across the river Seine at the Jardins du Trocadéro so you can see her in all glory. 

She was built for the 1889 World's Fair and the centennial of the French Revolution. When Gustave Eiffel built what would become the greatest of Paris icons it was only to stand for 20 years. It was then used as a radio tour that helped save Paris in WWI, and then the French fell in love with her too. Couldn't imagine Paris without her and her delicate lace arches that is the epitome of style, grace and strength.  She will always be my first love when it comes to Paris and will never forget racing through the city to see her sparkle on a crisp Paris night. 

Love in the walls of the Louvre

When you walk inside the walls of the Musée du Louvre you can't miss how they are filled with paintings and statues dedicated to love. Just the pieces depicting Venus could fill a small museum on their own. Antonio Canova's Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l'Amour, 1777, is one of those breathtaking pieces that says so much. It tells the story of a young girl, Psyche being asked by Cupid's mother Venus to bring back a flask from the underworld. Curiosity got the best of Psyche... and she opened the flask and breathed in the fumes and fell into a deep sleep. Cupid found her and rushed to her side, took her into his arms and revived her with a kiss. Based on Apuleius story Metamorphoses, the story ends with Cupid and Psyche were married and she was made the goddess of the Soul. Pretty sure Cupid had to be a Frenchman with such amazing magical powers

The most romantic spots in Paris

Valentines Day is less than a week away and there is no place more romantic than the city of Paris. From just walking down the cobblestone streets, to a sidewalk café or just sitting in a museum and staring at an amazing piece of art, there isn't a corner of Paris that you don't fall in love with.  The City of Love, as it is called and can be validated by the many honeymooners and lovers that can be seen strolling down the street. But the French being the "language of love" in more ways the one I think has a lot more to do with it, they are very good at many languages of love.

I could post every day for a year and never run out of things that I love about Paris, but I will narrow it down to just a week of the most romantic spots in Paris and I did some intense research on this to make sure I shared only the best places.

Every morning in Paris  my feet need towalk across the beautiful Pont des Arts. A pedestrian bridge over the Seine connecting the Académie Française on the rive gauche to the Musee du Louvre on the rive droite. On one side as you look to the horizon you will see the Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, Grand Palais, and of course le Tour Eiffel. As you stand there and you can hear La Vie en Rose from the accordion player, the river slowly moving below your feet and just as it gets dark on the strike of every hour you look as far as you can see and the beautiful iron lady begins to shine and sparkle through the night sky,