Paris is ...

... where I live now, although I am sure most of you have forgotten!

I begin this post with 1000 apologies to all those friends and fan(s) who have been virtually slapping my hand for not keeping the pictures and stories updated.

The truth is that I've hardly had a moment to sit down and think about writing since I set myself up in my new apartment - there is always something interesting going on in this town - or close by - so, before I start location-dropping again, let's have another look at my Parisian life shall we?

Firstly, welcome to Chez Ali ...


My pad

I'm living at the border of two of the most interesting quartiers de Paris, Belleville et les Buttes Chaumont, located in the north east of the city, close to Republique, and where the 19eme, 20eme, 10eme and 11eme arrondissements meet, and where the travel writers are now urging people to go to discover the Paris of the 'real Parisians'.


... another café?

Some days it can be hard to decide which terrasse to stop and sit at and admire the passing parade. And just like Melbourne, the weather can be a little erratic here in Paris, so if the sun is shining, the best place to be is dans les rues!


Thé à la menthe ensemble

Keir, Antoinette, Sachin and Louis all came to visit here in June, and I showed them some of the delights of my neighbourhood - including Aux Folies, which is Karin and Ned's local, and now also super local to me too!


Le Baratin

I've spent the last few months doing a fair bit of research for my long-awaited food tourism business, and I can't get over the good fortune I have to be located less than 500m from Le Baratin (which means 'smooth talk' in French) and is quite simply one of the best local bistrots in Paris - the food is always magnificent, the wine list impressively good, the dining room warm and welcoming and the staff are always up for a joke or two (well, perhaps not so much the serious older man who closely guards the reservation list).


Meeting and greeting

The Mitchells dropped by as well, and were delighted - even though they are not as food-obsessed as some of my other recent visitors - to enjoy a lunch at my favourite little place in the Marais. Our waiter was very complimentary of Penny's enthusiastic and ever improving French.


Entrecote et endives

I keep going back there because I know that dish of the day will always be good, and if I'm lucky, the chef will be braising his endives to perfection!


Inside the café

And of course there's always another discovery just around the corner - look at these contented patrons.

I got involved in some cultural activities too ...


At the races

I am ashamed to say that until June this year, I had never been to the racetrack before (indeed people, a Melbourne girl who has yet to attend a cup day race - shocking! I told you there were valid reasons for my leaving Australia). So it was a delight to go out for a day at the races at Auteuil - a racecourse on the eastern edge of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne. We ate lunch at Restaurant Panoramique, in the semi-crumbling stadium built in 1920s with a fabulous view over Paris and the Eiffel Tower - I suppose that is the right way to start if one is to go to the races?


Endless moving circle

You never know just what you'll encounter on the streets of Paris. Jordan and I discovered this endlessly moving red circle, turning clockwise in front of the resting place of the 'great men' (and Marie Curie) of France - the Pantheon. If you need to walk in an endless circle, there are worse vistas you could look at I suppose.


Les policiers

And you don't want to let your manifestation get out of hand or else you'll have to deal with these guys. I can't imagine the Victoria Police managing with the same form of locomotion. Although these two are not actively engaged in chasing down a traffic offender or a voleur, they can zip around pretty fast!


Commodes en peaux de raie

I also fell in love with some furniture at Les Ateliers de Paris, an exhibition space in the 12eme that houses only the finest and most exclusive pieces that France has to offer the world (I saw a shoe exhibition here once). Naturally, these beautiful commodes - copies of a piece of furniture designed by Paul Iribe around 1912 - were highly impractical and completely out of my price range. I discovered that the beautiful texture and colour of the pale green one was due to it being covered with le galuchat, or sting-ray leather - 12 skins costing around €900 - hate to think what the labour and other material costs did to the final price!


Door at Notre Dame

Here in Paris if that beautiful piece of furniture eludes your budget, you can always just go for a walk and have something else beautiful to look at - I never get tired of walking past Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cité ...


City of light

... or walking in the courtyards of the Louvre at sunset ...


Mez's view

... or drinking an apero with friends who have a view of everyone's favourite tour.