Maison Adam's boxed bliss

The box says it all: veritable macarons. St-Jean-de-Luz’s Maison Adam doesn’t deal in the pretty Parisian flavour follies that have come to epitomise the term. Here in the Basque country they come damp, dense and chewy, a macaron traditionnel of nothing fancier than ground almonds, egg whites, sugar and salt. These simple but seductively rich, fragrant biscuits have been made by Maison Adam since 1660. Said to have been created in celebration of the marriage of Louis, the Sun King, and his Spanish bride María Teresa at the nearby border, Maison Adam’s is a poetic and perfectly legitimate claim for the original macaron title. They are not the only contender, however, with several cities, including Nancy in Lorraine, Amiens in Picardy and Saint-Emilion, just outside Bordeaux, still turning out their own almond-rich versions along withe equally compelling back stories, if not the Sun King cachet.

Taste: Maison Adam, of course, for the macarons themselves but also for their fetching bright green tins, adorned with a black lauburu, the tumbling comma-headed Basque cross. They also do a fabulous gâteau basque à la crème.
Stay: Zazpi Hotel is a Euro day-glo riot set in a stately old central townhouse, or there’s Villa Arguibel – nestled in the verdant valleys behind Guethary, a bobo beachside village a few miles north – a wonderful maison d’hôtes with super stylish, wilfully eccentric décor. Not to mention lovely hosts. Story – Donna Wheeler.

Holiday Goddess reader Katherine Roy loves Paris falafel. But is it the best in Europe? (Photograph: Katherine Roy)

Lenny Kravitz likes it, apparently.

Would you catch the Metro to the Paris village known as the Marais, just to try the world’s best falafel? So many people do, that the queue outside L’As du Fallafel (The Ace of Falafel) stretches out of the doorway. And is it worth the queue? Holiday Goddess readers and editors agree – absolutely.

Lenny Kravitz is said to be a huge fan of L’As du Fallafel, and as the Marais is very rock star, with all its hipster boutiques and dark late-night bars, perhaps the rumour is true.

Before you even get to the Rue des Rosiers, the so-called ‘Falafel Alley’ of the area, you’ll probably want to lick the windows of someof the best tea, candle and perfume boutiques in Paris. Diptyque and Fragonard are both in the Marais, along with some tres charmant shops with ancient French telephones and playing cards.

Vegetarians should head straight for the Marais, and Falafel Alley (Rue des Rosiers) if they ever hit desperation point.

So is the New York Times (not to mention Frommers) right about the takeaway falafel at L’As du Fallafel? The answer lies in the smell, which is a wonderful mixture of warm bread, fresh hommous and spicy eggplant. It’s enough to convert any meat-eater.

The success of L’As du Fallafel has made it easier for other sandwich joints to set up around them. Mi Va Mi, at number 23, also attracts rave reviews, from no less than Emily Horne at Vegan Paris and Yelp.

Even though L’As du Fallafel has over 100 seats, you’ll still need to arrive early (try just before noon) to bag a place for lunch, in the height of the tourist season.

It’s cheap too. When Holiday Goddess visited in the 2011/2012 season, a takeaway falafel sandwich was 5 euros to go, and 7.50 euros in the dining room.

The nearest Metro station is St Paul, and you’re heading for Rue des Rosiers (just follow the signs, or the crowds of salivating women). When you’re done, spend more time mooching around the Marais in the company of Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide editor, Jane de Teliga.

The best ice-cream in Paris is sold at Berthillon, but in summer the queue is so long, it hardly seems worth the pleasure at the other end. Holiday Goddess contributing editors who love Paris, say winter is the best time to buy. And preferably the tail-end of the season, when it’s not too freezing – but just crisp and sunny enough, to enjoy the most outstanding French takeaway in the city.

Summer at Berthillon - crowded

This is a handpicked selection from the current winter menu, which holds until springtime in Paris becomes official.

Caramelized Apples

Vanilla ice-cream and pear sorbet

Pina Colada Ice Lite

Creole ice, coconut and  pineapple sorbet

Mango & raspberry meringues

Ice Cream & chocolate hazelnut, pear sorbet and meringues

Apricot and pistachio ice cream

Berthillon uses only milk, sugar, cream and eggs with flavours from natural sources – usually around sixty in number, according to the season. The salted butter caramel ice-cream is sought after, the city over.

Image: Kathryn Roy

Berthillon have been making ice cream since the 1950’s when Monsieur Berthillon started selling his homemade ice cream from his shop – still on the  Ile St-Louis, or Saint Louis Island. The Berthillon ice cream shop is located at number 31 Rue St-Louis en l’Ile. The nearest metro station in Paris is at Pont Marie, just cross the bridge when you get out.

Make sure you ask for the chef’s choice for the day. The weather may be cold, and the ice-cream colder, but there’s a lot to be said for dining away from the tourist season.

Holiday Goddess Contributing editor Kathryn Roy: ”Berthillon ice cream is wonderful. The creaminess is  like no other ice cream I’ve ever had and the flavours are just so prominent and consistent. I ordered a scoop of the flavour du jour as per the counter staff’s recommendation (vanilla laced with chocolate cake) and a scoop of the salted caramel, both fantastic. Five stars – just go!”

(Berthillon store image: Wikimedia).

Emma Killick (pictured, centre) wrote some of your favourite guides to Paris in The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide. Here, she takes the five-hour trip from London to Lyon in search of the best places to dine, and wander…

Lots of cities claim to be the “Paris of the East.” I think that the “Paris of the East” is Lyon. It has the grandeur, the architecture, the history, and even an island in the middle like the Île de Cité, but all on a smaller, more manageable (and decidedly less crowded) scale.

For tourist attractions, don’t miss the Resistance Museum (14 Avenue Berthelot), the fabulous Hôtel de Ville (one of the great city halls at Place de la Comédie), and the Museum of Fine Arts (20 Place des Terreaux). Unsurprisingly, a smattering of impressive churches can also be found if you just wander the streets, which is always what I like to do. Then there’s the Roman Amphitheatre, up on the hill behind the old quarter (6 Rue de l’Antiquaille, Monteé de Fourvière). Lyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for good reason.

All of France is really about food and wine, but Lyon promotes itself as the capital of all things gastronomic. Surrounded by the Burgundy and Côtes du Rhône wine-producing regions, great, local wine is obviously on offer. Apparently they call the local traditional restaurants “bouchons”. It kind of makes sense because a “bouchon” is a cork. But it is also a traffic jam . . . bottleneck, I suppose, stuff caught in your throat? Geez, I don’t know, but it is what it is. Lots of menu items will say “a la lyonnais”, which basically means it’ll have onions in it.

Head to Rue Mercière – one of the pedestrianized streets on the island between the Rhône and Saône rivers. The whole street is filled with restaurants with the tables spilling on to the road in the way the French do so well, with the change in style of chairs demarking one from the next. Generally, you can’t go wrong, but the traditional, and fabulous, Le Mercière is at number 56 (http://www.le-merciere.fr). When your senses are overwhelmed by the sights and smells of an entire street of restaurants, the best way to decide which one to pick is to: (a) meander down the whole street first, (b) see which ones are busy, (c) linger long enough to make sure the busy ones are full of the discerning French, not foreign-speaking tourists, (d) take a look at the food on the tables (if no one has any, move along because you’ll be waiting forever) and see if it is appealing, and (e) include a bit of destiny in your decision – if the place has passed the test so far and a table is just freeing up – pounce! If you aren’t starving, another suggestion (and what we did) was find a bar with a good vista – stools are good for this – and take in the surroundings while sipping on an aperitif. You can subtly sift through the above criteria and be ready to make your move casually.

We plonked ourselves down in the bar opposite Le Mercière and help was on hand from the barman when the table at the restaurant was nearly nabbed by new passersby. We were being so British (well, my partner was) and so polite – the waiter had said he would call us over when he had cleared and reset the table. Zut alors, two pushy people tried to sit down when the waiter turned his back! The barman saw our distress and ran across faster than I could clumsily remove myself from my barstool and took care of business for us. He was so friendly and helpful we said we would return for coffee after dinner. He insisted that we go away and explore the city by night, walking off our dinner over the Saône to the oldest part of Lyon. Only after this were we allowed to return. And he was right. The French really know how to light up an old building, don’t they? Lyon has an advanced degree on the subject and even has a festival of lights. We made our way to the Saône and walked over the Pont du Palais de Justice and wandered through Vieux Lyon. After a couple of quaint squares we reached Beef Street (rue de Boeuf – it sounds so much better in French, doesn’t it?) and couldn’t resist stopping at a little bar for a cointreau. But, yes, we did return to see Mr. Friendly for a coffee. . . and another cointreau.

There’s a good blog about Lyon at http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/lyon/category/travel-tips/ It hasn’t been updated in a while, but it has great local info (including stuff like how to use the city bike system) and is an entertaining read.

You can get there by train from London in five hours. Changing in Lille, rather than Paris, is the most stress-free way to do it (if you go via Paris you have to change stations, and that’s about 5 kms of a challenge you don’t need with luggage). Bon voyage.

Thanks for buying the Australian top ten travel book bestseller, The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome. These are exclusive extras for you to download to your iPod or print and pack.

Drawing: Anna Johnson

PARIS

Watch the chapter come alive, from tins of snails at Galeries Lafayette, to the streets of the Marais. All the v-cards in our book have been edited by  Holiday Goddess editor Peter Clarke at Heaven and Earth Films.

Continue your Paris journey with us online here.

LONDON

The Dove is one of our favourite pubs. But then we find it hard to leave The Victoria and Albert Museum too. Watch the video here.  All our London extras are online including a complimentary download from Sweet Tooth, featuring London chanteuse Fleurtini (pictured, below) with the sounds of Soho and Mayfair.

Sweet Tooth

NEW YORK

If you can’t listen to Woody Allen’s jazz on the flight to New York, the next big thing is a handpicked selection of the best Manhattan soundtracks around. Pick it up here, along with other NYC extras for the book. And don’t miss our New York video postcard.

ROME

Chapter extras are here. And this is the best place to see even more of Roma.

Drawing: Anna Johnson

The Woody Allen romantic comedy Midnight in Paris is up for several Oscars, thanks partly to the presence of Carla Bruni, the French first lady. If Woody’s film wins, then this year, Paris wins too.

The film is a beautifully lit  tribute to Montmartre, the Palace of Versailles, Sacré-Cœur, the Pont Alexandre III, the Opéra de Paris and the Musée Rodin. Shooting also took place on the streets near the Panthéon, at the Marché Aux Puces (Parisian flea market) and on the Île de la Cité. The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide editors’ favourite Paris bookshop Shakespeare and Company also features prominently.

The Handbag Guide

If Midnight in Paris wins Best Picture, Best Direction, Best Original Screenplay and/or Best Art Direction then hotel bookings for Le Meurice, a central location in the film, may be gone forever (just blame Madamoiselle Bruni…)

Emma Killick wrote about her favourite Paris art galleries in The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide. This is her beginner’s ‘Before you go’ introduction to the city.

The Handbag Guide

The Metro Buy a book of Metro tickets (“un carnet”) at any Metro ticket window or machine (around €12 for 10 journeys).

Avoid the Paris Pass and the Paris Visite unless you are going to be zooming through museums and using public transport at a joyless rate.

 Museums Only buy the Paris Museum Pass if you plan to visit the most popular museums because it lets you skip the queues but won’t necessarily save you money. Order in advance and have them delivered before you leave at http://en.parisinfo.com.

Parlez Francais Parisians aren’t rude, you just need to try a little French. Bring a small phrasebook, use what’s generally written on the first two pages, and say it with a smile.

 Thirsty? To drink like the French, only have milk with your coffee before noon, after that it’s espressos all the way. Have an aperitif before your meal. Try a pastis (the collective for all aniseed-based drinks), a kir (white wine with a dash of blackcurrant), or a kir royale (champagne instead of white wine).

 Hungry?  “Le menu” is the daily special not the menu (that’s ”la carte”). Often written on a board or on one side of “la carte”, it is a cheaper way of trying a few courses (and taking the guess work out of ordering). If there are certain things you aren’t keen on eating (duck stomach, anyone?) and your French isn’t good, learn the words for food you don’t like, rather than trying to learn everything you do. (By the way the word is gésiers.)

Holiday Goddess Video – Hotel Lafayette, Paris (From well under US/AUS $50 per night).

A glass of champagne in a Paris cafe for Valentine’s Day has never been this cheap. As the Euro plunges to record lows against the American and Australian dollar in time for 2012, women will spend less than ever before, to see the Louvre (from a fifty-buck, one-star hotel). Then there are hotels well under AUD/US$50 like Hotel Lafayette.

Illustration Anna Johnson

Airfares to Paris from the USA and Australia in particular, are just silly, compared to prices last summer, or even in 2010. American travellers are really celebrating. But even Australians, who have long been kept from Paris by high fares and expensive hotels, stand to gain. Sydney to London is now well under AUD$2000 return on major airlines in February (add on chic, comfortable Eurostar London-Paris return train fares for around AUD$150 and you’ll be there in time for breakfast.)
Staying on in Europe? The European Credit Crunch isn’t ending any time soon. But then, the Louvre isn’t going anywhere either. And it’s just stops away from Louis Blanc station, right near the cheapie-chic Hotel Lafayette, in our video.

The Louvre is stops away from a bargainista hotel

There is also good news if you can book months ahead, on European hotels and airlines who want your dollars now. Don’t forget seriously cheap Irish airlines which can take you to Dublin, then onto Paris a day or two later.
But back to that one-star hotel you can see in our video. It’s called Hotel Lafayette and it’s a short walk from the Eurostar terminal, at the Paris Nord train station (also known as Gare du Nord). It is now well under US/AUD$50 a night for a double bed with shared bathroom (though on a second visit, we were offered an en suite bathroom, within the room).

British Goddesses are in an even happier position – not only is Eurostar a bargainista (below £70) train ride from where you live, you can stay at Hotel Lafayette without jetlag. Fear not the one-star experience, goddess! In Paris, it will typically offer all the charm you expect from the French.  A classic one-star Paris hotel has bar soap, scratchy towels, a sink within the room, a pretty wardrobe, big mirror, plush-looking bed and sweet retro chair. No breakfast. You’ll use the same loo and bathroom as everyone else on the same floor, but if you go off-peak (February is definitely off-peak) then you may get lucky and find you have the floor to yourself.

Going out for breakfast? It’s steps away from Hotel Lafayette, and you are spoiled for choice. The hotel is close to a clutch of old-school French cafes near Paris Nord (also called Gare du Nord) train station, and the omelettes, croissants and coffee are great. If the difference between you going to Paris (or not) is the high price of hotels, then just do it. Are you here to experience The Louvre,or to walk around your hotel room admiring the mini-bar? There is no plastic card to swipe (and go wrong, or forget) at the typical one-star. Just an old-fashioned key, and  bolts which work from the inside.

Music: Airborn by Kolliope. To hear more music by Kolliope visit foghornrecords.net To read more about saving a fortune in Paris, buy The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome at Booktopia.

Printemps, the most glamorous department store in Paris, may just be showing the world’s wittiest Christmas window display this year, with an army of tiny Karl Lagerfelds…

Karl Lagerfeld (the real thing) attracted a huge crowd recently, when he arrived to launch the Christmas 2011 Printemps windows with Vanessa Paradis and Eric Pfrunder (the fashion director of Chanel), along with Printemps executives.

There are 60 animated puppets over 11 windows, showing Karl Lagerfeld as photographer, designer and director – flanked by the Eiffel Tower, his own Chanel aeroplane and a suitably stylish posse of flight attendants. The Christmas windows are the work of Jean Claude Dehix, whom Parisiennes regard as seriously as any artist.

The attention to detail is perfect, with hardly a puppet string to be seen – and every hair on the faux Karl’s trademark white ponytail is in place. His suits are cut as beautifully as any couture garment, too.

If you are lucky enough to be in Paris as Christmas approaches, you can see the windows until December 31^st.  The title of this year’s display is ‘Dreams of Escaping’ and with just one trip on the Metro to Havre Caumartin, you can also escape to Karl World.

After that, you just have to find a way of squeezing past the crowds of delighted schoolchildren (Chanel fans all), but if you’d rather enjoy the windows to yourself, try Thursday night, when Printemps is open until 10pm – long after French children are in bed.

Karl Lagerfeld’s own childhood was spent, not pressed against the glass at Printemps, but admiring his mother’s “divine” celebrations, which involved weeks of planning and a 20-foot-tree, according to one interview with him. Thanks to Chanel, the spirit of a glamorous French Christmas remains (no matter what the Euro is doing).

The Chanel Christmas Windows, Printemps, 64 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris.

For more on Chanel’s Paris, read Justine Picardie’s account of Coco’s favourite haunts in our new book, The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome. Justine is the author of Coco Chanel, The Legend and the Life (HarperCollins).

Story: Jessica Adams. Video Music: Fly With Me by Elia Bel.

Eat, love, eat more

Welcome to the Paris chapter of The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide. What’s the fastest way to eat, love and eat more in Paris? Let our V-card inspire you.

Catch the Metro train to Chaussee d’Antin-Lafeyette. You are one minute from  Galeries Lafayette, and the OMG floor. Home of snails in tins and rosebud tea.  Next door, find Printemps department store. Laduree lies just inside.

Eating like Elizabeth David

Terrine de campagne. Tarte à l’oignon. Poulet à l’estragon. Carré de porc provençal. Omelette soufflé aux liqueurs. The secrets behind five of Elizabeth David’s most famous French recipes (with abridged, updated versions) are with foodie and writer Christopher Hirst.

Follow our Absolutely Fabulous wine expert on Twitter

If you have a question about French wine or champagne, why not Tweet comedian and wine writer Helen Lederer? Helen is an original Absolutely Fabulous cast member (she plays Catriona to Joanna Lumley’s Patsy) and a brilliantly funny comedian and writer, in her own right.

Helen on Twitter

Your Free Paris Playlist

You can download the perfect Paris playlist, the eight-track album Is This Not Paris? (named after the classic song by John Kennedy) here. This is wonderful, chilled music. Almost as sexy as Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin! To find more tracks from these artists please visit Foghorn Records.

Airborn by Kolliope

Allegria by Elia Bel

Autobahn by Bad Machines

Chariots and Limousines by Rosie Burgess

Fly With Me by Elia Bel

I’m Here by The Stoics

Is This Not Paris by John Kennedy

No Sleep by Jesse Morris and the Three Beans

Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide Paris Updates

How to be a Paris bargainista - The Catherine Max website is currently down at espacemax.com. We’ll update you as soon as we have a new link.

Notre Dame – New! The best website for Notre Dame is now http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/

It’s all about the shoes - The best website for Christian Louboutin is now www.christianlouboutin.com

There’s something about Picasso - The Picasso Museum is currently closed for renovations until Spring 2013

Can’t find the site you want? Some French websites may require www in front of them. And of course, in any travel book, addresses and phone numbers can change so please check the websites (which we monitor regularly) before you set out. Bon voyage!

London, Rome and Paris online extras are also on our site. 

Novelist, journalist, author and Holiday Goddess editor Karen Moline knows France well. Place des Vosges in Paris is one of her favourite haunts.

Pay your taxes and you never know what might happen. The loveliest square in Paris got its name thanks to the Vosges province, the first in France to fork over the taxes Napoleon was demanding in 1799.

If you are in Paris, wandering around the Marais section is a must-do. Especially if you walk into Place des Vosges for the first time–the most delicious way to do so is to turn off Rue Saint-Antoine onto Rue de Birague—as you will have one of those travel moments so breathtaking that the hell of endless security checkpoints will have been worth enduring just so you could end up in this spot.

Place des Vosges was originally known as the Place Royale when its construction began in 1605 under King Henri IV, who wanted a posh new palace. He knew that another palace, the Hotel de Tournelles, had been a royal residence there until the fateful day in 1559 when King Henri II was jousting during a tournament and a lance pierced his eye, with fatal results.  His distraught widow, Catherine de Medici, demanded that the building be torn down and the gardens near where her husband had fallen destroyed. So Henri took a good look at the area and then smartly insisted that the other 35 buildings follow the plan of his palace, and the result is a sensationally symmetrical square (140 x 140 meters), with slate-roofed, white-stone-trimmed red brick houses atop a ground-floor arcade.

Henri IV never had a chance to live in Place des Vosges, as he was assassinated in 1610, but many well-known others have had the good luck to snare a residence. Madame de Sevigné was born at #1 bis; the cunning Cardinal Richelieu lived at #21 from 1615 – 1627; and, if you’ve ever suffered through an interminable production of Les Mis, you can blame it on Victor Hugo, who wrote most of his novel Les Miserables while living at #6 from 1832-1848.  (That building is now a museum.)

When I lived nearby on Rue St-Paul and was too broke to have a café at any of the expensive restaurants still lining the arcade, Place des Vosges was my favorite hangout and source of inspiration. It’s one of the few public squares in Paris where you can sit on the grass without a French gorgon insisting you remove your derriere to an uncomfortable cast-iron bench. The fountains were always mesmerizing, the symmetry of the buildings always pleasing, and the crunch of feet on the perfectly aligned gravel paths surprisingly soothing. Sitting lost in reverie there will be one of the most enduring memories you’ll have of Paris.

Photo: Flickr CC: Christophe ALARY

Holiday Goddess editor, writer and sought-after stylist Jane de Teliga goes in search of Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence.

Like a homing pigeon as soon as summer comes in Europe, I feel the urge to fly to the South of France. One would think I’d have had enough of those dusty avenues of dappled plane trees, rustic village squares and endless shops full of lavender bags by now but no there it is again – that instinctive urge to migrate South.

This summer it was Easyjet from London to Marseille. As the capital of Provence, Marseille is a great hub for exploring the South of France. The city itself has that raffish, slightly dangerous air peculiar to old seaports. It’s just not my kind of town, although I did once stay in the strangely wonderful Hotel designed by Le Corbusier, fascinating largely because it’s still in original condition. For an authentic architecture experience this is the place but I’m on a mission to find Cezanne.

Picking up a car at the airport I head straight out of there to the very picturesque town of Aix-en-Provence. It’s just 30 minutes away from Marseille and a whole other world of Provencal charm.

There are dusty plane trees galore in the hot dry streets, the grandest being the Cours Mirabeau, the main boulevard lined with restaurants, cafes and hotels. A brief encounter with our booked hotel on the Cours Mirabeau made us flee to the excellent but busy Aix Tourist Office to find another. And what a gem they suggested.

Modern hotels are generally not on my radar, however the newly renovated Hotel Cezanne was great. Though the décor of the foyer was awash with garish colour, the room itself was lovely. Small but perfectly formed, the room was a comfortable fresh cocoon with an excellent bed, proper feather pillows (not the usual rock hard French pillows), a delicious breakfast and friendly service. Yes well it did come at a price but so worth it.

The aptly named Hotel provided a perfect base to explore all things Cezanne as he was born and he died in his beloved Aix. If you want to really understand Cezanne’s paintings come to Aix.

Here you can visit the Atelier Paul Cezanne, the beautiful little studio he worked in the last years before he died in 1906. His studio is so evocative, still furnished the way he left it when he died after catching pneumonia while out painting nearby. In the large room, with its grey washed walls and huge window, you feel Cezanne’s presence powerfully.

His coats and jackets still hang in the corner of the studio and on a shelf against grey washed wall, are ranged so many of the familiar objects he used in countless still lifes. Traditional Provencal jugs, fruit platters, glass bottles and a row of grey skulls, remind us how a great artist can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

After the studio visit, a hot walk up the steep hill, Mont Sainte-Victoire, the mountain that Cezanne painted obsessively, is revealed suddenly in all its majesty. In a small park you can see reproductions of his famous paintings while looking across at this arresting scene. His blocky squares of paint document the sharp light, raw craggy mountainside, deep green pine trees and the ochre Provencal houses on the nearby hillsides.

Here you see why Cezanne is the ‘painter’s painter’, the man that influenced modernist art movements from cubism to abstractionism. This pilgrimage is an art experience made all the more powerful for being outside the walls of a traditional museum.

To stay in Marseille for an architectural experience:

Hotel le Corbusier

280 Boulevard Michelet

13008 Marseille

www.hotellecorbusier.com

In Aix-en-Provence:

Hotel Cezanne

40 avenue Victor Hugo

F-13100 Aix-en-Provence

www.hotelaix.com

Atelier Cezanne

9 avenue Paul Cezanne

www.atelier-cezanne.com

To book tours for three Cezanne sites, which include Cezanne’s studio, the Bibemus quarries and his childhood home Jas de Bouffan, contact:

Aix-en-Provence Tourist office

2 place du General de Gaulle

13100 Aix-en-Provence

www.aixenprovencetourism.com

Holiday Goddess editor Jane de Teliga loves sultry summers in Arles – the town that inspired Van Gogh.

Remember those wonderful pictures of Van Gogh with deep blue night skies filled with vibrating yellow stars, a glowing yellow café or a dark flowing river?

They were all painted in Arles and the pulsating and mysterious air of this French Provencal town, captured in those paintings, still exists today.

What draws me to Arles each summer is the fascinating photography festival, Les Rencontres d’ Arles, where a host of photography exhibitions are shown all over the town in ancient monuments, disused churches and the industrial confines of the old Railway yards. The photography festival provides a trajectory to explore the town, where ancient Roman ruins are sinuously intertwined with classical French architecture, cobbled squares, and winding streets dotted with medieval churches.

Covering a different theme each year and drawn from all over the world, the exhibitions are varied and fascinating. They run the gamut from confronting contemporary photography to 19^th century images of Maharajahs or the Mexican Revolution to the fashion photography or tough photojournalism.

If this appeals start planning now; it runs from July to mid September each year. Be warned it can be punishingly hot at times with the searing dry wind typical of Provence blowing across the city.

Take refuge in the cool interior of the Medieval Cathedral of Saint Trophime in the main square and don’t miss the beautiful cloisters just behind the church, with their rows of Saints carved in stone.

Visit the evocative burial ground since Roman times, Les Alyscamps, painted by Gauguin and Van Gogh amongst many. Then circumnavigate the amazingly intact Roman Arena where they still perform bullfights in a strange continuation of gladiatorial combat.

Take an evening drink at the Grand Hotel Nord Pinus where bull fighting posters, Peter Beard collages or Helmut Newton photographs reflect the interests at the heart of Arles. If you are feeling flush why not stay right here or at very chic Hotel Particulier, set in a magnificent old townhouse.

Les Rencontres d’Arles

www.rencontres-arles.com

Grand Hotel Nord Pinus

14 Place du Forum, 13200 Arles

www.nord-pinus.com

L’Hotel Particulier

4 rue de la Monnaie, Arles

www.hotel-particulier.com

(Photographs: Jane de Teliga)

Oh, to holiday like Bardot (Image Creative Commons)

Booking Brigitte Bardot’s Saint-Tropez

Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera is where Brigitte Bardot was discovered. Ever since then, she has been permanently linked with the South of France. Best time to book? Now! Story: Holiday Goddess Editors.

The spirit of the sexy 1950s and sunny 1960s is alive and well in Saint-Tropez, even today. It was where all the artists arrived from the French New Wave in cinema and it’s still the best place to find a (well-disguised) artist or actress. St-Trop, as it’s nicknamed, is busiest in October so book now, for the season. We’ve found hotels around the magic £100/AUD$150/US$150 mark on the Holiday Goddess list for you, but rooms are going fast.

The town is not only famous for BB. It is also named  for Saint Torpes. After he was martyred by the evil Roman emperor Nero, his body was placed in a rotten boat with a rooster and a dog. The body landed at Saint-Tropez.

In the 1920s Saint-Tropez attracted fashionista queens Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. It was here that Chanel popularised the tan. (And Saint-Tropez is still home to one of the most famous fake-bakes in the world today, the award-winning St Tropez range).

Thirty years later, along came Brigitte Bardot…with And God Created Woman.

Even if you can’t stay at her hotel, the luxe and pricey Hotel Byblos (she opened it in 1967) you can make it for the stunning October regatta.

BB still lives here next to Les Canoubiers beach. St Tropez remains one of the most glamorous regions in France partly thanks to Mick Jagger’s marriage to Bianca here in 1971. Who knows you may even spot George Clooney, who has been known to vacation here.

If you do want to experience the Byblos, though, consider the Sisley spa. Then hit the beach.

Chiconomy Class in St Tropez

If you’re looking for a hotel around the £100/$150 mark, try The Caesar Domus. It is surrounded by a 2-hectare park, 400 metres from the beach and a 15-minute walk to Saint-Tropez. The apartments at the Caesar Domus are decorated in a Provencal or colonial style. They include a well-equipped kitchenette and access to the hotel swimming pool. Limited offer.

Nice often gets overlooked in favour of neighbouring glamourpusses Cannes, Monte Carlo and St Tropez. But the Cote d’Azur’s biggest city has a slightly gritty, everyday charm that can be a blessed relief from the bling down the coast and a bourgeoning sense of reinvention. There’s a few good museums (the Musee Chagall, up on the hill above town, is a beauty and the central Musee d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain has an amazing clutch  of works by Yves Klein), and St Paul de Vence and Grasse are close enough for an afternoon wander. Best still, it’s directly accessible by plane or train from most European cities, making for a good overnighter or weekend
destination sans car hire.

Stay: If you’re here for the beach club scene in summer, design-centric Hotel Hi will suit; the hotel proper is not waterfront but a quick stroll up the hill, with another bar on the roof. My choice is, however, Hotel La Pérouse. It’s far from hip and pushes all the Provencal décor buttons, but steers clear of fuss, has stunning views of the sea and the waterfront, a surprisingly private and quiet location given it’s just a quick stroll from the old town action, and affable, super professional service. The house tarte au citron is made with lemons from the hotel’s poolside trees; it’s that kind of place.

Eat: Many of my favourite French dishes come from the south: soupe au pistou, salad nicoise, stuffed zucchini flowers, panisse and pissaladière. These can be reproduced elsewhere pretty admirably, but soca – a chickpea flour pancake cooked on what looks like a bin lid over an open fire, then sprinkled liberally with black pepper – is something that one can only ever eat in situ. Thérésa, who has a stall in the old town’s Cours Saleya, is your woman; eat the shards greedily from their blotting paper wrap, or sit and take it slowly with a pitcher of rosé. For a smart lunch, head to Flaveur, off the tourist circuit in a pretty residential square, for local staples done with contemporary flair but no pretense.

Drink: Nicoise nightlight can frighten those of us not used to the Eurotrash onslaught. A few of the summer beach bars do transcend the tack, including the afore mentioned Hi. Any time of year, Nice’s old town does, despite the tourists, do artful grunge well. Distilleries Ideales, an airy corner pub with seating on rue de la Préfecture goes off from midday to late and the wine and cheese plates are inexpensive and bountiful. Down the road veritable Bar de la Degustation also fills up with the city’s indie kids; they’ve been pulling le pression there for well over a hundred years and aren’t’ about to get fancy on us any time soon.

Shop: If you do need some gold strappy sandals, all the big marques are represented, either lining the pretty rue Paradis or the nearby stretch of Promenade des Anglais. There’s a Bensimon and a few lowkey multi-label shops for basics along rue des Longchamp. The Gallery Lafayette here is far more manageable than its Paris big sister, and they offer the same 10% discount to non EU-residents. Other than that, hunt out one of the old town’s interesting little shops that signal the city’s cool comeback, and don’t miss the antiquarian print and book sellers around MAMAC, and the puce near the port. The market itself is small, and obviously well-combed, but has friendly dealers and the odd fascinating find. Olive provedore Alziari and the 1827 confiserie Auer, both on rue Saint-François-de-Paule are not to be missed, and while the many epiceries dealing in salt, spices and local dried herbs might be tourist traps, their fragrant wares are none the less compelling.

Madonna, Catherine Deneuve and Cindy Crawford have all enjoyed facials with Joelle Ciocco. She has a product line too. Just one thing – her facials last for two hours. And you had best start saving…

If you know you’ll be in Paris with several month’s notice – and your dream is a fantasy facial – then explore the waiting list with Joelle Ciocco. Her products are on Marc Jacobs’ shelves. (You can pick them up online from Collette in Paris at www.collette.fr

We hear the facial includes not only an expert massage on your complexion, but also inside your mouth. It’s like mini-gymnastics, but it also relieves tension.

Carine Roitfeld, formerly of French Vogue, is a regular.

Expect around 600 Euros for a first appointment. The word on the (Parisian) street is, her appointments take years off. No plastic surgery required.

Joelle Ciocco

8 Place de la Madeleine

Paris

Telephone +33 0142605880

Website http://www.joelle-ciocco.com

Award-winning screenwriter Alex Billington likes the bad Eighties music and bohemian vibe at the charming Chez Jeanette.

As far as bistros and cafes go, Paris is infamous for either super chic, or at the opposite end of the Parisian spectrum; smoke filled working men’s tabacs, rather than for hipper cafes. But if it’s the latter you want, then Chez Jeannette, an old little place in the 10th arrondissement, offers a warm, relaxed and Bohemian atmosphere with friendly staff, great food and drinks (try the cocktails) and a memorable music mix. The last time I was here they played big-hairy 80s rock tracks, including the so-bad-it’s-good Eye Of The Tiger… mix that up with a little Edith Piaf or The XX and you get the vibe going on here.

Chez Jeannette dates back to around 1900 (there are some great photos on the website) and the faded, peeling and decadently Parisian decor that reminds you that in Paris, older is always better. The clientele range from their 20s to their 40s and tend to be artsy, if now downright cool.

For a meal with drinks, Chez Jeannette is cheap to mid-range. Our group managed to drink twelve pitchers of wine. Our panic at a huge bill was completely unfounded – so to celebrate we ordered another few rounds. It was a Tuesday night and the place was packed with colourful people. A brilliant night is always to be had at Chez Jeanette.

Chez Jeannette, 47 Rue du Faubourg Sain Denis, Paris, 75010
Website www.chezjeannette.com

Photo: courtesy of www.chezjeannette.com

Alex Billington has seen the classic 1938 French film – and now she can’t bear to leave the hotel. Here’s why…

The Hotel du Nord is one of the finest places to hang out in Paris, offering velvet drapes, a room to work, a restaurant and a library with lowlights and candles.  The Hotel du Nord is Sexy with a large capital ‘S’. Stepping inside takes one back to another era, evoking images of smoky eyes, grand amours and Old Paris at its low-key finest. This is the place to come to if you want to fall in love…. or simply eat and drink well with friends; the menu is small but impressive and the wines are well-chosen.

Close by is the Canal Saint Martin. It was Grand old Napoleon himself who commissioned the construction of the Canal  Saint Martin, in Paris, in 1802 to provide the city with a fresh water supply.

The canal was dug out between 1802 and 1825, funded by tax on wine (proving there was enough wine being purchased to finance such a grand plan). Later the area (located in the 10th district) was inhabited by the working  classes, only recently becoming a hip and happening area to live.

Today the canal is more of a Paris attraction than practicality, having inspired  artists such as Alfred Sisley. It was featured in Jean Vigo’s L’Atalante (1934) as well as Amelie (2001) and the 1938 French classic about seedy star-crossed lovers – a certain Hotel du Nord…..

If you want to see Canal St Martin the old fashioned way there are cruises that run along the canals and you can find the details here: http://www.pariscanal.com/?lang=en

Hotel du Nord, 102 Quai Jemmapes, Paris 75010. +33 140 407 878
Website: http://www.hoteldunord.org/english.html

Photo: Courtesy of The Hotel du Nord

Rachael Oakes-Ash reviews celebrity hotels owned – and occasionally designed – by the biggest names in entertainment and fashion. Rachael is one of the world’s favourite travel writers whose career adventures include several acclaimed books and work on the cult Luxe Guide series.

Once upon a time it was enough to rely on a hotel name to ensure regular clientele.  The Hilton, Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton were the doyenne of service and style and their reputation was enough to know you were getting the very best. Now it’s up to established personalities in non traditional fields from fashion to food to provide the hotel kudos required of status driven travellers.

Fashion houses have combined with hotels to give look at me quality for the stylish in house guest who sees the world behind large sunglasses.  Parisienne fashion doyenne, Christian Lacroix lent his name and fashion design to the Hotel du Petit Moulin, a 17th Century former bakery in the eclectic Marais district of Paris that opened in 2005.  He went on in 2007 to put his print on the Hotel Bellechasse the bohemian St Germain region with thirty four rooms decked out in seven themes.

Lacroix is not alone.  Versace, Armani and Lauren have all had a hand at hotel design, even the Queens’ sometime milliner, Philip Treacy, has the G Hotel in Galway, a shrine to perfectionist design and old style glamour in the heart of Ireland.  While Maison Moschino is set to open this year in Milan and is a true Moschino fairy tale fantasy with bedrooms made of petals.

Hollywood icons are also in on the act.  Robert de Niro is the name behind The Greenwich Hotel that opened last year in New York City’s Tribeca area with a hand moulded brick facade and Carrara marble interiors.  Film director Frances Ford Coppola has three lodges in South America – the Turtle Inn, La Lancha and Blancaneaux Lodge.  Each filled with jungle style adventures and eco exploration.

Dubai’s Zabeel Properties last year announced Brad Pitt as one of their key designers for a new eight hundred room America themed hotel and Richard Gere recently opened his own eight room eco friendly Bedford Post Inn with yoga studio and two restaurants in New York State.  While tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graff are the names behind the Fairmont Tamarack five star resort development being built in Idaho, with golf, skiing, biking and hiking.

Rock stars used to be known for trashing hotel rooms not owning them.  Bono and his U2 colleague, the Edge, opened The Clarence Hotel in Dublin on the River Liffey in 1997.  Guest rooms come in one of five signature colour schemes with no two rooms alike but plans have now been approved for a substantial refurbishment and major redevelopment of the hotel.  Down under, our own ‘rocker’ Olivia Newton John has her Gaia Retreat in the Byron Bay hinterland, a health and spa retreat dedicated to all things good for the soul.

But wait there is more. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has already lent his name and expertise to restaurants in Claridges and The Berkeley Hotel in London, the Hilton in Dubai and the Conrad Tokyo but now he has opened the doors on his own hotel venture with the launch of the York & Albany in Camden, London late last year.   The ten room townhouse is a modern boutique venture with Italian styling and, of course, a quintessential Ramsay restaurant.

Ramsay was one of the first household chefs to open restaurants within hotel premises, turning hotels from all you can eat buffets to full service Michelin dining.  French Michelin darling Alain Ducasse  has  his name in fine dining outlets in The Dorchester in London, the Intercontinental in Hong Kong, the Plaza Athenee in Paris, to name a few.  Back home in Australia Luke Mangan helped put the relaunched Sydney Hilton on the map with his Glass restaurant.

Philippe Starck was perhaps the first non traditional name to change the face of hotels.  A famed and awarded product designer who is known for his mass produced furniture, toothbrushes, juicers and interior designs, Starck created the ‘boutique hotel’ trend in the 1980s with his refit of New York’s Royalton Hotel.  His name is now on JIA in Hong Kong, and Starwood’s innovative SLS Hotels including the recently opened SLS Beverly Hills with a carnival of interior colours.

Sir Terence Conran may be the name and design behind England’s highly successful Habitat home interior stores, he may also have been the man behind Bibendum, Bluebird Garage, Quaglino’s, Pont de la Tour restaurants but Boundary is his first hotel venture and found in the trendy east Shoreditch district of London.  Boundary opened earlier this year and features seventeen rooms in a converted Victorian warehouse complete with English caf selling fish and chips and British fare, a rooftop bar and grill and a basement bar and restaurant.  His name is enough to create an instant buzz and immediate guest occupancy.

After all, in today’s hotel game it’s not where you stay it’s who you stay with.

Christian Lacroix
Hotel Bellechasse, Paris
www.lebellechasse.com
Hotel du Petit Moulin, Paris
www.paris-hotel-petitmoulin.com

Robert de Niro
The Greenwich Hotel, New York City
www.thegreenwichhotel.com

Richard Gere
The Bedford Post Inn, New York State
www.bedfordpostinn.com

Gordon Ramsay
York and Albany, Camden, London
www.gordonramsay.com/yorkandalbany/

Sir Terence Conran
The Boundary, Shoreditch, London
www.theboundary.co.uk

Philippe Starck
SLS Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
www.slshotels.com

Photo: JustinTabariPhoto

Luxe City Guides are good luxury hotel companions for London, Paris and New York and you can order online.

Emma Killick goes from Florence to the East End of London via Rwanda – all without leaving her armchair…

Florence and Rome – The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone.

This is the best type of art book to read (rather than the A4 sized, 70s produced tat that you buy outside tourist sites around Europe). This biographical novel about Michelangelo provides wonderful detail about the artist’s life and works. Particularly revealing is Michelangelo’s belief that his sculptures were uncovering what was already in the marble, most obvious in his unfinished Captives that appear in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. Reading this book before visiting so many famous works by Michelangelo will truly enhance your enjoyment of them.

General – Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski.

Kapuscinski’s last book is an ode to his hero and “companion” Herodotus. Born in 1932 Poland and living through the war and post war communism, Kapuscinski always wanted to travel. More accurately, he always wanted to cross the border. He didn’t know anything about other places and when given his chance he is awed, lost and inspired by what he sees. From his first travels, he takes along a book by Herodotus to inspire and comfort him. This loving book gives a palpable insight into not only what it is like to discover a new land (and this final book covers India, China, several countries in Africa, and a brief stop in Iran), but also what it must have been like to be raised during the restrictive times of the Iron Curtain and how it curtailed knowledge of just about everywhere else outside it. You can just imagine Ryszard curled up at night in a new country finding solace in reading Herodotus. Take this book with you if you are planning on going somewhere “really foreign” to you or just traveling alone.

Great Britain – A Brief History of British Kings and Queens by Mike Ashley.

From the Celts, the Romans and Boudica, William the Conqueror, and all the way up to the present Queen, this history is enjoyably readable – not the dry tome it could have been. It has great characterizations of the various kings and queens that really brings them to life and covers their relevant pressures, achievements and failings. You can read it like a novel from beginning to end or use it as a reference book.

Guernica (Northwest Spain) – Guernica by Dave Boling.

The nightmare that befell the citizens of Guernica in 1937 is known mainly because of Picasso’s raw painting of the tragic bombing of the town. This historical novel tells the true story through the lives of one fictional family, setting the scene in Basque Spain before the bombing and in its wake. This novel is extremely moving and well told.

London (East End) – Brick Lane by Monica Ali.

A classic culture-clash novel set in East London. This book not only brings to life this area of London, but is insightful about Bangladeshi’s of different generations and classes trying to acclimatize to British life.

Middle East – From the Holy Mountain by William Dalrymple.

Most of Dalrymple’s books are about India, but here the author attempts to retrace the journey of two monks’ across Byzantium in the 6th Century in order to study the demise of Christianity in its Middle Eastern homeland. This is travel history, rather than a religious book, but the detail of landmarks throughout the region make it a worthwhile read if you are traveling to the area – even if you decide to stay in hotels, rather than caves and deserted monasteries!

Nigeria – Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Following three diverse characters in the lead up to and aftermath of the Biafra war, this award-winning epic truly brings home the devastation of colonialism and war on all classes and races in Nigeria. Colourful, tragic, and heartfelt.

Rwanda – Sunday at the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtmanche.

Okay, I acknowledge that there aren’t many out there who’ll be traveling to Rwanda, but this vivid novel by a French Canadian journalist is moving, harrowing, and empathetically written about the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

South West France (Lot and Lot et Garonne) – A House in the Sunflowers by Ruth Silvestre, From Here You Can’t See Paris by Michael Sanders, and Families of the Vine by Michael Sanders

Arguably now a tired (but still popular) genre after Peter Malle started the revolution in the “fish out of water in a new country” works, but I still think these three have something genuine and worthwhile to offer. (Although I might be biased because I spend half the year in the Lot et Garonne.)

A House in the Sunflowers is charming and is partly about a family’s adventure and restoration of a house in rural France, but mainly about the food, customs and characters in the area (in the interests of full disclosure, I have to say that I partly love this book because my parents now live near Ms. Silvestre and Raymond and Claudette Bertrand – who feature so heavily in this book – are still as charming, helpful and sincere as they were when Ruth first met them thirty-five years ago).

Michael Sanders is an American who immersed himself in rural village life in the next department to Ms. Silvestre. His book From Here You Can’t See Paris centres on the activities and establishment of a restaurant in a village called Les Arques in the Lot. La Recreation was set up against the odds and is still a beautiful restaurant, run by a hard working couple who get the villagers to help grow the veg as well as driving to the coast every morning to pick up fresh seafood.

Another Sanders book which should have as much appeal for wine lovers as for those exploring south-west France is Families of the Vine. It contains details on wine-making, the history of it in the region as well as the stresses on three family-run vineyards in Cahors who have all gone in different directions with their wine-making.

Unpopulated islands – Visiting an empty island? Well here’s a random suggestion: Lord of the Flies by William Golding. This classic is all the more eerie if you read it in this kind of setting. I read it while on Praslin in the Seychelles, where I had the good fortune of sitting on deserted beaches and traipsing through the jungle and I think the setting enhanced my enjoyment of the book – I could feel the isolation of those boys marooned on an island . . . and the fear of that beast.

Photo: JustinTabariPhoto

Alex Billington loves Sunday brunch at Cafe Charlot…and Happy Hour.

Cafe Charlot has to one of my favourite haunts for just hanging out and people watching, reading over endless cups of coffee or meeting friends, evenings that leisurely stretch from aperitif time to midnight. The atmosphere here is cosy but convivial; I often turn up here with my laptop (there’s also free wifi) to work for hours too and never feel rushed or pressured to leave though the place is so popular you sometimes have to wait for a much coveted table. And to make it even more popular there’s Happy Hour every night from 7-9pm. Decor is retro 20s Paris  bistro and the menu is traditional brasserie fare: salads, burgers, cheese plates etc…. Sunday brunch is a big affair here too… set menu is around 17 euros…..and we indulged in everything from scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and fresh coffee to champagne since this is gastronomic Paris!

38, rue de Bretagne 75003 Paris
01 44 54 03 30

8 Metro Filles du Calvaire

Every day from 7am to 2am.

Tickets restaurants, Eurocard – Mastercard, Visa, Carte Bleue

À la carte: 10-26 €

Photos: cc. Flickr.com/Meg Zimbeck

After a decade, I’m still not sure whether I’m a Parisian girl at heart who keeps leaving, or a foreigner who simply keeps returning, but Paris had me from the start. I love the whole city, from the multi-cultural 18th arrondissement to the chic 16th, from the hip Bobos of the Bastille to the grand old dames cruising the 7th with their pampered lapdogs… but my favourite area has to be the Marais, not least because I find myself living here again, for the third time in ten years.

Situated on the Right Bank of the Seine, this area spans the 3rd and 4th arrondissments and to me is the best area for walking and witnessing Paris’s true cultural melting pot; from the Jewish area surrounding the pedestrianised Rue de Rosiers, to the many cool gay bars to Chinese area in the 3rd arrondissement. Not least it’s one of the few areas in Paris that was not ‘Haussmann-ised’ – and still retains the fascinating flavour of Medieval and Renaissance-era Paris.

Photo: cc. Flickr/draket – rue de Rosiers at night

The Marais means The Marsh; and the now glamorous area was reclaimed from marsh land in the 12th Century and eventually became much a much favoured piece of Paris of French Royalty; from Henri IV to Louis XIII…. after the devastation of the French Revolution, 1789, this Bourgeois area was deserted by the social leaders of the day…. that is until the Sixties, another era, ironically, of revolution, and one that saw the area enjoy a revival in popularity that has barely abated since.

Highlights of the area:

Rue des Francs-Bourgeois: Housing some of the coolest shops and boutiques in Paris as well as numerous Renaissance-era buildings the street has a less than auspicious background, having been named after the poverty stricken people who were housed here. Today this is the place in Paris to do your weekend strolling, shop til you drop (this is one of the few streets with shops open on a Sunday) and stop at one of the numerous bars or cafes for a thirst-quenching verre du vin or cafe au lait. Some of my favourite shops here are Diptyque (I’m a candle addict), Paul & Joe and Barbara Bui… thank God for Mr Mastercard (I never leave bed in Paris without him).

Photo: cc. Flickr/edsel_ – Crêperie Suzette, 24 rue des Francs Bourgeois

Place des Vosges: To me this is the most beautiful square in Paris, if not the world; it was built for King Henri IV in 1605 (completed in 1611) and was then called Place Royal….. much later, given the twists and turns and political drama of French history, the square was re-named Place des Vosges in 1800 by Napoleon in honour of the Vosges department; the first to pay taxes in France. The name was then changed back to Place Royal in 1815 then back again to Place des Vosges in 1870 for good! The square and its surrounding buildings today remain as captivatingly breathtaking as they were  centuries ago.. the area has been the stomping ground of such historical greats as King Henri II, Catherine of Medici, Cardinal Richelieu (he had a statue for King Louis XIII erected in the centre of the square – it was destroyed during the French Revolution and replaced in 1825) who lived at number 21, and the legendary writer Victor Hugo who lived at number 6 on the 2nd floor where you can now visit to see where he turned out such classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables. There are romantic restaurants and galleries aplenty surrounding the square; but expect to dig deep into your purse to enjoy the luxury of this fabulous location. Not cheap but worth it.

Photo: cc. Flickr/fredpanassac – 6 Place des Vosges

Jane de Teliga dives into a chic store where the proceeds go to children in Madagascar.

Full of thronging crowds, the hottest shop in Paris is merci. Visiting on a weekend, I fight my way past le tout Paris into the courtyard with its cute little cinquecento car bursting with merchandise. In a rambling old factory on the boulevard Beaumarchais in the very hip third arrondissement, you’ll find an amazing multilevel space bursting with designer goodies and designer labels, anything from light bulbs to vintage clothing, from lampshades to perfumes. Plus it’s got a great café in the basement and a flower shop (by famous French florist Christian Tortu) in the foyer.

But merci is no ordinary store. It is in fact the 21st century super chic version of a charity shop. Founded by Marie-France and Bernard Cohen last year after they sold their legendary children’s wear label Bonpoint, merci is their way of giving. After the costs are met, 100 percent of the profits go to impoverished children in Madagascar, one of the world’s poorest nations.

My visit to merci, one year after it opened in 2009, coincided with the very popular launch of a special range of Liberty print merchandise, a design collaboration between the London store and merci, which had droves of chic Parisians queuing (not their natural inclination) to purchase. That’s a lot of mercis channelled to a very good cause.

As this seems to be all about children, why not check out children’s store Bonton just down the road. It’s a newly opened store and very much following the merci mode, with many levels piled high with adorable kids clothing, quirky toys, a photo booth and kiddie hair salon. Even if you have zero interest in kids, this is worth a look just for the retail concept and for great gifts at all prices.

While on the kiddie trail a friend, with toddler in tow, took me on down the boulevard towards Bastille, to a charming toy store Filament, which is full of knick-knacks that kids and kidults alike would adore too. Hard to pin down this quirky store, without a working website not even an address card, as the owner admitted with a sheepish shrug, Filament is one of those places you just have to hear about. A train chuffs around the cluttered window, through piles of toys and you’ll see stacked up a wall their own line of super cute leather baby shoes. What could be smarter than baby’s first shoes bought in Paris.

As you’re in Marais and in walking distance, why walk to the Place des Vosges, the most beautiful historic square in Paris. Once upon at time, when my sister’s children were little, she was castigated by the guardian for allowing her baby to put his little feet on the grass. Nowadays they have loosened up a little and in the summer allowed one grassy portion where you can actually sit on the grass and allow your children to run around. In winter, though this patch of grass is roped off with a sign, which always makes me smile, about the lawn being in ‘repose’. At least in summer one can say merci for small mercies.

merci
111 boulevard Beaumarchais
75003 Paris
tel: +33 (0)1 42 77 00 33
www.merci-merci.com

Bonton
5 boulevard des Filles du Calvaire
75003 Paris
tel : +33(0)1 42 72 34 69
www.bonton.fr

Filament
10 rue de Lesdiguieres
75004
tel: +33 (0)1 42 09 81 83

http://www.flickr.com/photos/heyrocker/3748126806/ CC

Go green, go chiconomy class, save a fortune and enjoy the ferry from England to France. By Holiday Goddess Editors.

Our first tip is to go on a weekday, not a weekend or public holiday. Our second tip is to squeeze into the calmest, warmest off-peak days you can find.
But if you can manage all this, then walking onto a ferry from England and walking off in France is a wonderful experience.

It’s also ridiculously chiconomical. Fares begin at £19 and if you pick up a newspaper offer or special promotion, you can sail for the price of lunch.

Connect to your ferry stop by train from London, if that’s your hub. But if you’re on the UK coast anyway, remember you’re halfway to Europe anyway.

The best deals are for you and your friends en masse. Pack out the car, split the cost. And remember, the luggage allowances are incredibly generous compared to those parsimonious deals with budget airlines.

Fares are available to Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Holland too. And we really like the free guides to download at http://www.directferries.co.uk

There may be parties of schoolchildren on your boat. It may feel a little odd to realise you’re travelling sans flight attendants. But seriously, if you haven’t tried the ferries from England to Ireland and Europe, you’re in for an unforgettable experience.

The mini cruises to Europe (well under £100) are also worth a look.

When you have only one morning to go shopping in Paris, best not to find yourself at a 2am lock-in at your favourite Parisian friend’s local – in this case, Mon Chein Stupide (1, rue Boyer 75020, 01 46 36 25 49) – the night before. And best not precede that with a visit to his beloved neighbourhood restaurant, the comfortingly unpretentious, seriously produce-driven, and Michelin-starred Bistrot des Soupirs (49, rue de la Chine 75020, 01 44 62 93 31). There will be conversations about birth, death, love, war and Gil Scott Heron; your glass will never be empty, life will be impossibly sweet. Then you’ll wake up.

My Mamashelter bed was large and very forgiving, and with the sound of teeming rain and a great stonking hangover urging me to stay put, I wrote the morning, and my shopping lift, off. After ‘lunch’ at the Rose Bakery (46, rue des Martyrs 75009, 01 42 82 12 80) – nothing like a crumble and a jug of custard to help a sore head – I had my legs sugared at Cinq Monde – much more relaxing than a wax, as a calf massage is part of the process.

Then to the wonderful Institut Du Monde Arabe, in a valiant attempt to plough through at least a few hours of research before I headed across Ille St Louis to the right bank, the metro and pre-dinner nap back in the 20eme. But on the way ‘home’, as fate would have it, I missed the turnoff to the Pont Marie metro station and before I knew it, found myself outside cult sandal shop, K.Jacques (16, rue Pavée, 01 40 27 03 57). Then there was no turning back, the Marais sucked me in: Bensimon (12, rue des Francs Bourgeois, 01 42 77 16 18), Comptoir de Cotonniers (33, rue des Francs Bourgeois,01 42 76 95 33), Vanessa Bruno (100, rue Vielle du Temple, 01 42 77 19 41), Claudie Pierlot (Blancs Manteaux 9, rue des Blancs Manteaux, 01 44 78 03 33) and L’Arstisan Perfumer (‎32, rue du Bourg Tibourg, 01 48 04 55 66‎), all within a Chablis-addled amble. The 10eme’s APC and the Anne Valerie Hash aside, here was my shopping list writ large.

The fates seemed to want me to shop and I was in browsing heaven, but I was in no state for change rooms. Despite a final detour, a long, lustful wander and a cup of tea at the beautiful and oh-so right-on Merci (111 blvd Beaumarchais 75003, 01 42 77 00 33), by the time I found another metro station, I carried but two modestly sized shopping bags. One from Petit Bateau, with the obligatory dozen knickers for my daughters, the other from American Vintage (10 rue des Francs-Bourgeois 01 42 77 98 73 ), a label I first spied in Marseille in 2006, and whose endless riffs on the t-shirt theme have now fortunately found their way into the wider world.

The American Vintage bag contained the twin scarves – long, meltingly soft twists of cotton – pictured above. Why two? In grey and, well, grey? There are, as the cliché goes, many shades of grey; in the parlance of conte crayons, I chose one that was cool, another that was warm. (Or perhaps, recalling the urban bestiary of Paris, there’s a pigeon and  a mouse.) They’ve both since kept my chill-prone neck warm during many a flight and through the ever-shifting equinox weather of Melbourne, New York and Oslo. One or the other will go with everything I own, and I’m never quite as anxious about potential loss as I’ve got back up. And while there’s a host of similar pieces to be had, these carry both the insouciance and a particular attention to detail of their Provençal makers.

Teamed with a cream APC tunic, the warm one  kept my décolleté modest on my early morning flight south to Tunis, while the cool one got its first outing later that very evening. On the way to find a medicinal onion soup, my friend and I made an unscheduled stop on a windswept corner. A (largely female) crowd had gathered to watch a couple of strapping young pompiers liberate a wayward terrace umbrella that had been blown into the top branches of a very tall tree. Neck wrapped tight in my new scarf (and looped into messy pussycat bow, because it was, well, Paris), I was able to stave off the unseasonable cold while this slight but charming episode came to its happy conclusion. And what a cinematic one it was, the day’s inky clouds suddenly receding as the umbrella was retrieved, the firemen’s muscles flexing beneath sodden t-shirts, gold helmets glinting in the last rays of the setting sun.

Andreina Cordani borrows a bike, and a speedboat – and goes oyster hunting.

© Andreina Cordani

The great thing about the little fishing town of Marseillan is that it makes you feel like you’re the only person to have discovered it. I defy you to sit in one of the harbour restaurants, watching the yachts cruise in and out while you dine on super-fresh oysters produced five minutes up the road, without feeling just a little bit special.

It’s not teeming with hotels either, but the newly-refurbished apartments of Port Rive Gauche make the perfect long weekend hideaway. They’re achingly stylish – all white washed wood floors, simple designer furnishings and endless, calming sea views from the balconies. There’s also plenty of handy amenities including a dishwasher in each apartment, and a luxurious bath or shower room containing lovely organic beauty goodies, which are also available at the mini spa at the top of the building. Heather Riddoch, the manager, is friendly, enthusiastic and bursting with ideas on how to spend your time. There are bikes to borrow, and she’s happy to help organise any local trip. She arranged for me to go out in a speedboat to explore the local oyster beds and swim in the bay.

© Andreina Cordani

Although to be honest, I spent most of my time on the balcony with a book lying open in my lap, staring at that horizon…

For more info: Suites at Port Rive Gauche start at from €130 in low season bedroom apartment www.garrigaeresorts.com

Getting there: Marseillan is 55 minutes drive from Perpignan, or an hour from Carcassone

Emma Killick translates second-hand shopping in France.

© Knud Nielsen / 123rf.com

Everyone knows about “antiques”, but in France there are actually many different sources for second-hand goods. They’re designated differently and below is a general guide for looking for furniture, homeware, clothing, jewellery, toys, knick knacks, and those items you’ve never thought you needed but it turns out you do.

ANTIQUES: These are the most expensive. They are most often permanent shops, but will sometimes drag their wares out to a local village square to entice the tourists. Sure, you’ll find some treasures in there, but mostly you’ll overpay.

BROCANTE: These can be permanent shops or a special market. In the summer, some shopkeepers will dust off their stock and take it to local towns. These brocante markets are usually held on a Saturday and Sunday (you’ll see them advertised in the surrounding area with posters usually stuck to phone poles, street lamps, and so on). Their permanent shops are often advertised in a similar fashion, only perhaps the signage has been upgraded from a fluoro piece of paper to a plank of wood.

For a more reliable way to find the brocante markets, see www.brocantesfrance.com with a link to www.brocabrac.fr where you can type in the department you are in (a two digit number) and it provides a list of upcoming brocantes and vide greniers. If you click on the name of the town, the site will then give you a map.

DEPOT-VENTE: a warehouse sale, invariably very dusty, but if you like hunting around in the dark, this is for you. At my closest depot vente they have everything from ten-foot high armoires, to hundreds of old doors, vats of beautiful tiles, the French equivalent of Belfast sinks, marble topped cabinets with loos hiding in the bottom cupboard, and an old Citroen or two that look as if they haven’t moved since the war.

TROC: Literally meaning “to barter”, these are shops that take things on consignment. The range here is the most extreme and you have to be patient because sometimes all you’ll see is complete junk but other times wonderful gems hidden between the used Ikea desks.

VIDE GRENIER: This means “empty attic” and is the equivalent of a car boot sale or garage sale. They are usually on a Sunday morning, more frequent in the summer. These are the most varied, and you need to get there early to spot the good stuff – I recommend arriving by 9 a.m. If you don’t get there until mid-morning, all you’ll find is rusty fans, tatty baby clothes, and a plethora of My Little Pony toys. Lots of brocante owners get their stock from these vides. Prices vary widely because sometimes you’ll encounter professionals with a stall. Always negotiate.

See www.brocabrac.fr for a listing of upcoming “vides.” www.vide-greniers.org is also decent, but the brocabrac site is easier to use.

MARCHE AUX PUCES: Literally meaning “flea market”, it is frankly hard to discern the difference between these and vides, but they are worth checking out. Use the same brocabrac site to find the ones nearest you.

Emma Killick guides a foodie’s tour of Toulouse.

Toulouse at Sunset © Guillaume Dubé

Many heading to the south of France bypass the cities, but if you’re arriving by plane or train or picking up a hire car, I definitely recommend at least a quick stop in Toulouse. This historic city is young and vibrant, in large part due to the University of Toulouse, one of the oldest universities in Europe. The centre is 15 easy minutes from the airport or five minutes by metro from the train station. Whenever we are picking up friends from the airport, we always squeeze in a trip to the market or a meal before heading out into the countryside.

Here’s what you can do if you’ve got a day set aside, or even just a couple of hours:

MORNING: The daily market at Place Victor Hugo is mind blowing – all the meat, fish, cheese and pastries you could ever want. All of it is sumptuously displayed (so much so that I was almost tempted to buy a fillet of horse meat …). All the fruit and vegetables are just outside the covered market and more is to be found on the nearby Boulevard de Strasbourg

Place Victor Hugo, Ground Floor
Tuesday to Sunday, 6am-1pm

LUNCH TIME: Head upstairs from the market (the entrance is on the outside, under the covered walkway) to the mezzanine where there’s a narrow row of half a dozen restaurants. They’re all very friendly and very good, and they expect you to walk down the row and peruse the menus. All of them are supplied by the market below and guarantee fresh, tasty fare. We love the Le Louchebem (French Pig-Latin for “butcher”).

Get there by 12:15 at the latest as there are no bookings taken and the place gets packed.

Place Victor Hugo, First Floor
Daily 11.45am-3pm. Closed on Mondays.

EVENING: Enjoy an aperitif on the Place du Capitole. The square is vast, with the enormous town hall and opera house on one side and beautiful rose-bricked buildings on the other. Great for people watching and admiring the effect the changing light has on all the beautiful buildings. Many cafes spill out from the covered archways opposite the Capitole. The service can be a little Parisian (i.e. aloof), but worth suffering through for the atmosphere.

Next, head to Place Saint-Georges for dinner. A ten-minute stroll from Place du Capitole, Place Saint-Georges is a small, leafy square accessed by several narrow, medieval streets. In summer all the restaurants in the square have tables set up outside. It makes for a great atmosphere, and gives you a good view of all the gorgeous buildings surrounding the square. Unlike small French towns, late dining is readily available. There are a variety of restaurants and cafes here – everything from crepes and pizza to extensive gourmet menus. I recommend the following:

Traditional with great service and an extensive wine list:

Restaurant Emile. 13 Place St. Georges
05 61 21 05 56
www.restaurant-emile.com

They are known for their cassoulet and fish stew. We had a fabulous starter of herring tartar that was tasty and beautifully presented. On the expensive side, but a worthwhile treat. Making a reservation is recommended.
Young vibe and reliable food and service:

Van Gogh Cafe 21 Place St. Georges
05 61 21 03 15

Their summertime terrace comes complete with sand underfoot, which is nice and cool and feels a little as if you are on a volleyball court (high heels not recommended). The atmosphere is warm and friendly, which is partly due to the beautiful building and furnishings and partly due to with the staff. We gobbled all our food and the servings are uncharacteristically large (you could share one cassoulet between two).

The joys of Paris chic for children by author and blogger Maggie Alderson.

Paris is magical, obviously. For lovers, for gourmets, shoe shoppers, people watchers and art freaks – but what is less well known is that Paris is also magical for children.

Even the most accessible children’s activities there have that unique Gallic style. No plastic, no batteries required, definitely no logo. It all looks as if it has been set up by a lifestyle magazine.

But to make the most of the magic of being with a child in Paris, you will want your kid to look like the impossibly chic and adorable local ones.

Here’s how to achieve both within easy walking distance.

How to Play Like a Real Parisian Kid

On a Wednesday afternoon in the Jardin du Luxembourg, an elegant oasis just beyond St Sulpice in Saint Germain, my then two-year old daughter had her first ride in a pony and trap, along a sandy avenue between pollarded plane trees. This was quickly followed by a ride along the same route on a donkey called Gelt. Dear, gentle Gelt.

It was early October and shafts of sunshine cut through the orange leaves, the sound of hooves dulled by the still air. The general scene greatly enhanced by the marvellous Frenchness of the other little children; all cute haircuts, pouty lips and clothes in muted colours… But we’ll get to that later; first, the rest of the park.

After saying goodbye to Gelt, we headed for the tiny and ancient carousel, where the children sit straight-backed on exquisite little horses, holding javelins with which they spear brass rings held up by the fearless operator.

Then there was just time to let off some steam in the Poulet Vert (Green Chicken) playground, fabulously equipped with slides, swings and bouncy animals on springs, before catching the next show at the nearby puppet theatre. Puss in Boots retains its charm, we discovered, even if you don’t catch every word of the dialogue.

From there we headed for the round pond right behind the splendid white stone Palais du Luxembourg, which houses the French senate, where you can hire little wooden yachts to sail. Or, if you are a rather weary parent, you can flop on a handy metal chair and turn your face to the sun.

How to Look Like a Real Parisian Kid

Now for the shopping part. With that infallible Gallic logic, at the south west end of the Jardin du Luxembourg, an uncommonly pleasant statue-enhanced walk from the pond, is rue Vavin – a whole street of childrenswear shops.

It kicks off with a branch of Jacadi on the corner of rue d’Assas. This upscale kiddie chain is not as chic a proposition as Bonpoint or Tartin et Chocolat, but the price tags don’t make you spontaneously vomit, and you couldn’t find a better source of classic children’s clothes.

After buying a perfect pink and white gingham party dress with a detachable stiff petticoat, or a little coat like the one Prince Charles used to wear, you may want to take a small detour down to 83 rue d’Assas , where you will find a branch of agnès b. enfant, to express your child’s more edgy urban side (although your gorge may also rise here at the prices).

Then back to rue Vavin and the best thing is just to look in every shop – there are too many to list here, all of them great in their own way for clothes and shoes – and of course the only underwear you can possibly put your child in, at Petit Bateau.

Also look out for the tights and socks by the brilliant French make Doré Doré, which come in wonderful colours with fully-fashioned heels and toes. You can get ribbed socks which are wool on the outside and cotton on the inside and don’t tourniquet the tiny leg, imagine that. (Jacadi have them, but if you miss them here you will also find them in department stores.)

But the real secret to getting your offspring that enfant Français look is a haircut – and the perfect place for this is Au Pays d’Oscar, right on rue Vavin, where they sit in little red castles to have their hair snipped into an adorable Madeline bob, or Tin Tin crop. For more information, the website is here.

Practicalities

Odèon is the easiest Metro for the Jardin du Luxembourg. If you want to shop then hit the park, go to Vavin and work back. They are on the same line.

The pony rides, carousel and puppet theatre are open on Wednesday afternoons and weekends, but remember: shops are closed on Sundays in Paris!

Monoprix

Finally, here is my real secret for achieving that chic French kid look, on the cheap: Monoprix. It’s a supermarket, but the childrenswear ranges are to die for.

On my last visit I picked up bundles of ribbed polo necks made of organic cotton, in the most heavenly muted shades of mauve and brown – which exactly matched ribbed Doré Doré tights I had already bought. These all worked back with velvet knickerbockers and corduroy butcher boy caps.

The clothes are great from babywear up and very reasonable, although it does depend what they have in on the day, as turnover is very quick on the good stuff.

For this reason, I usually hit Monoprix several times whenever I am in Paris and my favourite branch is on the corner of rue de Rennes and Boulevard Saint Germain.

Images: Maggie Alderson

The Tea Menu at Mariage Freres c'est incredible. Illustration Anna Johnson

You may have seen Mariage Freres tea on sale in your favourite foodie import store. And this is the tea room in Paris. Expect to queue – we always have. Yet it’s so worth the wait…the tea menu is a work of art and you can choose from traditional blends like Darjeeling, to the finest Chinese tea. The French love little cakes and pastries and Mariage Freres has a groaning table of them. For more see mariagefreres

Nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Nobody knows about these except the French, but twice a year, locals put on their own neighbourhood sales. June and September are usually the best months to turn up. For details, visit http://www.videgreniers.org

Maria Vrisakis stocks chic babywear, Prada and the best of vintage French in her shop, and speaks Australian (tres bon!) to you too. Nearest Metro is Temple. Visit http://www.marielouisedemonterey.com.

Walk down Rue Ste-Anne for the best Parisian Japanese options. Illustration Anna Johnson

Craving noodles or a little ramen? Go to Rue Ste-Anne, where you’ll trip over Japanese visitors looking for the same thing. Nearest Metro is Pyramides. Try Higuma, on the strip at 32 bis, rue Ste-Anne, 1st.

Shopping: Collette (www.colette.fr ) is pure, hip, sleek and most happening Parisians will tell you it’s the coolest store in Paris; Open now for eleven years and located at 213 Rue St Honore, Paris 75001, Collette’s modern three level store boasts some of the best collections of designer clothing, make-up, gadgets you didn’t know you needed, a bar, a café,  a magazine stand and even their own music compilations which are played all over the city in all the right places. Those in the know in fashion rate the store highly and you can easily pass an afternoon there in shopping bliss maxing out the credit card.

Pampering: Hair stylist Louis Bester (www.louisbester.com) is just a short stroll from the Collette store so make yourself an appointment with one of the best independent hairdressers in Paris. Louis, a mischievous and charismatic native South African has based himself in Paris for many years. He works from his lovely studio home in the 1st arrondissement where you can get personal service in a relaxed environment.  Louis is the first choice for Parisians who know where to find him, from models and actors to those just wanting one of the great new looks he’s known for.  Contact him on  +33 612730983  or info@louisbester.com and book ahead as he’s a popular boy!

Cocktail hour: You’ve shopped at Collette, got yourself a sleek new haircut or colour from Mister Bester and now, of course, you’re headed for a champagne cocktail to show it all off Paris-style at Murano Urban Resort (www.muranoresort.com), 13 Boulevard du Temple, Paris 75003. Murano is a space age four star designer boutique hotel consisting of 52 rooms and suites, a bar, restaurant, three swimming pools (two of which are private), a spa and privileges and luxury service at every level. The bar at Murano Urban Resort is rated in World’s Best Bars and is currently THE place to hang out in Paris. Oh, and avoid riding in the hot pink fur-lined lifts if you’ve sampled too many of the 100 vodkas on offer – but if you do make it to one of the suites, remember you can only get in by having your fingerprint scanned. Beam me up Murano!

French women may not get fat but Australian women in France do, or at least this one did.  When presented with the world’s finest cuisine, blessed with a Michelin star or three, it’s impossible not to open wide and let it all in.  Calories when consumed overseas don’t count, right?

Chefs the world over covet the Michelin star – it’s the Oscar of the restaurant world, a recognition of premium talent for those who spend their lives slicing and dicing.    Get one of these and start planning your retirement villa in the Caymans.

Michelin stars are awarded annually and published in the Michelin Red Guide, the bible for gourmands the world over.  First published in 1900 by Andre Michelin, a founding brother of the Michelin Tyre company, the Guide was designed for road trips, offering advice on car maintenance, lodgings, restaurants, even the location of public toilets.  For the next twenty years it was given away free and covered only the French region of Europe. In 1920 the Michelin brothers started charging for the guide and in 1926 the star rating was introduced to measure the quality of cooking in listed dining establishments.

Today the guide is written for twelve countries with New York City and San Francisco introduced in 2005, the first cities outside of Europe.  Inspections are anonymous, once every eighteen months, and restaurant entries are not paid for, ensuring unbiased reviews. 

Last year I was a Michelin virgin, untouched by the world’s most rated cuisine.  You never forget your first Michelin experience.  Mine was with twins, Jacques and Lourent Pourcel, brothers in arms behind the helm of the kitchen at Le Jardin Des Sens, a two star Michelin restaurant on the outskirts of Montpellier, in the French region of Languedoc.

Sons of wine growers, Jacques and Laurent opened the restaurant in 1988 and were bestowed with three Michelin stars ten years later.  They’ve since dropped one but who’s counting?  Le Jardin, translated means the garden.  The restaurant is part of a thirteen-room intimate hotel and is walled by glass on one side overlooking a theatrical horticultural masterpiece.  Diners are placed on clothed tables, mezzanine style to ensure all have a full view of the backlit landscaped foliage.

It’s a restaurant that delights all five senses, built on a fantasy world of the imaginary where the garden becomes the dining room and vice versa. Service is impeccable with a flurry of waiters, busboys, sommeliers and the like floating between tables ensuring no glass is left half empty, no table left with crumbs.
For once in my life I’m not on a budget and choose to indulge on the Les Jardins degustation menu of “sense and discovery” an eight course meal sprinkled with caviar, langoustines, truffles, foie gras and sole interrupted by palate cleansing champagne sorbets served up in twee little cones.

There is, of course, the obligatory French cheese trolley wheeled up with great flair and laid down with gooey cheeses inspired by musty caves and moldy dark rooms.  By course three I am floating on a gastronomic cloud of sensory pleasure that I don’t want to end.  Thankfully there’s another five courses to come.

The brothers opened a bakery and pastry shop to complement the existing restaurant.  Saveurs Sucrees provides carbohydrates for lovers of baguettes, pain au raisins and the like year round while the Atelier de Cuisine (Cooking House) offers cooking courses with the great chefs.

Now the directors of the Pourcel Group, Jacques and Laurent head up the Pourcel Bros Café and Bistro in Tokyo, the Maison Blanche in Paris, the T’able Augusta at Augusta Villa in France, Wsens in London, D’Sens in Bangkok and Resto Eighteen in Shanghai. All this expansion no doubt supported by their Michelin credentials.

But Michelin stars have not been without controversy. Many in the culinary world claim stars lean towards restaurants in France and those outside of France that serve French cuisine.  No one knows the identity of the Michelin reviewer, criteria is rigid and based on cuisine on the plate, not interior décor or service meaning spectacular food can be served with a grimace, not a smile. Then there’s the case of French chef, Bernard Loiseau, who killed himself when told his restaurant may lose one of his three Michelin stars.

Gordon Ramsay’s first Michelin star put him on the world culinary map and inspired a television series (The Angry Chef), a host of cook books and a chain of Gordon Ramsay associated restaurants in key capital cities around the world.

Michelin darling, Alain Ducasse has his name on some of Paris and France’s best dining establishments including Spoon, Food and Wine and the self titled Ducasse restaurant.  His consulting name has been put to hotel restaurants in Hong Kong and New York ensuring wait lists for his menu.

The end of the meal at the restaurant that started my Michelin madness, Le Jardin Des Sens, and I have an extra dining companion, a roll of flesh now overflowing from my unbuttoned trousers.  I have dubbed it my Michelin tyre and given it three stars.

For more information visit the website Le Jardin Des Sens, Montpellier, France.  www.jardin-des-sens.com.
The eight course degustation menu will set you back around 170 Euros without wine. If you’re staying, then Sofitel Antigone in Montpellier is a ten euro taxi ride from Michelin paradise.  The signature My Bed ensures the sensory bliss continues long after the last mouthful of wine. Visit  www.sofitel.com

Running away to live in France this year (following a lifelong dream to live in Paris) was so scary that I had to ease into it by pretending I was on holiday. And where does everybody in Paris go (the city is so strangely closed during August) but the South.

Before I had even become a Parisienne (does anyone ever become one or are you only born to it?) I headed down to the South. Not to the glamorous Cote d’Azur. I had no desire, nor the tan and definitely not the bank balance to be hanging around Saint Tropez with dodgy squillionaires in big boats.

Instead I went to a rocky mountaintop in the Cevennes in the province of Languedoc Rousillon to a tiny village where my sister, her husband and two boys hide out in their ruin for months during the summer. And to ease into French life I took my youngest daughter Madeleine, 23, an ideal travelling companion, as she is a delightful and very funny human being. (This is an unbiased mother’s opinion). Also she speaks French. (Pragmatic mother’s decision).  This is a major step up from my pigeon French which mines the remnants of schoolgirl instruction, and is overlaid with years of tourist terms and a good dash of Italian when words fail me.

We caught the very fast train (TGV), which takes so much less time than driving, from Paris to Nimes. After about three-and-a-half hours of very comfortable rocketing through the countryside  you find yourself in the heart of one of the best preserved Roman towns in France. (You must book as it is all assigned seating. Economy is fine but go easy on the luggage because it is a struggle to find space for it.)

In Nimes you find an absolute jewel of a Roman temple, right in the main square, directly opposite a very snappy contemporary building designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster that houses the city’s art museum. Nimes also boats one of the most intact Roman amphitheatres that has been in constant use for centuries. One hot summer night, we all went to see Bjork sing her crazy magical songs in the arched amphitheatre where gladiators once fought to the death.  A bit of fashion trivia too – Nimes is also the town where label Cacharel originated.

The Cevennes hasn’t changed much since Robert Louis Stevenson that intrepid traveller and writer rode through on donkey in the 19th century. Mountains as far as the eye can see are covered with forests and dotted with little villages. The resistance fighters were known to hide out in the mountains of the Cevennes too.  Les Cevennes is  also the place for walking and the French have hundreds of randonnees (trails) marked throughout the region. The randonnee are marked by tiny slashes of bright paint across tree trunks in a clever and simple system that guides you to take the right turning on the right path.
  
Proper walkers /randonneurs wear sturdy hiking boots and multi-pocketed camping gear in sludgy colours. They carry long high tech folding walking sticks and slung around their necks they have big maps in plastic sleeves, which makes them look like giant kindergarten kids on a kindy excursion.

My sister Sarah, when walking, wears her unique boho artist’s attire of white 19th century cotton petticoats, striped jackets or pants and ancient Prada Mary-Janes with a beaten-up sunhat. She looks like something from a Monet painting as she nimbly picks her way along dappled paths, with me panting behind her in a more pedestrian combo of velour tracksuit pants, long sleeved shirt, baseball cap and pumas. (And I’m the fashion writer!)

After the healthy life of the mountains, Madeleine and I picked up a rental car in Nimes (right inside the station) and drove off into the hills of Provence, the neighbouring province. French rental cars seemed only to come in manual, though, so not only was I driving on the wrong side of the road – but also driving a manual.

For a week I bunny-hopped, stalled or stopped dead (as some local driver heartstoppingly hurtled straight towards me) and constantly veered alarmingly to the wrong side of the road. – all of which sorely tested my daughter’s normal good humour. She took to shrieking “MUM you’re driving on the wrong side of the road!” or “You’re too close to my kerb!”

Gradually we worked out a code whereby she squeaked a little sound to warn me of my driving transgressions. And so I drove in my alarming fashion and she issued bat-like squeaks, across the hills of Provence.
 
First stop for a lunch break (or fright break) for both of us was the idyllic town of St-Remy-de-Provence (every well heeled Mosman housewife’s dream… Native Sydney dwellers know this as the suburb where French provincial style reigns supreme). Saint Remy was just as you imagine a Provencal village to be – picturesque and very hot with avenues of plane trees and charming shops full of Provencal textiles and embroidered lavender sachets. 

Our destination in the Alpes of Haute Provence was a chateau near the Gorges du Verdon (a sort of French Grand Canyon) I had once read about in Travel and Leisure. It sounded completely unmodern and unpretentious (in a chateau kind of a way) and just what I was looking for. Getting closer though I was starting to get worried after driving through a spa town (Greoux-les-Bains) full of tourist buses and then through deforested hills that look like they had recently been napalmed. So turning over the final hill into the little town of Esparron de Verdon beside a clear unnaturally blue lake was something of a relief.

It was love at first sight at the Chateau d’Esparron. A monolithic oblong of a building punctuated by rows of 18th century windows and shutters, attached to a medieval tower fluttering a flag. A water trough and running fountain sat beside the huge wrought iron gates. Entering through grand doors, huge polished flagstones wound up to our room, which looked out over huge plane trees onto a hot field with a grazing white horse. Just a few rooms are rented out in, the warmer months, by a branch of the de Castellane family, who have lived in the Chateau since the 13th century.

In the baronial breakfast room sunflowers, real rather than fake, sit in a vase on a table by the window that faces an enormous fireplace. Lunches and dinners have to be taken in the village of Esparron de Verdon in a few little cafes and restaurants filled with French holiday makers.

There we rented a wonderfully silent little electric boat and took it out into the middle of the lake and dove into the crystal clear water freezing but fabulous. (As an Australian however you never escape that niggling and totally irrational fear of a shark coming up to tear you limb from limb.) Apparently the vast lake is manmade rather than natural, the result of damming, which may account for the eerie colour.

In the chateaux we climbed to the top of the tower and looked out over the village or lay in the hammock and read or did nothing but watch the chickens peck their desultory way around the garden. If this is your idea of a holiday then go to website www.esparron.com or www.provenceweb.fr and look up Chateau d’Esparron. (Reluctant as I am to pass on this information).

France is a story to be continued…I’ll write more for Holiday Goddess next time.

For me, the sense of smell is entwined so tightly with imagination that the two are inseparable…even today, whenever I smell Vetiver by Guerlain I’m reminded of a summer in Greece when I was seventeen, and more specifically, a lovely French man who, for a few months, became intoxicated by me…but more than the man himself, Vetiver reminds me of the first time I understood the effect a woman can have on a man.

Since then perfume has had a powerful effect on my memories and sense of place. Patchouli and orange oil when I headed for India searching for adventures and Miss Dior on the flight I took from Thailand to Sydney to start a new life in Australia. Tendre Poison is the vintage black fur coat I bought at the Paris flea markets when I’d moved to France and was beginning yet another new chapter of my life.

I’ve discovered some of the smaller boutique perfume houses in Paris over recent years, each one with its own unique smells and sensations. I love spending time browsing in stores such as Annick Goutal (www.annickgoutal.com), savouring every spray, drinking in the vision of beautifully presented bottles, potions and lotions.
Creator Annick Goutal was a concert pianist who rebelled against a career that was mapped out for her and went into modelling. She later worked with perfumers at Robertet to develop a fragrance for a face cream then finally found her true calling; by 1980, she was ready to launch her own fragrance line. Annick Goutal passed away in 1999. Since then, her daughter Camille has continued to develop new fragrances with perfumer Isabelle Doyen.
Shopping at Annick Goutal is an experience that conjures up the glamorous shopping experience of Paris past and I adore walking out of the store swinging that gorgeous little cream and gold Annick Goutal bag, tied with a ribbon and holding a new perfume that will, in years to come, remind me of new times in my life.
Diptyque (www.diptyque.com) is another heady favourite of mine; from perfumes and aftershaves to candles and body lotions, buying something at Diptyque is an event rather than just grab, pay and run. Founded in 1961 by three friends; including a painter and a set designer, Diptyque originally produced printed fabrics, but in 1963 they introduced a line of now near-legendary scented candles and there are now over 50 in the product line. Then in 1968 Diptyque began producing their first fragrances – and the rest, as they say, is perfume history.
A newer discovery (though not a new perfume house) for me is Nicolai (www.pnicolai.com) which I came across by chance when wandering throught the 7th arrondissement in search of breakfast. It’s a tiny store with the lovely Rebecca taking you through all the perfumes, aftershaves and candles the company create. I walked out with some strikingly fresh smelling Geranium room spray and oils having totally forgotten about breakfast.
For a totally unique and exclusive perfume experience at 14 rue de Catiglione is JAR, a practically unsigned perfume boutique (www.jar-parfums.fr) established by Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR), a talented New York-born, Paris-based jeweller.
You enter JAR and walk into a room where everything is a calming deep shade of lilac, from the carpet to the chairs. In the centre of the room is a table where several perfume-soaked chamois are covered by glass bell jars. Joseph, a charming Parisian who manages the shop, won’t tell you anything about the overwhelmingly strong and unforgettable perfumes; the philosophy at JAR is that you smell and you decide for yourself which scent you’re attracted to.

You don’t need to know the ingredients or follow trends by knowing all about the perfume and who wears them. Perfume is still about seduction and mystery at JAR. The perfumes aren’t cheap but they are totally unique and so intensely concentrated you only need a dab or two.

L’Artisan Parfumeur (www.artisanparfumeur.com) is a another French perfume house with boutiques all over Paris, alhough the brand is now sold all over the world in upmarket department stores (as well as having its own flagship boutiques in cities such as London, Tokyo, New York and Milan). The real pleasure, though, is in going to one of the stores in Paris and indulging your senses Gallic-style with the wide range of heady scents.

Established in 1976, L’artisan Parfumeur is one of the leading French perfume houses and after spending over two hours in one of their stores recently, I can understand why. I’ve whittled my choices down to three favourites but still can’t decide which I want most.

The Different Company is another piece of perfume heaven – it was created by Jean-Claude Ellena, the infamous French perfumer who has created fragrances for some of the biggest perfume houses in France. He established The Different Company before joining Hermès. His daughter Celine now creates for The Different Company.

Some personal favourites:

Gardenia Passion and Songes by Annick Goutal
Olene Eau de Toilette by Diptyque
Premier Figuier and Fou d’Absinth by L’Artisan Parfumeur
Bois d’Iris by The Different Company

When you’re looking for a new perfume take one thing into consideration – time. Plan for it; take a day to wander slowly around Paris (4th, 1st and 7th are perfume-packed arrondissements) and take your time in each boutique. Choosing the right perfume is about bringing together all your five senses but using your sixth to decide which one is right for you. And only in Paris would a parfumeur treat an endeavour such as choosing perfume with the sense of great respect and reverence it is truly due. After all – you’re not just wearing perfume, you’re creating memories.

A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future – Coco Chanel

Living in Paris in the Marais for a year just recently, made me fall in love with the Marais but not just the usual fourth but also the third arrondissement. Here, for all the Holiday Goddesses, are some of my favourites places to go in my local ‘hood. Here fashion and food, my two loves, meld to create a Parisian haven of deliciousness.

The Marais 3rd and 4th arrondissement -

The third arrondissement in Paris is the grungier and now more interesting end of the Marais while the fourth is a major tourist attraction and very busy on a Sunday. Here all the boutiques are open if you want to go clothes shopping on a Sunday, unlike the rest of Paris, which shuts on Sundays due to stringent trading rules.

The Marais is full of fascinating streets, superb food stores, great cafes, and wonderful little boutiques; the better known labels are in the fourth while the newer cool designer names and mixed label boutiques are springing up like mushrooms in the third.

Walkabout in the Marais -

For orientation, start down near the river and walk up through fourth arrondissement and into the third. You can’t miss the Hotel de Ville, the ridiculously ornate pile that is the Paris City Hall. There you’ll find the big department store BHV. Clothing selection is nothing to write home about but the basement hardware floor is source of absolute fascination. Wander up Rue des Archives you can have some soup or a tartine (slice of bread with topping) at Le Pain Quotidien – it may be a chain but it’s a good one and they bake great bread.

Walk up until you hit rue des Francs Bourgeois – then turn right and you are in the heart of the Marais, where you can cherry-pick through a continuous stream of clothing boutiques from Gerard Darel, Barbara Bui, Les Petites and so on.

Fantastic museums housed in wonderful buildings are also just here, including the Musee Carnavalet with a lovely garden and the austerely beautiful Musee Picasso. Or walk to end of Francs Bourgeois to the most beautiful square in Paris, the historic Place des Vosges (which has horrendous art galleries under its beautiful arched walkway) and also a lovely garden in the centre of the square.

If  you want to head up out of the more touristy area go back along Francs Bourgeois and turn up rue Vieille du Temple (walking away from the River). French label Zadig et Voltaire have a store on the corner.

 If you want to turn the other way, you’ll hit the historic Jewish district in rue des Rosiers and falafel shops vying for your attention. But that’s another whole story well documented in guidebooks.

So walk up rue Vielle de Temple and pop into Paul and Joe’s little sister label or pass by Jamin Puech who have made handbags into an art form. Visit the store of cool Parisian designer Vanessa Bruno and many other cute boutiques such as optical shop les lunettes d’also. At the charming cobbled junction of Vielle de Temple and rue de Poitou you’ll find Abou d’abi bazar (good for less expensive French labels) Opposite check out French brand APC.  On the corner is the multi label boutique Shine, full of Marc Jacobs and Chloe.

Keep going up rue Vielle de Temple and you hit rue de Bretagne. On corner is hip bar Le Progres with its laughably rude waiters. Now for foodie heaven – turn left when you hit rue de Bretagne, the street, where a hidden treasure awaits called the Marche des Enfants Rouge. A covered market it is stacked with little stalls for eating such as Moroccan, Japanese, French organic and the crepe maker who makes rare appearances creating delicious organic crepes.

Over the road go to Café Charlot, which has been jumping with cool people ever since it opened about a year ago in an old Boulangerie (baker’s shop). They make a great French version of a burger (lovely and rare) and good fries. For sweet tooths try the pastries at La Fougasse on rue de Bretagne.

Refreshed, now you can hit the shops again. Round the corner on rue Charlot is Plagg a small boutique specialising in little know Danish and Swedish designers or wander up Rue de Saintonge parallel which has a lots of chic boutiques, including French designer Isabel Marant. Opposite is Dolls which stocks Danish designer Malene Birger. And just on a corner near Saintonge French shoe designer Estelle Youmeda.

If you are a vintage lover walk to the left around the Carre du Temple an old market building and find the charming Marie Louise de Monterey owned by Australian girl Maria, who has also just created her own vintage inspired pieces. Good Italian food can be found at restaurant Les  Vitelloni where you can sit outside in summer.

Now it’s time to head back down towards the Seine. Go down Rue Charlot and for an inexpensive designer hit, turn off rue Charlot into rue de Poitou and browse L’Habilleur which stocks lots of knitwear and left over bits of Paul and Joe at mark down prices. Don’t expect friendly service as you are barely tolerated but there are some good pieces for both men and women.

Go towards the end of Rue Charlot and there, if you have a taste for tailored sixties couture style (and a bank balance to match), visit the private atelier of designer Martin Grant (Paris based ex Melburnian) and buy something really beautiful to finish on a high note.

 
 A few of my favourite addresses – a quick A to Z:

Café Charlot
38 rue de Bretagne
75003 Paris
0144 54 03 30
 
Dolls
56 rue de Saintonge
75003 Paris

Estelle Yomeda
4 rue de Normandie
75003 Paris
01 44 59 80 33

Isabel Marant
47 rue de Saintonge
75003 Paris
01 42 78 19 24

LHabilleur
44 rue de Poitou
75003 Paris
01 48 87 77 12

Marche des Enfants Rouges
39 rue de Bretagne
75003

Marie Louise De Monterey
1, Rue Charles Francois Dupuis
75003, Paris
 01 48 04 83 88  

Martin Grant
10 rue Charlot
75003 Paris
01 42 71 39 49

Plagg
41 rue Charlot
75003 Paris
01 42 78 37 60

Shine
15 rue de Poitou
75003 Paris
01 48 05 801 0

Vanessa Bruno
100 rue Vielle du Temple
75003 Paris
01 42 77 19 41

Alexandra Billington’s relationship with Paris is strictly personal, and it all starts at The Shakespeare & Company bookstore on the left bank.

Right now I’m sitting in a café in New York thinking about Paris and remembering the first time I was sitting in a café in  New York thinking about Paris, under quite different circumstances – wondering whether that city was the answer to my big problem.

It was several years ago. I’d been living in New York, working on a couple of films as an intern, trying to write, but was too heartbroken over someone to concentrate on writing. I had to get away from everything that reminded me of the man I’d met and fallen in love with in New York, and get some perspective on my feelings. And so desperate was I for perspective and distance, that when a friend based in Sarajevo working for the UN invited me to stay, I didn’t hesitate and used the last available bit of credit on my bank card to buy a non-refundable airline ticket to Sarajevo, flying via Rome and Paris.

My reasoning was that there were people in Sarajevo who had been through far worse things than heartbreak, and maybe meeting them and hearing their stories would cure me of this terrible sadness that left me just wanting to drink wine and weep. I also wanted to give it one last chance with the man in question as I’d broken up with him via a rather dramatic letter I had couriered to him (so melodramatic!), never heard from him again (wonder why!), desperately wanted him back (Oh God, women and the wisdom of hindsight)… and knew he was in France. So I emailed him to say I’d be in Paris on a certain date and perhaps we could meet again one more time and talk. I said I’d wait for him at a bookstore on the left bank… it was The Shakespeare & Company bookstore; the infamous beautiful, musty, dilapidated old bookstore by the Seine that is straight out of a scene from Oliver Twist – you’ve got to give me ten points for being a histrionic romantic with that choice! I promised him I would be there no matter what. So now I had to do this.

A week or so later the troubles in Kosovo broke out and every news channel was covering the terrible stories of bombings and civilian casualties, but I had to leave New York because on top of everything else, my damn visa was up… so I boarded the plane, ignoring well meaning friends’ concerned pleas that I should go to Porto Rico instead. But no, perspective was calling. And I, ever in search of drama in my life, had to go to a warzone to get it.

I landed in Paris on a wet, cold April night where I was to stay on the sofa of a friend of a friend. I turned up to the apartment, wet and bedraggled. The friend of the friend was so welcoming to me I nearly started weeping again. I stepped into a living room where the lights were low, candles burned, and smiling people were draped over sofas drinking champagne. I felt completely out of sorts… but everyone in that room that night was as warm and welcoming as my host – and to this day are all good friends of mine – but I’m digressing.

Next morning I ventured out, oversized sunglasses hiding my red eyes, armed with the address of the bookstore, a map and more courage than I’d had to muster in my life before. I was praying the man in question would be standing outside the bookstore, as desperate to see me as I was him.

As I walked through the wet and chilly streets of the 3^rd arrondissement where my host lived, I looked around at the buildings, the people, the overcast sky and felt, strangely, like I was home – it just felt ‘right’ to be here. My heart was as heavy as lead but there was the stirring of something else in there too…. I just couldn’t explain or describe the feeling.

After what seemed an age I finally got to the book store; terrified of seeing him, terrified of not seeing him.

I opened the door to the bookstore and a clanging bell heralded my arrival. It was like stepping into another era. I found a nice spot amid the haphazardly stacked piles of books and sat down … and waited… and waited. People came and went, staff gave me strange looks, a dirty, balding cat, probably thinking by now I was part of the furniture, climbed on my lap and settled in for the afternoon. All I could hear was the gut-wrenching clanging of the bell every time the door opened, the ticking of several clocks and the audible pounding of my heart. I was sure everyone else could hear it too. This was hell. But somewhere inside, the objective, cold writer went to work and I realised how wonderful this experience was – an adventure of the heart.

So you’re wondering how it ended? He never came. Never even emailed to say he wasn’t coming. He wasn’t special. And I wasn’t special to him. But none of it really mattered, the only thing I was aware of was that awful pain in my heart every time I inhaled.

I walked out of the bookstore shellshocked. I had been so very certain he loved me. Had he just changed his mind? How fickle a thing is the heart? By now it was night and the rain was coming down hard. I walked by Seine, found a bench to sit on and sat there in disbelief for what seemed like hours, but was probably only one, thinking that getting to Sarajevo was my only hope of getting over this. As I sat there, two lovers passed, not young, not beautiful, but they radiated something beautiful; they couldn’t stop looking at each other and smiling, couldn’t let go of each other’s hands and despite the cold and rain they were happy as hell.

Not much about Paris here you’re probably thinking, but actually it’s all about Paris because I didn’t get to Sarajevo (the airports had been closed down) and I stayed in Paris for several months. Over the course of a balmy spring and lazy summer, I must have walked every inch of the city armed with my note book, stopping here and there for coffee and wine, feeling my heart heal just a fraction more each day.

I met lots of interesting people, and each had their own tale of love and loss and as I listened to their stories, I didn’t feel so alone in my own sadness. I wandered around museums, galleries, I sat in cafes, watching people pass by, and I wrote and wrote and wrote as if my life depended on it. And it probably did. Paris was the only city in the world I could imagine being at that time.

September – and the rain – came. It was time to go. I took a last walk around the city and found myself standing, once again, by the Seine in that same spot I’d stood shellshocked months before. I suddenly realised I wasn’t the same person… and I hadn’t waited in that bookshop for a man. I’d waited there for me. And what’s more, I’d do it again.

I took a deep breath and this time there was no more pain in my heart when I inhaled. Then that feeling I’d had on my first day in Paris came back. I was finally ready to recognise it; it was Hope. My time in Paris had given me that.

So this story is all about Paris… if you’re going to be heartbroken anywhere, and every one of us is at some time in our lives, Paris is the only place to be. She won’t give you advice, she won’t tell you where you went wrong or try to distract you with cheap, noisy entertainment. She’ll just surround you with her grace and beauty and let you be. And the perspective from there is perfection.