City Insider: Meet Lou in Paris

If you had a friend in town for 24 hours, what are the three things you would do with them?

Three was impossible, the least I could manage was five, I hope that is OK! So . . . we would get up early to make the most of it and have brunch at Holybelly just by Canal Saint Martin. Nico and Sarah have created this really friendly place, with talented kitchen staff, adorable waiting staff who are very efficient, excellent coffee, yummy food and feel-good playlists. After brunch we’d go for a long walk somewhere, my current top choice would be rue Mouffetard in the 5th arrondissement, where you can stop in the lovely shops along the way  and go for some sweet mint tea at the Grand Mosquée de Paris. After walking, talking and shopping we’d need a glass (or two) of wine somewhere: my two top picks would be Septime la Cave on rue Charonne or La Buvette on rue Saint-Maur both of which stock organic wines. Next stop would be dinner at Le Dauphin, which is a fun place with pretty marble decor, more organic wines on the menu, friendly service and small sharing plates. Before seeing them onto their train their following morning, friend and I would head to Fondation Café for some avocado toast and amazing coffee. Be sure to say hello to Chris and his friendly team – they are so passionate about coffee and would be incredibly happy to have a chat with you about it.

Let’s talk about Sunday in Paris. Everything seems to be closed!! What is the typical French Sunday like?

This used to bug me in the beginning, until I discovered that actually a lot stays open in Paris yippee. Sure, some supermarkets in the centre close and all the shopping centres are closed, but that still leaves the markets, the cinema, the cafés, the bakeries, the yoga factories…I value it more these days because I feel like it encourages people to have a real weekend. We like brunch to be a big feature of our weekend, and if we’re organised we’ll get up a bit earlier and make a trip to our local farmer’s market.

What can a visitor do on Sunday in Paris?

You can start with coffee and something sweet or savoury at Ten Belles, or you could go have tea and macarons at Ladurée, you can visit the Jardin des Plantes, or the Grand Mosque of Paris. You can head to the Marais (the Jewish quarter), have falafel at l’As du Fallafel (Ali interjecting, I’ve done this before! :) and walk around as most of the stores there are open. You can browse the books at the beautiful Shakespeare and Co and admire the Notre Dame Cathedral afterwards. Maybe there’s an exhibition on at the Town Hall to you can check out. The city is your oyster, even on a Sunday : )

When it rains in Paris, where will we find you (if you’re not snuggled in bed under a duvet!)?

We have rather a nice big apartment, so if it’s raining I like to stay inside and drink tea, snuggle with Jon and watch movies with him. Other than that, you may find me in one of the city’s many coffee shops, reading or writing down ideas for blog posts. Or chatting with other blogger friends about their current projects.

If you were to take a day trip outside of Paris, where do you go?

In the spring or summer, I would definitely recommend a trip to Giverny, where you can visit the beautiful gardens and home of Monet. I’d love a little weekend in Normandy (I hope Jon is reading this!), or other parts of Normandy, so would suggest that too !

Any final words on life in the beautiful city of light??

Paris is a city that takes time to settle into. At first it can be lonely and perhaps a little frustrating, but that’s OK. Walk around as much as you can to explore all the city’s different neighbourhoods. I think one of my regrets is not discovering the city sooner. Also, there’s an extensive expat community in Paris – I’ve met a lot of people through Instagram and blogging – so if you want to meet other creative types the possibility is definitely there. Oh and go try something sweet from Du Pain et Des Idées.