A Little Paris and ProvenceFavourites

Note: This list is comprised of the authors’ personal favourite places to see/things to do. This in no way is a comprehensive listing and should not serve as the unique source of information and inspiration for travellers to Paris and Provence.

October 2014

Paris

Paris invites you to explore and discover its multi-layered riches.Like Hemmingway said, Paris is a moveable feast. However long you visit, you will have it with you for the rest of your life. After 27 years living in France, it still surprises me. When in Paris, allow yourself to wander, letting yourself be lead by your senses.

2

Top 10 places to see in and around Paris: (other than Eiffel… Notre-Dame…)

1. Musée de Cluny , see the famous tapestries written about in Tracy Chevalier’s The Lady and the Unicorn

2. Ten Unexpected Places in Paris 3. Père Lachaise cemetery : Where Abelard and Heloise and so many others

rest…4. Chateau de Fontainbleau 5. France miniature : a park in the shape of France with over 100 of its’ most

recognized sites, built to a scale of 1:306. Rent a bike in Paris : not a place to see so much as a very good way to

see it!7. See Paris like a Parisian (the Paris blog from the city hall of Paris)8. E. Dehillerin : follow in the footsteps of Julia Child9. Mariage Frères : an historic teashop, taste Marco Polo, Pleine Lune,

Wedding Imperial, etc.10.Bouquinistes: books stalls along both sides of the Seine from Notre-Dame

to beyond the Pont Neuf – Ephemera Heaven!

Where to stay: Paris has plenty of places to stay but if you want style, comfort and a home in Paris, www.coreyamaro.weebly.com (coming soon)

Brocante: St-Ouen, the largest antique market in the world, Porte-Vanves every Saturday morning, St-Paul village in the Marais

Restaurants:

A few favorites:

1. Chez Paul $$$: traditional restaurant, the décor, menu and waiters haven’t changed in 20 years

2. Le Train Bleu $$$$: in the Gare de Lyon, take the boxed lunch for the TGV ride to Aix or Marseille

3. La Cantine de Troquet $$, 101 rue Ouest 75014 Paris 01 45 40 04 984. Paul $: Chef Paul Bocuse has bakeries all over France where you can eat

a great sandwich; hot chocolate, freshly squeezed orange juice and of course, baked goods…

5. Restaurant du Musée d’Orsay $$: a museum visit, a décor to die for and a delicious lunch

6. Cantine California $$: classic California gourmet/Parisian street food… in a truck!

3

7. La Grande Épicerie de Paris $$: whether you have a gourmet picnic or an orgasmic culinary experience in mind, the wine cellar, the bakery, the grocery store and the restaurant are pure eye candy – Amazing!

8. La Closerie des Lilas $$$$: Since 1847, “La Closerie attracted everyone who was anyone to its garden of lilac trees… in a setting worthy of The Thousand and One Nights.”

4

Photo source: Corey Amaro

La Provence (Luberon, Bouches du Rhône, Var)

Top 10 places to see:

1. Avignon and area: Vox de populi, Palais des papes, Villeneuve les Avignon brocante and surrounding area, Pont du Gard

2. Isle sur la Sorgue: Saturday classic market and Sunday brocante market (second largest antique market in France outside Paris)

3. Lourmarin/Bonnieux/Lacoste (parallel perched hillside villages): (One of the oldest markets in France in Apt nearby)

4. Cassis: a charming seaside port Visite des calanques, Route de Crête: a 400 meter cliff with a hiking trail along the edge, a must see spectacular panoramic view

5

5. Cotignac: one of the most beautiful towns of the Var with an imposing rock cliff face, most photographed four season fountain in the town square, Tuesday morning market

6. Aix-en-Provence: the Paris of the south, great Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday market, Cézanne’s studio and mont Sainte-Victoire hiking trail (mountain featured in many of Cézanne’s paintings)

7. Marseille: Maison Empereur (since 1827, family-run kitchen store) Le Panier

8. Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume/La Sainte-Baume: In Saint-Maximin visit la basilique de Sainte Baume where Marie Magdalene is buried in the crypt, see restaurant listed below, tourist office next to the cloister/ A stunning 45 minute hiking trail to Saint Mary Magdalene’s grotto up the Sainte Baume hill, see restaurant listed below.

9. Les Gorges du Verdon/Moustiers Sainte-Marie/Plateau de Valensole (lavender fields best time to view is first two weeks in July) Gorges du Verdon, Charming hillside village of Moustiers Sainte-Marie, must hike up to the chapel on right side path wearing shoes with rubber soles

10.Arles: Van Gogh village, roman ruins, arena, must go to the cemetery, market on Wednesday…

Photo source: Élan

6

Photo source: Corey Amaro

In the south of France, towns, villages and the countryside are beautiful to see. To experience Provence, you need a car and time to amble down the path of possibility. Provence cannot be rushed, it must be savoured. Unlike Paris, sights are spread out over hundreds of kilometers. If Paris is champagne, Provence is Pastis.

7

Markets: Most towns in Provence have a weekly morning market. At the market, you can buy vegetables, fruit, cheese, meat, linens, small household items, souvenirs, flowers, clothes, soaps, etc.

To find out where and when are markets and brocantes: www.beyond.fr/a/markets-by-day-all.html

Places to stay: Bouches du Rhône/Var: www.stellaeprovence.weebly.com (in Cotignac) Lubéron: www.lamadone.net (in Apt)

Photo source: TICA

Brocante:

At a brocante in France one can find anything. Well anything old that is. The classic brocante finds are linens such as sheets with giant monograms, hand made lace pillow cases, monogrammed dinner napkins large enough to be mistaken for a tablecloth, silverware, serving pieces, dishes, pottery, books, lace, ribbons, nightstands.... etc.

8

The classic brocante finds are plentiful to the point that it is easy for those of us living here not to notice them anymore.When you live in France, brocantes are as plentiful as the stars in the sky... finding the extraordinary, the unusual, the good price, and the right vendor is the difference between the visitor and the local at the brocante. The local has everyday and weekend of the year to dive into the brocante; the visitor has a handful by comparison. http://brocabrac.fr/

Restaurants: Most restaurants serve lunch from 12: 30 to 2pm and supper from 7: 30 to 10pm. You have a choice of ordering à la carte or a menu (a choice in three sections: entrée, main course and dessert) which is usually at a fixed price and les expensive than if you order à la carte. Reservations are strongly recommended.

A few favourites:

1. La table en Provence $$, 50 rue Général de Gaulle 83470 in St-Maximin la Sainte Baume 04 94 59 84 61

2. Hôtel Restaurant Lou Pèbre d’aï $$$, 83640 Plan d’Aups 04 42 04 50 423. La Terrasse $$, 8 rue St-Jean 83570 Cotignac 04 94 04 67 934. Le Grand Bleu $$$, 12 Quai des Desbaux 13260 Cassis 04 42 01 23 23

also Restaurant Romano $$$, 15 Quai Jean-Jacques Barthélémy 13260 Cassis 04 42 01 08 16

5. Le Verdun $$, 20 Place de Verdun 13100 Aix-en-Provence 04 42 27 03 24

6. Les bars du Moment $, 19 rue Docteur Iscat 13006 Marseille (only open for lunch no phone number)

7. Pizza Capri $, 5 rue Fabrot 13100 Aix-en-Provence 04 42 38 55 43 8. Chez Serge (on Sunday, brocante day, 17 euro for a menu otherwise $$

$), 90 rue Cottier 84200 Carpentras 04 90 63 21 249. Maison Jouvaud Patisserie $, 40 rue de L’Évêque 84200 Carpentras 04

90 63 15 3810.Chez Bernard $$$, Calanque de Magaud, Chemin de la Mer (must walk

10 minutes along a path) 83990 Toulon 04 94 27 20 62 11.La Pesquière $$, 1 rue des Remparts 83990 St-Tropez 04 94 97 05 9212.Chez Aldo $$$, 28 rue Audemar Tibido 13800 Marseille 04 91 73 31 5513.Christian Etienne $$$$, 10 rue de Mons 84000 Avignon 04 90 86 16 5014.La Maison Jaune (Van Gogh’s house) $$, 1 Rond-point des Arènes 13200

Arles 33 4 90 93 58 52

This little guide is the result of the collaboration between Corey Amaro and Denise Moulun-Pasek.

9