February 4, 2015

Un Autre Quartier de Paris


Lavender, red, and blue.
Paris is perfect for me and you.


Today was a cure for a case of Instagram Envy.

Following more and more travelers on IG has resulted in an over-abundance of great ideas all over the world. I'm just happy I can take advantage of the Paris posts!


It's amazing how just a little bit of sunshine can completely change our attitude toward winter weather. It was a brisk 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was comfortable and happy to stroll along rues and boulevards at my own pace.

I spent this sunny afternoon in the 9th arrondissement, taking the long ways, walking slowly, and backtracking when I felt like it.


The first place my feet led me to was the Musée Gustave Moreau.


For only 6€, Monsieur Moreau's three-story home is covered floor to ceiling with his various paintings to be viewed and appreciated. Moreau was fascinated with all kinds of history, legend, and myth, as evidenced by his painting subjects. But the show-stealer is the vanilla peel swirling staircase with classic wrought iron railings against the pink wall.

Design tip, noted.


Just two blocks away, the Musée de la Vie Romantique beckoned me down the long pathway from Rue Chaptal.

Romantically hidden away.


Surrounded by wintering plants and tall residences, this mint-shuttered cottage is a peaceful respite down the hill from Pigalle and Montmartre.


It is one of the free museums of the Ville de Paris group, and it is a lovely tribute to the Romantic era of Paris in the mid-1800s.

The shutters used to be brown?!
Think of it as the hangout of the up-and-coming writers/artists/musicians before Hemingway and the Roaring 20s. You end up with George Sand, Frederic Chopin, Eugene Delacroix, Charles Dickens, and so on.

From March to October, you can even enjoy a quiet tea in the garden.
The next place on my list was Le Rocketship boutique-café. It's like adorable office stuff heaven. I controlled myself to just two cards, and thoroughly enjoyed a conversation with the store owner. It was great French practice, for one, but for two, he passed on great springtime Bois de Boulogne tips that I will have to try very soon.


I had a little bit of extra time to wander down Rue Lafayette and stop into an oak-paneled brasserie for a break. I snacked on frites between scrawling notes to some friends.


I bundled up in my scarf, coat, and gloves before heading out into the cool and dry evening, and walked to the metro.

Another satisfying day in another beautiful neighborhood of Paris.

Will I ever "have had enough" of this place?

I hope not.
   

Un Autre Quartier de Paris on iOS & Android
Find the rest of my navigational GPSmyCity app article cities HERE.