Alexandra Carroll - Paris: An Inspired Wander Through the City of Lights

AN INSPIRED WANDER THROUGH THE CITY OF LIGHTS ALEXANDRA CARROLL

CONTENTS Introduction

e 7th arrondissement

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Par is is so iconic and immutably stylish that it exists as much as a promised land in the imagination of dreamers and wanderers as it does a living city that is creative, dynamic, evolving and extraordinary .

Fal ling under the spell of the City of Lights for the first time is an unforgettable experience. P aris s visual splendour its elegant bridges perfect for dawdling and lingering for a sunset view of the Seine, La T our E iffel lighting up the night sky , the magnificent Louvr e and opulent P alais Garnier once seen, etches a cultural iconography on one s consciousness so seductive that it s easy to see the grand sw eep of P aris s icons as the city s pinnacle experience. Add Pa ris s reputation as the world capital of many of the finer things in life, including haute couture and haute cuisine, and a thriving street life dotted with picture sque cafs, stunning gardens and lively ma rkets; alongside the icons, this classical P aris is a playbook with enduring appeal. Like countless other visitors, my first encounter with P aris was lo v e at first sight and ignited a desire to one day mov e there and live out my own P ar isian fantasy . Over the years, whether it be for pleasure or work , I have begun or ended every trip to E urope in Pa ris. Once I finally dragged my gaze away from the spellbinding beauty of the Pal ais-Royal an d the P on t Alexandre III, I began to discove r a Pa ris beyond its postcard-perfect imagery : the haunts and hideaways frequented by locals, and the hidden gems. Ev entually , an opportunity arose to live and work in the city on and off over the cour se of a year , fulfilling a long- held dream, and allowing me to delve deeper . PAR IS INTRODUCTION

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is book is the result of months and months of walking the arrondissements every day with just a camera, a small red Mol eskine notebook and a map. After a couple of months, I no longer needed the map. e arrondissements came into focus, then their quarters (or quartiers) with their distinct character and finally their individual streets. e true pleasures an d beating heart of the city revealed itself in the cafs, wine bars, neo-bistros, ateliers, vintage stores, lesser-known museums, hidden gard ens, and clandestine cocktail bars. Here, in the workaday streets of 21st centur y P aris, a vibrant scene of entrepreneurs, art isans, baristas, designers, chefs and mixologists revolutionising long-held traditions surrounding food, fashion, design PAR IS INTRODUCTION

and retail, exist in parallel with the olde-world brasseries, bistros and historic palaces and museums. Millennial driven, this new P ar isian spirit is remaking and reviving neighbourhoods found off the beaten tourist track. Inspiring, inventive and endlessly fascinating, it is here you will find the cutting edge of creative P ar is, and the places to take its pulse. is guide is designed to be experienced as I walked and mapped it. Being a flneur never goes out of style, and all that legwork allows for more stops at the ptisseries, cafs and wine bars along the way! At the end of each chapter , y ou will find a curation of the best shops and museums some iconic, some cutting-edge the city has to offer . PAR IS INTRODUCTION

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In order t o set your compass, here are a few basic pointers for navigation. P aris is cut eastwest by the Sei ne, hence the Right Bank and the Left Bank. e islands le de la Cit and le Saint-Louis, and the banks acr oss the Seine, form the historic centre from which the metropolis grew . East P ar is is historically the PAR IS INTRODUCTION