Architecture is a challenge for me.  I like details and large structures can be overwhelming to me.

But I keep trying and I’m committed to one day buying a wide angle lens to experiment even more.

One of my favorite photographers is Jean-Michel Berts (the French Ansel Adams of architecture).  He says “Architecture is the cultural reflection of a civilization” – so true, especially for Paris.

You can’t visit Paris and not want to be a part of it.  The city is beautiful, imposing, and sometimes daunting (Which I’m sure the kings liked).

Paris is one city by day and another by night.  When the sun goes down and the lights go on the city sparkles, but with more than two thousand years of history it can also feel haunted.

When you have a car in Paris there is nothing better than a “Paris by Night”.  Driving around the city at night with no other reason then to enjoy the city lit up.

Even if the photos aren’t perfection I hope they convey some of the emotion of seeing Paris by night.

Enjoy!

Leslie

PS: Visit the Sous Les Etoiles Gallery through January 29th for an exhibition of “The Cities of Jean-Michel Berts”.

Each time I visit Paris something is different and every visit I make a mental note of the changes I see.

This visit I noticed more Velib bicycle stations – Yeah!

I also noted fantastic improvements in the public transportation system.  Changes included renovated, cleaner metro stations, with improved signage, and new digital panels displaying the current time and estimated time of arrival for your bus or train.

I also noticed American cookies everywhere.  They have become a staple next to the brownies in many boulangeries.  With all the sophisticated pastries and chocolate wonders in France who would have thought a basic chocolate chip cookie could be so popular.

However, there are things in France that never change and in January that is les galettes des rois (the king’s cakes).  The galette des rois are the traditional pastry of Epiphany celebrated on January 6th, but the French seem to celebrate it all month – perhaps an excuse to eat more galette des rois.

If you visit France in January you can’t miss les galettes des rois as they are displayed, front and center, in the window of every boulangerie in France.

This round flaky puff pastry is filled with almond paste or frangipan (a combination of almond cream and pastry cream).  They come in an array of sizes and are purchased by the number of people you will be serving.

If you are lucky enough to celebrate Ephiphany with a French family or friends you’ll know the novelty of the galette des rois is not just the quality of the pastry but the fève (little figurine) that is hidden inside the pastry. The youngest at the table, will hide under the table and call out who gets each slice.

Whoever finds the fève (which can be plastic, porcelain or even a fancy jewel) gets to be crowned king or queen for day.  Paper crowns (alla Burger King) are typically included with your galette des rois.

If you have never tasted a galette des rois, they are worth a try.  Make a note in your January 2011 calendar to reserve a galette des rois from your local French baker to share with friends or family (with or without the crowns).

A trip to France next January would definitely ensure you taste a galette des rois.  If not you can always enjoy the experience right here without the calories or risk of cracking a tooth on a fève.

Enjoy!

Leslie

One of my objectives for this trip was to photograph bicycles but instead I found myself looking at Paris as a village.

The city is divided into twenty arrondissements (administrative districts) and each district has its own personality.

The twenty arrondissements are like a large group of little French villages.  With their own governing body, they service residents with what I consider the French basics; des cafés (cafes), des boulangeries (bakeries), une poissonerie (a fish monger), une fromagerie (a cheese shop), un supermarché (a supermarket), une église ou deux (a church or two), un station metro (a subway station) and a few Vélib bicycle stations.

Many French frequent the same café or boulangerie in their arrondissement – usually because it’s the best quality in the neighborhood.   It also develops the feel of living in a small village – you may never know your neighbor but you will probably know your local baker.

When you live in Paris it’s easy to overlook the enjoyment of having local merchants (especially when you’re in a rush) but as a foreigner it’s a distinct point of difference that adds to the uniqueness and beauty of the city.

Here’s a look at a few of the arrondissements of Paris.

Enjoy!

Leslie

I can’t imagine a January where I don’t see my friends Claudine and Marie-Pierre (Mapie).

If you’ve been following my blog since June or the original site you know about the biannual girls weekend.

(more…)

Biking has become very chic, with recent features in the New York Times Style section, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and not to mention store windows.

Who doesn’t want to ride a bike, especially when you have the right bike like an Electra Bike?

A recent study found that 71 percent of people wished they biked more but gathering the gear and know-how can be intimidating.*

I’ll bike anywhere…Paris, Rome, New York even Clermont Ferrand.   Biking not only allows me to eat the food I post about (especially chocolate from The Sweet Life), it’s convenient, there is always parking, it’s environmentally friendly and it’s free!

And above all it’s truly enjoyable!

In 2007 Paris launched a public bicycle program called Vélib with 10,000 bicycles and 750 automated rental stations, today the city has 20,000 bicycles and 1,450 stations.  Not only is the program a success, it’s the largest system of its kind in the world!

I’m patiently awaiting New York’s program but until then I continue to promote biking in the city, one person at a time… because the more bikers, the more bike lanes and with more bike lanes we can all bike to enjoy more sweets from The Sweet Life!

So if you looking for some free enjoyment, exercise included, consider a visit to your local bike shop to gather advice and information on the best bikes, gear and safety – and get biking!

Here are a few of my favorite NYC bike shops and a link to New York’s Bike Jumble on September 13th…

A Bicycle Shop 163 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011 - Tel: (212) 691-6149

NYC Velo 64 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003 - Tel: (212) 253-7771

Sids Bikes 235 East 34th Street, New York, NY 10016 - Tel: (212) 213-8360

Enjoy!

Leslie

* SHAPE, May 2009