Paris. It somehow feels as if everything has been said about the capital of France already. I also somehow feel that this will never become true. The city changes all the time, Parisians change, and we as visitors change too, maybe every day. Every time I visit Paris, I find something new. As I was sipping coffee in a pavement café just by the Ile de Cite I overheard two women, and what they said made me smile. One of them looked knowingly over the glistening Seine “Paris is so large, you would certainly need a full week to see it all.” That is a rather ambitious project and not only that, it is complete nonsense. It is never going to happen, no one will ever know everything about Paris. Isn't that what makes towns like Paris so exciting, we all know there will always be something new to see on future visits. In any case, as Marcel Proust said, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Look at these random magical places in Paris I just visited. I will tell you why on the left bank everybody loves Claus, and about a place where you can visit the ones who walked the streets of Paris before us, and about one of the hottest places in Paris, where the digital art revolution is happening as we speak. When in Paris, you will instantly stop wanting to be elsewhere. Book your ticket to Paris now.
Claus Paris – The left bank café where breakfast is queen
If I think of bakeries and patisseries I immediately think of Paris. Try it, think of bakeries, see, you think of this town too. When in Paris I stick to a quick breakfast of baguette, some jam, a piece of viennoiserie (as in pain au chocolat or brioche) and coffee, and I would do this happily and ever after.
Good things come to the tourists that love to wander aimlessly. As I stroll through the early morning emptiness of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, I see this beautifully stylish and inviting café with its white façade and black letters, inside lots of happy people drinking coffee and eating large portions of muesli, croissants, brioches. I enter to ask for a table and since there isn’t one available, I reserve one for the next morning.
Claus Paris is only a small café and a true heaven for all the ones who enjoy beautiful interior design and extensive breakfasts. Walk three steps from the Saint Germain market to this place where all mueslis, granolas, breakfast bowls, jams, breads, egg dishes, viennoiseries are 100% homemade. Waiters in white aprons and blue shirts, who are carrying big smiles and trays of sumptuous breakfast dishes, navigate through the room swiftly. The tiled floors, light grey chairs, green velvet benches, golden filigree mirrors, bouquets of flowers and large pots of plants create the ideal atmosphere and scenery.
On weekends there is a breakfast menu, where diners choose between set breakfast options, that consist of three courses each. Do not schedule in a lunch date after your visit at Claus, you are going to eat so much that you (I would go so far as to predict certainly) must skip lunch and opt for a late dinner. I recommend: Nut-cinnamon brioche, (that is only the beginning of your wonderful breakfast journey), fresh bread, pain au chocolat, poached eggs, spinach and sauce bearnaise on brioche, apple compote with ginger, café crème and orange juice.
Info Claus Paris, 2, rue Clément, 75006 Paris, France. Hours: Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9.30am to 5pm. Expect to pay EUR 34 per Person for breakfast plus extras (depending on how much coffee or tea you would like to consume). The owner Claus Estermann also has a second café, Claus - Palais-Royal, 14 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 75001 Paris, France. Hours: Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 9.30am to 5pm. Please visit the website for more information. Please book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Père Lachaise Cemetery - Visit the ones who walked the streets of Paris before you
The 20th arrondissement is in the northeast of Paris. Jim Morrison is well and truly alive here; his spirit is alive. Visit his grave on this beautiful park-like cemetery, you will be surprised at the number of visitors that flock to his grave still. The singer-songwriter died in 1971 at the age of 27. Where did the time go? In total there are 1,000,000 people buried here, and Jim Morrison, Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde are the famous ones among the dead.
Here is a quick guide to the people you can visit on Pere Lachaise plus ideas on where to learn about their views, dreams and work. It is easy to navigate to their graves, just have a look at the map by the entrance. Please be kind and keep in mind that you are visiting a cemetery. This is not Disneyland. The cemetery is a beautiful place for a stroll, visit all the ones who walked the streets of Paris before you, and remember we are all in this world together, and each one of us probably a big fan of Paris.
Singer and poet Jim Morrison, Division 6. Listen to “Break on Through to the Other Side” and all Door songs that follow till Jim Morrison’s death in 1971.
Writer Honoré de Balzac, buried in division 48. Read Father Goriot and see how Balzac describes life in 1819s Paris.
Pianist and composer, Frédéric Chopin, Division 11.
Actress Simone Signoret, buried in division 44. Watch the film 'Ship Of Fools' to see her in action.
Singer Edith Piaf, Division 97. Watch the film 'La Vie en Rose' with Marion Cotillard starring as Edith Piaf.
Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro, buried in division 7. Head to Musée d'Orsay to look at his paintings.
Novelist Marcel Proust, buried in division 85. Read the seven-volume long 'In Search of Lost Time,' the life's work of the author.
Poet Oscar Wilde, buried in division 89. Read The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Info Père Lachaise: 16 Rue du Repos, 75020 Paris, France. Hours: Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Tickets: Free.
Atelier des Lumières – The digital art revolution is happening
This is innovative and exciting. The Atelier des Lumières is Paris’s first digital art museum. Well-known artworks are projected with the help of laser video projectors onto every space of the ten-metre-high walls, a tall brick chimney, a pool, a tank, and the floors throughout the complete venue. I love to visit museums and I love to look at art and read about painters and sculptors and learn about times gone by. Often, I hear that people don't enjoy visiting museums, as they consider it boring.
With showcasing artworks digitally, this is an excellent way to bring art and with that history closer to people and to wet people’s interest in art. It might even open up what many consider an elitist world. It is a spectacular experience, the 360-degree display allows visitors to dive straight into it. The immersive art accompanied by music surrounds you and for the time being, you become part of the artwork. Culturespaces, the company who is running Atelier des Lumières, wants to further the digital revolution in the cultural sector. You must experience this. Book your trip to Paris now.
The history of the Atelier des Lumières venue: In 1835 a foundry was established at this exact address to supply navy and railway companies with high-quality cast iron parts, it turned out to be so successful that it was in business for a whole century. After that and until 2000 manufacturing tools were produced here. For years, the foundry was abandoned and forgotten about until in 2013 Bruno Monnier, the President of Culturespaces, rediscovered it. He dreamed of a Digital Arts Centre in Paris and rented the space. After renovations, the Atelier des Lumières opened in the spring of 2018.
Info Atelier des Lumières, 38 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris, France. Atelier des Lumières is wheelchair accessible. Hours: Monday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Please buy tickets in advance. On weekends you won't even have the chance to buy tickets at the museum, as ticket-desk is closed. Tickets Adults EUR 14, Youth 5 to 25 years old EUR 9.50. The program in the Studio may present risks for people with epilepsy and young children.
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