places like this aren’t hard to find.  in fact, they’re practically on every corner.  one thing about these cafes however are that they are either pretty pricey or  incredibly intimidating to go sit by yourself for a few hours with a good book.

what has been hard to find are hip and trendy, non-touristy, go and sit by yourself for hours kind of cafes.

thankfully a friend recommended we go to coutume cafe, which is exactly what i’ve been looking for!

i knew i was in for a treat when i was several blocks away and spotted take-away coffee cups from coutume, only to find a hip, open air, industrial cafe spilling with smiling locals upon arrival.

the australian-french fusion cafe sports an interesting design that is an environmentally friendly/organic take with edison bulbs and science lab decor (their beverages come in science beakers!)

a glance from their facebook page showcases just how focused and in-tune they are with the coffee bean selection and roasting process and you fully grasp all of that once you take a sip of a beautifully displayed coffee concoction.

if you ever find yourself shopping at le bon marché or within the saint-germain des prés neighborhood, do yourself a favor and take an afternoon pause at coutume.

*bisous*

photos via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

I had planned to have a champagne toast with my friend, followed by dinner.  yet when i arrived at her apartment i was greeted with “SURPRISE!” and a “marie-antoinette” themed festival with friends!

everyone dressed up in masks and frilly frocks and we celebrated with champagne adorned with raspberries.

blue and pink streamers hung from the ceiling with a large sign that read, “Let Them Eat Cake!” on the wall!  marie antoinette (one of my all time favourite movies) was playing and the strokes was blasting and it was as if we were celebrating at versailles!

not a single pastry was the same!  there were chocolate eclairs, strawberry and pineapple tarts, lemon meringues, petifores, cotton candy, and snowballs (my choice!)

we danced the night away and told jokes and listened to new order and siouxsie and the banshees and stuffed ourselves silly with champagne and whipped cream.

my friend painted the most amazing picture of a “marie” gal in front of paris monuments!  it’s incredible and so pretty!

then there were tiaras and glitter and ostrich feather fans!  i couldn’t have asked for more!

marie was there in spirit and it was truly the most amazing birthday in paris i could have ever of dreamed of!

*bisous*

but once in a while and more rarely than expected, you come across a boutique that isn’t what you expect to expect (are you with me?)

that’s how i felt when i stumbled into….

(translation: Monsieur Honoré’s Adorable Cabinet of Curiosities)

i saw some glitzy jewelry in the window display and had some time to kill so i told myself, “why not!”  but once i stumbled through the doors it was as if i found ariel’s secret stash of gadgets and gizmos.

though the theme of the boutique is more on the darker side (black walls, stuffed crows, framed butterflies… ) i couldn’t help but see past all of that and imagine their bright, bold, sparkly objects in the most girly of girly rooms.

honestly, it’s like iris apfel’s jewelry box with the most impressive collection of costume jewelry that isn’t the cheep, dinky kind either.

i got a 1920′s vibe from all of the jewelry (though they were also playing duke ellington and i’m currently gatsby-obsessed, which probably added a few stars in my eyes.)  and i also bought two of the cutest headbands (i sense pictures soon to come on the blog.)

they had some of the most creative jewelry! (some examples being rings made from shells or little charms.)

in my opinion, everything is extremely well priced for what it is and displayed creatively under glass bell jars to make it look super expensive and lux.

definitely my new favourite boutique!

*bisous*

photos via facebook and little style box

nothing is like versailles.  it out-does any museum, any historic house, and any secret garden you’ve ever come across.

every time i visit i discover something new.  a new room, a new statue, a new ambiance, a new inspiration.  these photos are from my instagram account just a few weekends ago.

honestly, i could visit versailles every week for the rest of my life and never get bored.  there is so much history, so much glamor, so much curiosity.

even if you only had two days in paris, i would 100% suggest to take 1 day for sightseeing in paris and 1 day for versailles.

love.love

*bisous*

i am alice and these are my rabbit holes.

*bisous*

one park that certainly feels elsewhere than paris is the parc des buttes chaumont (i also mentioned it in my rosa bonheur post.)  located in the 19e, certainly in a spot most tourist probably don’t (or shouldn’t) venture too, it’s a treasure chest amongst an ordinary parisian neighborhood.

i believe the parks are my favourite places in paris.  they help you forget all of the traffic and noise and obligations that lies beyond its gates.

this park is a runners/childs paradise with beautiful scenery and high and low hills and paths that wind throughout the greenery and stumble upon sidewalk cafes or hidden puppet theaters.

if you find yourself in the neighborhood, or planning an evening at rosa bonheur, go a little early and enjoy this hidden gem.

*bisous*

after a summer abroad in the south of france and a day trip out to the west of normandy, i really consider myself a country-girl.  sure, city life is fun, but something’s different about the open space in the country.  the way the wind feels… the sounds of the bugs… the oxygen from the trees and the flowers…

one of the top attractions in france is the small town of giverny where claude monet famously lived and painted within his gardens…

i’ve never seen such an amazing variety of plants and flowers kept in the utmost of care.  everything is truly magical and the space invites room for thought and fresh air.

i always considered monet to have a impressionistic/dream-like style, but after visiting his house i realized he painted everything just as he saw it.  even the way the flowers curled or shaded themselves with colour, was as if monet played the role of the higher power and this garden was the result after his 7-days of creation.

monet’s house was so inspiring in so many ways.  (no photographs were allowed)

the furniture was simplistic, rustic, and typical country-styled, but there was rarely a glimpse of wall space because framed works of monets, cezannes, and hokusais were spanning from floor to ceiling.  (i had no idea monet was an art collector, or even that he was so inspired by the japanese culture.)

if you are a fan of monet, his house is better then any museum exhibition that could ever be offered on his works.

with all being said, it was hard to fully appreciate everything because there had to of been several thousands of people there!  if you wanted alone time to ponder and soak everything in while you strolled across the water lily ponds, forget it!

yet despite being deprived of the full spiritual experience this place truly deserves, it was still so very awe-inspiring and something that should not be missed in the least!

*bisous*

i can count how many times i’ve watched french television on one hand, but today i happened to be in a room with a tv and saw this super cute commercial.

the marie antoinette lover in me couldn’t resist sharing with my fellow marie-lovers/francophiles… also check out this link to watch a super cute and inspiring “making-of” the commercial (which i might actually love more than the commercial.)

maybe i’ll start drinking badoit just because of this commercial. now that’s successful advertising and marketing!

*bisous*

the restaurant is conveniently located within the park, so i killed two birds with one stone.  the park itself is magical and something you wouldn’t expect to find within paris at all (a future posts and pictures are soon to follow) it’s forest setting places you somewhere elsewhere.

i’ve heard great things about rosa bonheur as a mixture between a restaurant, patio, dance club, hang out spot, etc. etc. etc.  i’m not even sure if rosa bonheur itself knows what it is, but somehow it all seems to work together.

my friend described it as something very similar to a german beer garden, and i myself felt some brooklyn-ish vibes in there.we arrived around 6:00 and left around midnight, witnessing the space from a casual patio hangout, turn into a tapas lounge, which then turned into a dance club.

every two hours the ambiance from the lights to the music to the people changed.

what i really liked about rosa bonheur is that it’s a true locals hangout spot.  no tourist are found here and rarely will you find yourself speaking english.  it’s a true submersion into the young, local, french culture.

highly recommended if you want to have a fun night in paris-town, but skip all of the techno dance clubs.

*bisous*

photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

i put together a spotify list of all of my current french favourites!  enjoy!!!  (don’t miss the hidden scroll bar too!  there’s more tracks!)

*bisous*

photo 1