It's nice to see that glowing thing in the sky again (it's been so long I've forgotten what it's called) that has been hiding since November. Too bad about the construction but hopefully the nice, albeit cold, weather is making up for it.

Very funny!
I was so worried about the Paris winter gloom I rented a top floor apartment with lots of windows and a skylight.

Of course as soon as I wrote that the clouds moved in so I better not say anything else about how nice the weather is or I'll jinx you.

Bonjour, welltraveledbrit, and I am so jealous of the amount of time you have to savor Paris. Looking forward to reading more on your blog.

Keep going. You write well and have an interest in interesting things.

How exciting to be on a 5-month adventure! + 1 on TDudette's jealousy comment.

I love the Louvre "project" - what a wonderful idea.

Your blog is great, too - I like the format and it's so easy to navigate. I'll be following along. Thanks, welltraveledbrit - looking forward to more.

Thanks for the encouragement and glad you liked the blog.

Today I stopped in to Marriage Freres for tea which is right across from our apartment and my pot of tea was 11 euro. I kid you not. Seriously that is insane especially given that while it's quite pleasant it's not exactly a glamorous interior. Though I must say the staff were very pleasant.

So if you're going to go make sure to take someone with you to share the pot!

You must look at the prices before engaging yourself inconsiderately with these fancy places! All of the prices must be in plain view before you order anything.

The true foolishness is that I knew exactly how much it cost and still ordered it! OK, ok I know that means I don't get to gripe!

FYI This wasn't a case of sitting down on the pavement of a tourist cafe or ordering Champagne before dinner and being shocked by the bill.

Okay, a moment of weakness. You have learned your lesson, and that is always a good thing.

When you're ready for something cheap let me know and I'll tell you about all the wonderful restaurants on rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-Séverin!

keroac - Unfortunately the moments of weakness keep repeating themselves, if I learnt my lesson every time I would indeed be a far more predictable creature!

Fortunately we're close enough for plenty of cheap falafel on the Rue Rosier. Also I'm using La Fourchette for discounted dining reservations though you have to be discerning about where you go and generally the best deals are midweek. Last night we used them for a good, reasonably priced meal at C'est Mon Plaisir on the Isle St Louis.

FMT - Tell me the truth do you double as a hawker outside one of those places?

Hawker is such a negative term. I prefer to be called a food ambassador.

I suppose Ronald McDonald is a food ambassador too?

Just wanted to say thank you for my lunch break in Paris.
Enjoyed your blog-i'll pop in again to see what you've been up to in Paris while I am at my desk.

Hi! Love your blog. What a treat to be here for so long. We arrived on the 10 and would have loved to meet up with you. We leave Thursday, so maybe we could figure out a time for coffee or a drink. Weather sure has taken a turn for the worst. Any way I can contact u directly? I am on TA which has private messaging.

Hi Welltraveledbrit,

Great entry and blog with excellent pics. Merci. You wrote:

“I'm listening to a series on the Louvre from Great Courses and revisiting after each short lecture. The museum is so enormous that I needed a way to break it down into more manageable chunks. I've joined and am looking forward to getting to know the place.”

Now that is my idea of a good time! Lucky you to have those weeks in Paris to prepare yourself for discrete visits to the Louvre. I know one can wander different parts of the museum without seeing another soul other than the guards, n’est pas? I love to look out those enormous windows at the courtyard below or the intricacy of the opposite façade.

Are you folks “doing” any of the smaller museums this trip? Would love to hear about them all….

Thanks for all the encouragement. I've been doing the blog for a few years now and it's a fun way to hold onto your holiday memories and functionally it's a place to send friends when they ask where should I go what should I do!

yestravel it would be fun to meet up. There's a contact me section on the website or on g mail I'm welltravbrit@...

latedattraveler one of the things I'm hoping to do over the next few months is to go to lots of the smaller museums. I'm particularly fond of small individual collections and period interiors, the Soane Museum and the Leighton House in London are two of my favorites. I'll certainly be blogging about smaller museums while we're here. In fact I'm open to any suggestions for places to go!

don't miss Musee Nissim de camondo. We have also been to a couple gret photo exits...one at Cartier Bresson ( free on Wed evening after 6:30) and another at the Maison European de Photographie in the Marais.
Just returned from the very excellent Chagall exhibit at the Luxembourg-get your tax in advance to avoid lines.
Welltrav-.you've got mail.

Great trip report and blog! I'll be following along.
That eclair looks amazing!

Thanks for a great trip report and blog
Taking notes for my MAY 2013 trip

What fun to read. Thanks.

Enjoying this report and your blog. I agre you should visit
the Musee Nissim de C.I'm a huge fan of Colette, the French writer who had a mysterious friend named Rene. In her exotic
home she had a budda and was pleasantly suprissed to see she had donated it to the Nissom. The Museum sits at the edge
of the wonderful Parc Monceau, which you can see in the film GIGI when Louis Jourdan sings the titls song.

If you're looking for suggestions you know that mine will be to get a bike and explore the city that way. There are also great bike paths leading out of the city too. There's the bike trail that starts along the Canal de l'Ourcq and leads out into the countryside and there's another that runs south out of Paris to the town of Sceaux, which has a château (now home to a museum of the history of Île-de-France) and a huge gorgeous garden designed by Le Notre. The old downtown is small but lovely.

http://pgoh13.com/velo_english.php

http://www.af3v.org/-Fiche-VVV-.html?voie=27

Here is kerouac's report about the Parc de Sceaux:

http://anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=publicgardens&thread=6181&page=1#148666

There are also some nice rides between Paris and Versailles. My favorite goes the through the Parc de Saint-Cloud. Keep blogging.

Hi again Welltraveledbrit,

I agree with Yestravel that the Nissim de Camondo near Parc Monceau is not to be missed. Also HIGHLY recommend the Musee Marrotan-Monet in the toney 16th. I describe them in my June 2012 Paris trip report along with two other small gems, the Victor Hugo Museum in the Place de Vosges and the charming Musee Delacroix in the St. Germain district.

Of course, there are so many more and I look forward to getting your take on them.

Thank you for your London suggestions. I have heard of the Soane but not the Leighton House which sounds interesting. My favorite in London so far is the Wallace Collection although that might not be considered “small.” My first stop when I return this June is the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House on the Strand. Also want to check out the Royal Academy of Art. Yada, yada

Continue to enjoy Paris…

I'll mention a couple of interesting museums outside of Paris. Take métro line 8 to Maisons-Alfort and see the Musée Fragonard:

http://musee.vet-alfort.fr/

It's grotesque but fascinating. The dead guy on the horse is mind blowing.

If you like pre-history then go to Saint-Germain-en-Laye and see the museum of pre-history/archaeology. It's housed in a former royal palace that was where Louis XIV was born and raised and spent time in his adult life prior to moving to Versailles. A fantastic collection of stuff:

http://www.musee-archeologienationale.fr/

Thanks so much for all of your thoughtful suggestions, including ideas for places a little further afield. I really do appreciate the posts. I'm making a list and I have the feeling I'm going to be busy!

Today I made it over to the Musee Jaquemart-Andre which I very much enjoyed. I love period interiors so this was a good one for me. Lovely interiors plus an interesting art, decorative art and sculpture collection including works by Tiepolo, Bellini, Van Dyck, Uccello and Rembrandt among others. They also have a nice cafe which is of course vitally important.

I did so much walking that I'm exhausted. There is no logic beyond the machinations of my own preference to the route. I took the Batobus from the Hotel du Ville to the Champs Elysee, walked up to the museum and then back to the Marais via the Opera and Rue Montegueil. I think I'll breakdown and take the metro next time!

The museum is close to the Nissim de Camondo which several of you recommended but while I couldn't manage both today I'm looking forward to going back to check it out.

And maybe the sun will shine and it will warm up and you can have a picnic in Parc Monceau -- its a lovely park, so be sure to check it out when you go to NIssim. We saw it about a week after visiting jacquemart-Andre and found them both very interesting in their own ways. This history of the families is fascinating. The art collection in NC can't be compared to the one in JA which was amazing for private collectors. NC is closed Monday and Tuesday -- our book had shown it closed only Mondays.

Thanks for the tips yestravel and lovely to meet you in Paris!

Certainly did enjoy our tea and we won't discuss the price! Gray day here in DC. It feels like Paris-wish I was back in Paris...

YT, I can't believe you're home already! It is looking/feeling like Paris out there today. At the moment, I'm eating a sandwich camembert-buerre from the Paul Bakery in Beautiful Downtown Tysons Corner. Needless to say, it's just not the same - ha ha.

WTB, enjoying your blog & your walk through the 5th. Those "incidental" shots are the best, aren't they?

WTB, you certainly have not strayed very far from your neighbourhood yet. Have you thought about trying the metro?

YG -- I cant believe I'm home!!! Paul's is as good a substitute as one can find around these parts. U go in May?

WTB - sorry to interlope on your lovely postings

kerouac,
Thank you so much I would never have know the metro was there if you hadn't told me.

WTB-once again thanks for my lunch time walk. The 5th is an area that I don't know well. Le Grande Mosquee has been on my list of sites to visit, so glad to read you recomend-my next trip in July I will make it for sure.

We've had lots of drama this week sorting out my husband's immigration status. It's a long story but suffice it to stay as the American spouse of an EU citizen he's entitled to stay in France and was therefore not eligible to apply for the six month visa at the French Consulate. Instead he was instructed that he should report to the Prefecture within one month of arrival. The only problem is it's hardly worth applying for the carte du sejour (residence) for a stay as short as ours, four months in France and one in Lisbon. Anyway after several visits to the Prefecture and another to the second level of hell at a center for immigrants in the 17e (where we waited outside for almost three hours and a melee nearly broke out after the police decided to create a second line) we seem to have sorted things out for now. The whole experience was a lesson in French bureaucracy which was like a traumatic flashback to applying for my green card many years ago - that was another circle of hell too!

Yesterday it was sunny and we went out to the Marmottan-Monet in the 16e which is well worth visiting. I was surprised by the variety of the collection including a wonderful variety of medieval manuscripts which were particularly beautiful. In addition to all the Monets there's also an amazing collection of First Empire furniture and French portraits. Currently there's a special exhibit on the work of Marie Laurencin (an artist contemporary of Picasso and Gertrude Stein and muse of Appolinaire) which was interesting.

Last time we were in this neighborhood we went on an architectural walking tour from a book of Paris walks put out by Time Out which I highly recommend. A tour of the Art Nouveau buildings and /or the Corbusier sites could be a good combination with the Marmottan-Monet for those who would like a full day in the 16e.

On the blog I've been writing about the Louvre and I have an upcoming post on a Sunday walk that takes in the Richad Lenoir market in the Bastille.
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/

Hi! Glad you finally worked out the visa issue. No fun to have to spend your time dealing with bureaucracy.
I love the Marmottan and the area is indeed full of architectural gems. I thought the Corbusier bldg a bit of a disappointment.
I read your blog on the Louvre building and found it very interesting. I think the building is a fabulous as the art.
Looking forward to your walk and the Richard Lenoir market which was our "hood for this last visit.
Glad to hear the sun has returned.

Short of time to read more, but here's another restaurant FYI:

http://www.le-petit-verdot.com/

Thanks for the replies and dinner suggestions!

We've been busy here and made the best of the lovely sunny day on Saturday to go out to St. Denis. It's a quick easy trip on the metro and the cathedral is stunning for anyone interested in early gothic architecture, it's wonderful to see in combination with Notre Dame. We also took a fascinating walk back along the canal which has a very interesting urban/industrial vibe.St Denis is a working class immigrant town with an interesting recent history of industrialization and industrial decline. It was a great walk in the sunshine, as usual it may talk me a week or so to post the pictures on the blog. The tourist office (close to the cathedral) has a helpful map outlining the walk, I knew to go in because someone had mentioned it here on Fodors- thank you!

It's cold again today so I'm heading back to the Louvre to see the Rubens history cycle painted for Catherine de Medici. I've been listening to lectures on the Louvre's paintings (including these) and so it was particularly interesting to see the tomb to Catherine de Medici and Henri IV at St. Denis. I love it when disparate pieces of knowledge and/or experience seem to come together, that's when you know you're finally learning something. St Denis is a great place for this with so many tombs and funereal monuments to innumerable French monarchs.

I'll probably write about it on the blog sometime but in case it takes me ages to get around to I wanted to mention the online restaurant reservation service La Fourchette. It's similar to Open Table in the US and UK and has different names elsewhere in Europe, including El Tenedor in Spain. Anyway, I'm mentioning it as they offer discounts at some restaurants of up to 40%, particularly for times during the week or at lunchtime.

If you're coming to Paris and only have a short time here you may have specific restaurants that top your list, so perhaps it's not for you, but we've found it quite useful and it has helped keep the budget under control! The reviews are fairly reliable and we've had luck by sticking to places that are highly recommended. You MUST pay attention to the terms and conditions, often it doesn't include the set menu and you need to order a starter and main or main and dessert to qualify for the discount. It may be worth checking out and even without the discount it's always good to be able to reserve online.

I've posted something on the Jaquemart André and have something upcoming on the Marmottan Monet.
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/musee-jaquemart-andre-paris.html

This week we've had snow which is now gone and I've been visiting more museums including L'Orangerie which I get into with my D'Orsay pass, The Nissam Camodo, The Victor Hugo Museum on the Place du Voges (a free museum run by the city of Paris) and the Shoah Memorial here in the Marais.

http://www.memorialdelashoah.org/index.php/en/
http://www.museevictorhugo.fr/
http://www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr/english-439/nissim-de-camondo-742/

The Victor Hugo Museum is worth visiting if you're a fan, or if you just want to get a chance to get into one of the houses and to see the Place du Voges from the apartment. The interior is reconstructed with pictures and furniture collected after Hugo's death but it feels a little lifeless.

The Memorial of the Shoah was fascinating. It's right around the corner from where we're staying. I hadn't realized that the museum downstairs was quite so extensive. Upstairs is a wall with the names of those deported from France and downstairs the museum describe what happened to the jewish community including the place of Jews in France and the diversity of the Jewish population ( highly assimilated families and newly arrived Yiddish speaking immigrants who settled in the Marais). There's good signage in English though I wished I could have understood some of the audio visuals including personal testimonials. Highly recommended.

I found the Shoah Memorial particularly poignant after visiting the wonderful Nissim Camondo Museum near the park Monceau and run by the Arts Decoratif. This museum was donated to the state by the collector in memory of his son who died in the First World War. It's a great place if you like house museums and has a wonderful collection of 18th century French decorative arts. Following this amazing donation to the state and after his subsequent death his daughter ,her husband and their two children were all deported and died at Auschwitz. Like so many they believed they would be protected as French citizens and didn't flee despite having the means to make this possible.

We're off to the national Immigration Museum this afternoon out in Porte Doree.

On the blog I've posted on the Batobus and the Marmotten-Monet museum with up coming posts on our day in St. Denis.
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/batobus-on-seine.html
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/marmottan-monet-museum.html

You have been busy - I envy you. The story behind the Nissim Camondo family was quite touching.

Another very good memorial to the Holocaust is at Pere Lachaise cemetery. From of Highlights report - "the monuments to those murdered in Nazi camps during the Second World War – they’re on the outer perimeter near the east side – are truly moving."

will need to check out your blog again.
Keep exploring and writing about it -- love reading it.

Hi again Welltraveledbrit,

Really enjoying your blog and pics, especially your coverage of the Musee Jaquemart Andre which I missed on my visit to Paris last summer. I agree, “I always enjoy private collections, particularly when they are preserved in period interiors.”

Reading about your visit to the Camondo, Marottan-Monet, and Victor Hugo museums brought back great memories.

Please continue to share. Your talent for describing these many museums, along with the photos, is unique.

Thanks for the encouragement.

This weekend we enjoyed Museum of Immigration out in Porte Doreeas, as much for the building as for the sense of the diversity of the French experience in the modern period. Currently they have an interesting exhibit on Algerian immigrant between the 50's and 60's though there's no signage in English. very enlightening about the conditions immigrants found here. The building is an Art Deco masterpiece built for a colonial exhibition and now housing the aquarium and the National Museum of Immigration. There are some lovely murals (propaganda extolling the virtues of France to the colonies) and the facade is incredible. There's a lovely walk back into the center of of town via the Promenade des Plantees made for an nice day out. The walkway is reminiscent of the High-line in Manhattan, a renovation of old train tracks.

I have my mother and two aunts visiting ( all between their mid 70s and mid 80s) so I have my hands full right now!

I've been a little preoccupied with visitors but Just to say I've posted some pictures on the day out in St Denis. There's a post on the Cathedral and a walk along the canal.

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/st-denis-cathedral.html
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/waling-along-canal-at-st-denis.html

I've been keeping myself busy here in Paris.

My mother and aunts had a successful visit and I thought it might be worth noting Paris can be very doable for those with reduced mobility though it means lots of taxis and visits to smaller museums which are less overwhelmed with people. They enjoyed the Jaquemart Andre and the Marmottan- Monet as well as braving the crowds at the Pompidou - luckily I could use my pass to skip the lines! At the Pomipidou we headed to the new Eileen Gray exhibit (Irish interior designer) which I enjoyed. Thankfully it's not a blockbuster exhibit, at the Dali one (running concurrently but now over) there were lines of and hour and a half, crazy. Dali himself would have loved it!

They stayed around the corner at the Hotel Bretonniere where they were very well treated. The hotel has a Junior Suite which is the size of a small apartment and was perfect. I like this place, it has an old fashioned style with exposed beams and damask curtains and they loved it.

I took a walk with Paris Walks this week, focused on the Latin Quarter. The guide was entertaining and it's amazing how having someone else point things out makes you see things on streets that you've ignored several times while walking past. The group wasn't too big but they''ll probably keep growing as we go into the spring. Personally I'd prefer a little more historical depth but the walks are interesting and they're fairly inexpensive at 12 euro. I was particularly interested to learn about the Bouquinistes who sell their wares from the distinctive green wooden cases along the Seine. Apparently these pitches were originally given to war veterans and there are requirements as to how often they open (at least four times a week) and what they can sell. Astonishingly they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the pitches cost less than 200 euro per year!

I've finally posted my first post on the Palais de la Porte Dorée, it's the wonderful Art Deco building I mentioned above, so if you're interested in seeing some pictures have a look here...

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/palais-de-la-porte-doree-paris.html

I also posted something on Rubens' history cycle painted for Catherine de Medici and now hanging in the Louvre which I mentioned above. This topic is part of the lecture series I've been following.
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/03/rubens-medici-series-in-louvre.html

Thanks for posting the links to your trip blog. I really enjoyed the Ruben-Midici post.
I'm enjoying following your adventures in Paris.

Thanks Chutney,
I greatly appreciate the encouragement and I'm glad you enjoyed the Medici post, I though it might be a bit dry but I've been fascinated by the things I've learnt and wanted to share them.

I'm thinking I'll have time to do some more of these art posts with pictures when I get home in June. I really want to do one on the newly opened Islamic Gallery at the Louvre and I should have done one on the Gulbenkian Museum which was fascinating at the beginning of our trip in Lisbon.

This is a wonderful report, have just skimmed the surface so signing on to catch up.

Continuing to live vicariously thru your reports here and your blog. Happy your visit with your Mother and Aunt went well. We stayed at that hotel for a couple of early trips to Paris way back when -- nice place with surprisingly large rooms.

Continuing to live vicariously thru your reports here and your blog. Nice that your visit with your Mother and Aunt went well. We stayed at Hotel de la Bretonniere during a couple of early trips to Paris way back when -- nice place with surprisingly large rooms.

Once again I've been busy with visitor and another one arrives today! But I just wanted to post

I was in the 19th and 20th Arrondissements yesterday on another walk (Buttes Chaument, canal, Belleville)with a wonderful woman I met through the Paris Greeters organization. I highly recommend you contact them if you have time to spend a morning or an afternoon with one of their volunteers. It's an amazing thing meeting someone who will happily show you there town just for the fun of it, yes for free. Make sure to contact them a few weeks before you arrive.
http://www.parisgreeters.fr/?lang=en

I also wanted to let you know about a post I've finally got around to putting up on my blog about La Fourchette which several people have of course mentioned on Fodors. It's a great resource, not just for making online restaurant reservations in Paris, but also for restaurant discounts which can be considerable.

I've listed seven restaurants we've enjoyed with reductions of up to forty percent which is great!
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/la-fourchette.html

I've also posted on the Promenade des Plantees and the Immigration Museum
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/the-promenade-des-plantees.html
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/cite-nationale-de-lhistoire-de.html

I'm a little behind but I'll have some upcoming posts on Chantilly and possibly St Germain de Laye and the Maurice Denis Museum which we visited this week. I'm hoping to make it to the Haute Couture show at the Hotel du Ville sometime soon and like everyone in Paris I'm waiting for the warmer weather to come soon.

Wonderful pictures and TR. Hope you make it to the Haute Couture show--for the sake of all of us who will be virtually going with you!

How lucky you are to be on such an extended vacation. Those of us without an EU passport envy the time you can stay. Your report is enjoyable reading.

I am so enjoying your adventures in Paris.
More please!

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll let you know about the Couture show if I make it this week. I'm off on a Paris Walks tour on Chanel on Tuesday so it would give me a theme for the week! Perhaps it's time to go to the fashion show at the Arts Decoratif too before it ends April 15th "Fashioning Fashion: Two Centuries of European Fashion 1700–1915".

So back to things we have actually done...Though I haven't yet blogged on what we've been up to in the last week i thought I would give a quick report here.

We finally made it to the Museum of the Art and History of Judaism which has a great photographic show on the Spanish Civil War with pictures by Capa, Taro and Chim. It's a wonderful exhibit running through the end of May. The negatives had been lost for decades and were found in Mexico City, hence the name of the show, "La Valise Mexicaine". I'm looking forward to seeing the permanent collection before we leave.
http://www.mahj.org/fr/index.php

We took the RER out to St. Gemain-en-Laye a town to the west of Paris and now a wealthy suburb, this aint what they mean when they say Banlieue! French Mystique Tours suggested it above (thank you!) and we followed a walking tour from one of our books. Unfortunately it was a dull grey day and the garden by Le Note would have been better in sunny weather. I intend to go back when it's a little warmer. We did visit the Archeology Museum which is piled high with stuff but were more interested in the Musee Departemental Maurice Denis
http://www.musee-mauricedenis.fr/

We'd seen an art show on the Nabis a few years ago and were interested to see more of Denis' work along with paintings by Vuillard, Bonnard and others. The website gives you a comprehensive view of the collection.
http://www.musee-mauricedenis.fr/

It's the Paris Marathon today and the sun has obligingly come out though it looks like it will be dull and possibly wet for the rest of the week. I'd better get going and enjoy the sunshine while it's here, no I'm not leaping up to join the marathon!

I've finally posted some pictures of the amazing murals in the Palais de la Porte Dorée on the blog... but now I must get out in the sunshine while it lasts!

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/art-deco-murals-at-palais-de-la-porte.html

Just discovered your posts here and your blog. So jealous of your time there, and getting lots of good info and ideas from your blog.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm so glad that the posts and blog are useful. It's my only way to "pay back" everyone who has helped us have so many great experiences fueled by their anonymous advice.

So it has ben another week waiting for spring here in Paris though I must admit the magnolias are blooming in the Palais Royale garden which is encouraging. I've been doing lots of walks and have been running my own mini fashion week with a visit to the Haute Couture show at the Hotel du Ville and a Chanel Walk with Paris Walks earlier in the week. I recommend both, the show at the Hotel du Ville is free and they have LOTS of gowns on show, everything from Worth to contemporary pieces. It is busy on Saturdays but the line was about 20 minutes on a midweek afternoon.

http://www.paris.fr/english/english/exhibition-haute-couture-showcased-at-the-hotel-de-ville/rub_8118_actu_126006_port_19237

The Chanel Walk was very informative and the group is smaller than their usual walks as you have to sign up in advance and it's 20 euro instead of the usual 12, though very much worth it IMHO.
Yesterday we went to Notre Dame for a concert of Gregorian chants which was a great way to see the cathedral at night.

If you'd like to take a stroll with me around Les Halles you can check out my latest blog post with pictures, I do love this area.
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr

I'd send you a couple of degrees today (it's 90 in DC!) if I could figure out how to do that!

Thanks, wtb. I've been enjoying your blog and glad to see there's a comment feature now (I couldn't find any way to comment early on).

We've had a busy week with my husband's brother who was in town for eight days, so here are a few more recommendations....

1) Street Art Walking Tour - i think I'll start another thread to talk about this, perhaps when I finally do the blogpost, I really want to make sure lots of people hear about it, it was that good! We loved this tour, it was great and highly recommended . The best 15 euro I've spent in ages, over 3 hour all around the 11th and 20th arrondissements. We learnt so much about street art in France and street art/graffiti overall. Anyway there are lots more details on the Underground Paris website...

http://undergroundparis.org/booking

2) Today I went out to the Musée Bordelle in the 15th near Montparnasse. It's a free city museum in the atelier of the sculpture Bordelle who worked with Rodin and had Giacometti as a student. It's a very atmospheric place and I enjoyed it. Afterwards I headed over to the Tour Montparnasse which was right around the corner. I went to Ciel the restaurant/bar on the 56th floor. You don't get the 360 degree view but there's no entrance charge (unlike the viewing terrace) and 6:50 gets you tea and a seat at the window, very well worth it even on a dull day.
http://www.bourdelle.paris.fr/

3) Two good meals, modern, fresh, innovative. Alain Milliat in the 7th recommended by gracejoan and Le Gaigne here in the 4th. Both very enjoyable.

I've just posted a general piece on street art posted before we went on the tour but I'll let you know when I post on the things mentioned above. We're still having a great time and looking forward to some better weather this coming week.

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/street-art-in-paris.html

I mentioned the Haute Couture show at the Hotel du Ville when i took it last week and I've finally put up photos and a post on the blog if you want to"virtually" visit the show.
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/paris-haute-couture-at-lhotel-du-ville.html

The weather yesterday was spectacular and everyone here seemed to breathe a sign of relief that perhaps spring was coming. In fact it warmed up so much it appeared we just went straight to summer! To take advantage of the weather we headed over to Bercy to take the new Paris Walks "Modern Architecture" tour which I would recommend.
This is also a walk you could do on your own Starting at Bercy metro head to the Gehry Cinemateque then crossing the footbridge over to the controversial National Library and down the Seine (heading west) past the dock redevelopments and the sculpture garden to Jean Novel's Institute du Monde Arabe which has the most fantastic view of the Isle St Louis and Notre dame from the roof. Just go to the top floor, it's open to the public and free. This is one of the best views in Paris.

This is a great stroll on a sunny day and a fun way to see a different part of Paris if you don't know it already.

I finally caught up on your blog and I enjoying it so much. Thank you for sharing. I really liked the report on the Immigration Museum.

nwtraveler thanks for the encouragement.

I've finally posted pictures on Paris Walk's Chanel Walking Tour -
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/chanel-walking-tour.html

and another post on the fabulous floral arrangements at the florists here in Paris-
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/loving-flowers-in-paris.html

We're just back from a quick four nights in Burgundy. We spent two nights in southern Burgundy at a place called Chateau d'Ige (just north of Macon) which several other Fodorites enjoyed too. It was charming and we liked the restaurant too, I'll be following up with a full blog post on the ins and outs but as usual it may take me a while though I'd be happy to answer any questions here.
Then we two nights further north in a lovely small town called Noyer sur Serien which is one of the "Plus Belles Villages de France. We stayed at a B and B that was highly recommended online Cote Serain which was great value for the money, stylish and simple. The itinerary allowed us to see the churches at Cluny and Vezeley, the abbey at Fontenay, as well as the market and hospice at Beaune. We also passed through a couple more of the "Plus Belles Villages de France" Chateauneuf and the village where they filmed the movie Chocolat Flavigny sur Ozerian.

Noyer-sur-Serien was however our favorite, it was gorgeous, an extraordinarily well preserved medieval town built on a picturesque riverbank. There were a large number of half timbered houses and lots of turrets too! France does seem to have so much variety and so many well preserved historic buildings. There' just so much to see I realized we could happily spend weeks in Burgundy alone.

Thanks for these wonderful posts and pix, wtb! Palais de la Porte Dorée looks amazing. Perhaps the one was the Madonna of the Empire State Building?! I did see a Madonna of the Orchestra in Perugia's museum so who knows? LOL

Still enjoying your report. You r giving me lots of ideas for our next Paris Trip. The flowers are gorgeous. Chanel was a fascinating woman.

TDudette, glad you liked the Palais de la Porte Dorée!

Yestravel there's so much I'll have to leave for another trip too! Even though it's just around the corner I still haven't made it to the Maison European de Photographie or the Chagall exhibit which you mentioned above. i still intend to see both but something else keeps getting in the way!

You are living a dream. Thank you for taking us along.

CassidyMT - Glad you're enjoying it!

Just to let you all know the streets of the Marais are flooded tonight. There are large crowds out celebrating the contentious passing of the equal rights to marriage. There are lots of spontaneous cheers and bottles of champagne. It's a wonderful night to be here in a gay neighborhood and to share everyone's excitement. We were in the 13th for dinner and it wasn't making a ripple over there!

One of the things I was really looking forward to seeing on this trip was the new Islamic gallery at the Louvre. Anyway I've finally got around to blogging about it. It a wonderful contrast to the crowds in the renaissance area and a great collection of decorative arts from the Islamic world. If you know the newly redone rooms at the Met in NY you'll find it particularly interesting as a contrast. For a longer discussion and some photos to whet your appetite...

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/the-islamic-collection-at-louvre.html

Life is moving a little faster than my blog and we're currently down in the Luberon having made a quick trip to Burgundy last week. We loved Chateau d'Ige (near Cluny) which was recommended on the forum as well as Cote de Serien in Noyers sur Serien. Anyway, we're coming to the end of our four months in Paris a the end of May and we've finally made it out of town! Up next, we'll be heading to the Dordogne for a short trip before heading back to Paris for our last round of visitors!

I've recently posted on a quick daytrip to the Chateau at Chantilly and Restaurant Alain Milliat which gracejoan recommended here on Fodors

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/chantilly.html
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/04/alain-milliat-restaurant.html

I've sent the blog up to post while we're away so there'll be things coming
up on spring, the Louvre, the Musee Bordelle and more...

Wow! What a deal at Alain Millat. We had a very fun evening there with gracejoan & friends and also enjoyed our meal there.

It's a great place isn't it? We'll definitely be back. La Fourchette really does have some great deals and is well worth checking.

Did they give you the little jars of their jams? They are delicious. I still have one that I keep saving because it was just so good! Have you tried Reed, also in the 7th? Another of gracejoan's recs. We loved it and Catherine, the owner is delightful. Very small, quiet place.

We used LaForchette for booking, but don't recall if we took advantage of their deals, but I do remember seeing some good one on their site.
Enjoy your last weeks!

Chantilly looks great! Saved your post for a future one month stay in París.Thanks!

We're still on our spring trip through the Dordogne but I've got the blog posting automatically while I go, so there are new posts on the spring which finally seems to have arrived and also on how to get in from CDG. I did the later because i didn't want to describe the machines over and over to friends!

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/taking-train-into-paris-from-charles-de.html
http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/spring-has-sprung-finally.html

I can't believe we only have three weeks left on our trip and visitor coming for much of the next few weeks. There's so much more for us to see in Paris so the only question is when will we come back or where are we going next? I'm hoping to make it to the Albert Kahn Gardens and a few other spots before we go.

Yestravel, we did get the jam jars at Alain Milliat and we haven't made it to Reed yet though we still intend to go.

Just in case anyone is looking for a stroll through 17th Century French painting at the Louvre I've done another blog post based on the lectures I've been listening to.

This has been a great way to break up the Louvre collection and has made me look far more carefully at rooms I would otherwise have drifted through. It doesn't mean I love all that I've seen but I have a far better context for understanding what I'm looking at and how it fits into the overall history of art. So, for those who may be interested here's the link to the blog post.

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/french-masterpieces-at-louvre.html

I've still got a few more lectures to listen to and at this rate with only two weeks to go, lots of guests and so much more to see, I may not finish the series! We're heading back to Paris tonight after a trip to the Luberon and the Dordogne which I'll hopefully post about separately- later!

Just back from a wonderful walk around Pere Lachaise cemetery. I recommend wearing comfortable shoes as the cobbled paths are quite tiring after a while. I walked back through Menilmontant and then all the way along Oberkampf into the Marais, stopping for lunch and then to browse at Merci on Beaumarchais. I've visited lots of these neighborhoods before but it's fun to go back. Both the 20th and the 11th are such interesting arrondissements with lots to see and do.

Merci is one of the most fascinating shops I've ever visited and a must for those of you with an interest in design. Apparently the profits go to charity.

I'm racing around trying to see lots this week while balancing it with guests. For anyone interested in the Louvre I've posted on the Africa, Asia, Oceania and The Americas collection. A wonderful series of master wokrs from so many diverse cultures, all beautifully displayed. It's well worth visiting particularly if you don't have time to make it to the Quai Branly.

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/diversity-of-collections-at-louvre.html

It is doing nothing but raining in Paris this week and the weather is really getting tedious. I feel so sorry for our visitors who were looking forward to lots of walking. This is the most rain we've seen in four months. because of the rain I've been spending lots of time in museums, including the Louvre and the Pompidou. yesterday i realized how many kids there were at the Pompidou and that contemporary art can be great fro kids, particularly when they have interactive exhibits.

I've been spending a lot of time in the markets which are filled with artichokes, white and green asparagus and Gariguette strawberries. You can see some pictures here.

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/spring-markets.html

I finally made it over to merci as fascinating shop in the haut Marais just north of our apartment. It was set up by the people who run Bon Point the children's shops. It's a design store, one of the most beautiful shops I've ever seen, just gorgeous, and the profits go to charity. if you have any interest in design this should be on your list along
with the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Pompidou. Lots of people have blogged about this place since it opened but you can have a look if you're interested at my take here....

http://somuchmoretosee.blogspot.fr/2013/05/merci-is-this-most-stylish-shop-in-paris.html