paris / DELICIOUS BITES

paris

21 Nov 2025

I was 15 the first time I visited Paris. It was not love at first sight. I was on a school trip and it was winter in Europe so I found Paris dark, gloomy and smelly. My Great Aunt Berthe lived in Paris and one night it was arranged that my sister and I meet her. Aunt Berthe arrived at the restaurant with an entourage, like a queen. She was accompanied by numerous relatives and of course, Tilu the dog.

Aunt Berthe moved to Paris from Poland in the 1920's, whilst my grandma migrated to Melbourne in Australia. Despite the distance between them, Grandma Edie and Berthe were very close and they kept in contact until Aunt Berthe passed away.

Whilst Paris and I may have had a rocky start to our relationship, it now holds a special place in my heart. As a frequent visitor to Paris, I like to revisit old favourite haunts as well as explore new to me places. Paris is a complicated city but you cannot deny its beauty.

I visited Merci where I photographed it's iconic red Fiat bedecked in nautical flags.

I went to Chez Marianne for my falafel sandwich because the queue for L'as du Fallafel was too long. I passed these boys on the Rue des Rosiers mucking about on their e-scooters. Boys will be boys.

I was in Paris during fashion week, so the place was abuzz and the fashion stakes were high. I stayed in the Canal St Martin area, which is a very lively district with great public transport and its home to some excellent bakeries.

I roamed the streets of the Marais with my camera, sampled lots of pastries and visited art galleries and museums.

I made time to visit some gardens during my wanders.

Of course I visited to the Place des Vosges and the neighbouring Hotel de Sully.

I was in the Marais looking for Brigat, a instafamous patisserie. I have no sense of direction so I walked around and around in circles for a while until I tracked it down.

There was a long queue outside the door but the hype was real and the chausson aux pommes I bought was so delicious I'm going to try and recreate it at home.

Despite many visits to the Marais I'd not been to the National Archives.

The weather was more spring like than autumn so the locals were out enjoying the sun in the gardens.

The building is beautiful but it's very run down.

There is another mansion hidden in the grounds, only open to the public a few days each month.

I started my stay in Paris with a trip to the Marche President Wilson.

I first visited the Marche President Wilson way back in 2005. Since then its become instafamous and it's no longer the haunt of local residents.

The market is in a prime location with amazing views of the Eiffel Tower (picture on the left) and its also across the road from the Palais Galliera.

The Palais Galliera houses the museum of fashion and fashion history. It's a magnificent building surrounded by manicured gardens.

It was closed but that didn't stop me from having a good look around.

As you can see, the 16e is a wealthy area. Just take a look at those mansions.

Perhaps they were once home to the 2 stags I saw for sale.

After my visit to the markets I crossed the city to visit some cookware shops located in the 1st and 2nd arrondisements also home to the imposing St. Eustache Church.

I've passed the church many times but had never entered.

St Eustache Church's soaring ceilings, stained glass windows and beautiful paintings. Sadly, a funeral service was in progress during my visit.

The 1st and 2nd arrondisement is home to the Rue Montorgueil, a street filled with restaurants, and to Rue Saint-Sauveur, known for it's night life.

Influenced by Guillaume Brahimi's show, Guillaume's Paris, I visited the foodie hub of Rue du Nil.

I heard some French accents, many American accents and even another Aussie accent. Maybe they too had watched Guillaume's tv series.

There were queues outside the fruit shop and bakery run by Terroirs d'avenir.

The local fishmongers which was doing a roaring trade.

I thought the fruit looked like a work of art.

At the end of the street I captured this lady taking a much needed break from work.

While still in Germany I booked a ticket to the l'Orangerie to see Monet's water lilies. I'd been before but can you ever be bored by the water lilies? I arrived early so I walked to the gallery via the Louvre and the Tuileries.

There were many signs that autumn was on it's way and the morning light was just beautiful.

The L'orangerie was very busy during my visit but nowhere near as busy as the Louvre.

The Monet's are so beautiful I don't understand why people prefer to spend their time posing in front of the artworks rather than admiring their beauty.

After my visit, as I had some time to fill before my next art gallery visit, I sauntered along the Rue de Rivoli.

I passed by many cafes, including this one getting ready for lunch service.

I was en route to the Bourse de Commerce, home to the Pinault Collection.

A new exhibition was being installed so access to the gallery restricted. As it was the building I'd come to see, I was more than happy to wander around admiring the architecture.