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Showing posts with the label Galeries Lafayette

Paris in Autumn 2018

Remember the song, I love Paris?  “I love Paris in the springtime I love Paris in the fall I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles I love Paris every moment Every moment of the year.” Tour Eiffel from La Terrasse Found myself in Paris in early November with someone who has never been to Paris. How wonderful it is to see Paris from fresh eyes. I had so much to show her but since she only had 36 hours in town, it was a short and sweet visit. She wanted to see the Tour Eiffel, first and foremost, so we went up to La Terrasse at Galeries Lafayette Haussman for her first glimpse of the tower. Galeries Lafayette Haussmann And lucky for us, the much awaited Christmas tree at Galeries Lafayette was up. This year the tree is right side up. Last year's tree was candy themed and was upside down. At the Lafayette Café on the sixth floor, a window seat affords views of the Tour Eiffel and the back of the Opera Garnier. Thi

Paris in Winter

Tour Eiffel If winter is about grey skies, showers and chilling temperatures, then there's all that in Paris in January. So why go at such an inhospitable time? Because Paris in winter is moody (great for photo ops), less frantic, the bi-annual store sales are irresistible, and you don't have to fight with the swarm of selfie indulgent tourists. There is no absence of color beneath the threatening cloud cover. Rue Cremieux These pastel painted houses were my neighbors during my stay in Paris. I counted five visitors here, myself included.  Cathedral of Notre Dame I was at once elated, captivated and saddened to see Notre-Dame de Paris again. Elated that I could behold her in festive finery, captivated by her timeless beauty but saddened by the reality of the threat of terrorism.  For a moment I felt fear when I saw policemen dressed in combat gear with high powered rifles patrolling the cathedral. We shouldn't have to accept this as the new norm. But

Let's Shop Around the World!

On Takeshita Street in Tokyo From Tokyo's trendy Takeshita Street to Amsterdam's Flower Market and across Europe and the Americas then back to Southeast Asia, shopping is a journey of discovery, retail therapy for some and bittersweet parting with hard earned "dinero" for most of us. Here are some irresistible finds and incredibly beautiful shopping meccas. Flower Market In the tulip capital of the world, you can find a variety of bulbs in Amsterdam's Flower Market on the Singel. Galeries Lafayette I like to stand in the center underneath the glass dome for the best view of these balconies at the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Then I go upstairs to get a birds eye view of the ground floor with its perfume and cosmetic counters. O la la. Ponte Vecchio At the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, fine jewelry glitter from shop windows lining the bridge. It's a feast for the eyes and a treat just to see the beautiful pieces on display and imagine i

Soldes, Soldes, Soldes

Sale, Sale, Sale! All the stores in Paris are having their annual sales promising from 10% to as much as 70% off on clothes and accessories, home goods, and other items I have yet to discover. The stores are a haven right now not only for the discounts they offer but also for temporary shelter (while shopping or dining) from the chilling temperature outside. The balconies at Galeries Lafayette I checked out my favorite department at Galeries Lafayette - that is the handbag section. I was astounded at the prices even with the 30-50% discount. Thank goodness I didn't find anything that begged "buy me". I decided to splurge on lunch instead. On the sixth floor of the Galeries Lafayette on Bd. Haussman, there are three restaurants -Le Café Sushi, Restaurant Sichuan and the self service Lafayette Restaurant. At the latter, you can choose from pasta, grilled dishes, salads or a selection of hot entrées of the day. The pavé de saumon with vegetables (string beans, broccoli, red