centre pompidou

We finally made it over to the centre pompidou, the enormous modern art museum in the heart of Paris. The huge industrial building was a sight in itself but the views from the roof were even more spectacular. 

We originally came to see two great exhibits: Alexander Calder & Kandinsky. 
We saw a lot more than expected though. The museum was also exhibiting 'elles' an amazing and thorough display of contemporary feminist art. 

We hardly glanced through the extensive permanent collection of picasso, gaugin, matisse, pollock, etc. before our hunger got the best of us. We decided we needed another whole day to explore the rest. 

poulet et bagatelle

Un petit poulet? Yes please. With our summer holiday revolving around food, Chelsea decided to add chicken back into her diet, alors, voila le dîner du soir. C'était très bien, as always, and gathering the ingredients at the Saturday Market was almost as enjoyable as eating them. Later on, we began the night at une fête in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. We stayed long enough to enjoy some champagne, and then headed out to finally experience Bagatelle. Operating only as a garden and restaraunt for most of the year, the beautiful premises of Bagatelle also turn into an outdoor night club during the summer months. Dancing, Absinthe, Fog, and Wigs don't even begin to describe. IncroyableAround 4:30 we headed back into the city limits to Le Madam on the Champs Elysées. We didn't last there for too long though, soon it was time for the cab ride home to watch the sun rise again!

nymphéas & rendez-vous

The week has flown by with Chelsea off exploring Paris and Vanessa working her 9 hour shift at work.
After work, Vanessa enjoyed a lovely Italian dinner with some family (Jeanne & Chelsea) and great friends. Girls night out is always the most fun! The creamy risotto was a nice alternative to the favorite jambon et saucisson.


One of the best things about Paris: Monet. In Chelsea's opinion anyway. Here is one of the beautiful Nymphéas displayed in the Musée de l'Orangerie- located at the end of the Jardins des Tuileries.

Goodmorning! The summer weather is finally back and we decided to enjoy it at the Sunday farmer's market near the Bastille.
A few hours later, with sacks of fresh produce, cheeses, and meats in hand, we walked the few blocks back to Chelsea's apartment for another lovely french dejeuner.

After lunch we headed over to the 15th for a preview of the apartment we will be living in next month. It will be quite different from the life we know in the Marais, but is also very cute and we look forward to a new Parisian experience.

As for another exciting evening out on the town? Not a chance. A movie with tea and cookies is the place to be ce soir.

What a long day! It began with a complete and nutritious brunch prepared by the three of us, consisting of eggs, fresh veggies, cherries, home fries, and of course our favorite baguette.

Chelsea and Vanessa then decided to take advantage of the beautiful afternoon and explore Montmartre.

We spent time in many of the tiny vintage shops along the streets & enjoyed a café crème at one of the many busy local cafes.

We made the trek up the seemingly endless stairs to see the beautiful view of Paris and the famous Sacré Coeur.


After a full day of exploring we took advantage of the warm Saturday night and set out to the chic night spot, Le Magnifique. The atmosphere was glamorous and our first impression was a bit stuffy but after consuming our 32 Euro coctails, we grew a bit more fond of the place. We had a memorable evening, arriving home early Sunday morning.

Today was our day of 'accomplishing' things. Vanessa began her first day at her internship and Chelsea journeyed off to explore french class options at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
After figuring out her summer options, Chelsea N and Chelsea H took a break at their new favorite tea salon, La Salle à Manger in the Mouffetard area. We would highly recommend this salon & it is the perfect place to spend a rainy afternoon. From the extensive tea selection to the 'homey' but very Parisian atmosphere, it is definitely worth the trip.
Vanessa, on the other hand, was up at 4:45 am in order to start her first day at work (beginning at 6 a.m. on this particular morning). She met her boss and coworkers on a yacht on the Seine to begin the 10 hour day of photo shoots for a catalog we are putting together for the french brand, Lollipops.
This was a great experience for her and she was able to assist with everything from clothing to lighting options so it was surely worth the before dawn wake up call.

These are pictures from the Museum of Natural History- where we spent an educational Sunday morning. As for the rest of the day, Vanessa ventured all the way back to the market Le Puces for another look at her desired Louis Vuitton; she unfortunately returned empty handed. Chelsea N. and Chelsea H. on the other hand went out to watch the tennis match at Hotel de Ville where there were many tents and activities set up for the occasion. However, because of the rain we didn't stay long and opted to watch the match in Pub Saint Germain instead. This turned out to be the perfect place to duck out of the rain and there were lots of Federer fans to add to the admosphere.

la clé de la bonne vie

We woke up to a rainy morning. Running down the street with our umbrellas felt like a hectic start to the day, but we centered ourselves once we got home with our new yoga video. A little later, since hearing good things about the weekend market Les Puces in Saint-Ouen, we made the treck all the way to the north side of the 18th to check it out. Turns out, this is not a good place to get lost or end up by yourself. However, the market itself is a great place to discover hidden treasures, antiques, little french trinkets, and beaucoup des clés!

Please take note of the lovely Louis behind Vanessa. She is currently torn between saving her money for chocolate cake and baguettes, or investing in this vintage tote. Comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated.

le louvre

Today after another relaxing lunch in the Luxembourg Gardens, we decided it was time to check out the Louvre. Good news: it is free to those under 25 on Fridays after 6. Unfortunately Chelsea realized after getting there that she forgot her ID. Not to worry, after a bit of scheming we made it past the guards anyway.
I don't think we need to explain just how magnificent it truly is- even if we tried, words can't describe.

We only had enough energy to explore the Denon wing for now, but certainly look forward to spending more Friday evenings touring the rest of the Louvre.

Tonight we parted ways (for the very first time). Chelsea went off for a rendez-vous and some wine while Vanessa met up with Kaela- an old friend from High School.

chocolate chaud

Finally a day that began before noon. After breakfast we ventured out onto the streets of the Marais, en route to the Luxembourg Gardens. On our way we discovered a papeterie that has a wonderful selection for journals and notebooks called Buci News. For anyone visiting Paris and wanting to record their thoughts or pick up a magazine- it is located in St. Germain at 4 rue Grégoire de Tours.
After the Jardins du Luxembourg we walked over to the Museum Grand Palais- which was not closed today! The Warhol exhibit was even bigger than expected and we loved wandering through the inspirational collection of silk screens and beautiful faces.

On our way home we stopped for an afternoon chocolate chaud at Café Richard on Rue Rivoli near the Champs Elysées. The presentation was impressive- almost as good as the taste. After consuming large amounts of chocolate, milk, and sugar, we dragged ourselves down to the metro towards a quiet evening on Rue Saint Paul.

je ne sais pas

We finally feel like we are truly living in Paris- running errands in the moring, visiting cafés multiple times a day, and casually strolling through the Jardins du Luxembourg in the evening. The café of coice today was La Palette- again. Situated in the Satin Germain area, we are learning La Palette is the place to be any time of day or night.
This is the museum Grand Palais where Andy Warhol is the current exhibit. However, after journeying all the way there we were disappointed to learn that the museum was closed for the day. At least the building was a sight to see in itself!