Send me an angel: La Boutique des Anges

Although the shop is open all year, December is clearly the best month for visiting La Boutique des Anges at Montmartre.

The store is tiny and crowded with angels (and often with people as well). Sacred music gets you in the mood and optimises the chances that you fall for a angel figurine, an angelic postcard, a puny pocket angel (to watch over you wherever you go), an angel soap, a book or some other angelic item.

The old-fashioned place is really unique. And irresistible in December.

2, rue Yvonne le Tac 75018 Paris

Métro Abbesses (line 12)

Wallpaper with soul: Farrow & Ball

The most beautiful wallpapers in Paris. I am particularly fond of the ones with bold stripes.

So British, so chic! Need I say more?

50 Rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris
Métro rue du bac (line 12)

http://www.farrow-ball.com/

The queen of details: Nadine Delepine

Nadine Delepine's boutique is one of my favourites.

The shop is located in a street called "rue princesse" (really!) and its front is painted with mild, inviting colours.

Inside you find Nadine's lovely jewellery creations as well as chic accessories selected by her. The latter comprises porte-monnaies, umbrellas, gloves and hats. She makes some accessories herself too, namely some charming shopping bags, porte-monnaies and the like. There are also some clothes to be found in the boutique. I think Nadine is the creator of those as well. Key adjectives for all the items are "romatic" and "nostalgic".

My only regret is that I did not know about this shop when I was a 10-year old girl. It would have been the perfect place to go to with my Mum on a Saturday for cultivating the already quite developped dream of being a princess... :-)

Nadine Delepine, 14, Rue Princesse, 75006 Paris

Métro Mabillon (line 10)

Great lunch value: Krua Thai

When I started this blog, I did not intend to write about restaurants. Obviously I have changed my mind! I will, however, only include restaurants I return to, i.e. the ones that are part of "my Paris". Krua Thai is one of them. It is a simple restaurant with a family-ambiance; the owners' sweet daughter is often playing at a table at the back of the restaurant.

The service is friendly and the food truly tasty. At lunch they serve a special menu (ask for the lunch menu if you do not get it spontaneously) that I usually opt for. You can choose between two or three starters/maindishes/desserts for 10 euros. I always go for the crispy spring rolls and the coconut-curry-chicken with sticky rice. A delight!

41, Rue du Montparnasse 75014 Paris. Telephone: 01 43 21 90 53

Métro Montparnasse (line 4, 6, 12, 13)

Old-fashioned music boxes: Anna Joliet

Palais Royal is a delightful place with a delicate perfume from the past. I appreciate the beautiful garden, and strolling in the surrounding arcades where one finds a range of cafes, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques. Boîte à musique Anna Joliet is one of the latter.

This charming shop is specialised in music boxes. Anna Joliet carries music boxes in all styles and all price ranges; from the simplest one-melody box to true masterpieces made in Switzerland. I love specialised boutiques, and this one is no exception!

9 rue de Beaujolais, 750001 PARIS
Métro Palais Royal (line 7)

www.boitesamusique-paris.com

A room with a view: www.caillou18.com

A couple of friends of mine rent out their apartment in rue du Gros Caillou, a quiet backstreet in the rather well-to-do Ecole Militaire area. If you need accommodation in Paris for a couple of days or weeks, this is your place!

While landmarks such as the Tour Eiffel, the Invalides, and Pont Alexandre III are all in walking distance, this is a residential quarter with a local atmosphere and several neighbourhood stores and boutiques in close proximity. The great chef Christian Constant having four restaurants just a block away isn't an inconvenient either... People often say that Paris is more like a collection of small towns than one big city; seldom is the saying more true than here.

The apartment dates from the turn of the last century. Renovated in 2003, it comfortably houses two people and can accommodate up to four. Far more than just a place to crash after a day of sightseeing, shopping or work, this is a true home from which you will leave with an insider’s experience of Paris.

www.caillou18.com

My haunt: La Coupole

La Coupole has been my favourite café ever since I first came to Paris. I have probably been there hundreds of times, but funnily enough I have never had lunch or dinner there! I do know, however, that the café specialises in seafood and that, according to friends of mine, "les plateaux de fruits de mer" are splendid! For me La Coupole was the place where, for years, I had my hot chocolate before going to class at La Sorbonne or where I had (and still have!) an apéritif before dinner.

When having a glass by myself, I love to sit near the window and watch the hasty street. If it rains, it is even better... La Coupole is a wonderful place to have breakfast too. Choose a table with a banquette (bench), enjoy and observe! Many of the elderly customers are patrons and have their habits...

The interior is all splendid Art Deco and so Parisian. It's grandiose and cosy at the same time. The waiters are dressed as waiters should be dressed, and the whole place is perfectly traditional. A true delight!

102 Boulevard de Montparnasse, 75014 PARIS
Métro Vavin (line 4)

Pamper yourself: Hammam Pacha

Nestled in the 6th district of Paris is a Moroccan oasis of well-being; the Hammam Pacha. I particularly recommend going there on a grey and rainy day. Be prepared to spend 2-3 hours in the haven of rest.

The Hammam Pacha is a beautiful place. Its decoration evokes “1001 nights”. After having put your clothes in the painted wood lockers in the dressing room and put on your bathrobe, head towards the main hall which is lukewarm and humid. Let your body get used to the ambiance, have a shower (remember to bring scrub products!) and lie down on the tiles. Later, you can visit the sauna and the steam room – before you let the streams in the pool massage your back...

The Hammam offers various treatments, namely massages. I find their massages too gentle and therefore I don’t recommend them. Save your dimes for the culinary pleasures. Before returning to the outside world, spend some time in the relaxation room! Under the arcades, dive into the ocean of cushions and enjoy some mint tea and pastries. Spend time with a good book you have brought with you or take a nap. If you are really hungry, you can enjoy a tajine or some oriental salads in the restaurant afterwards.

Entrance; 35 euros (includes rent of bathrobe and towel). For the cost of the various treatments/massages, see the website (below).

Hammam Pacha is open seven days a week - exclusively for women.
17 Rue Mayet, 75006 PARIS
Métro Duroc (line 10 and 13)
http://www.hammampacha.com/

My favourite spot: Place de Furstemberg

In a breathtaking city like Paris, it is naturally very hard to tell which place is "the most beautiful one". The answer will always be subjective and difficult to give. However, like most people, I have some favourite spots in the town where I live. I have written about some of them, and there are more articles to come.

I love the cosy area near Abbesses, the superbe park "Jardin du Luxembourg", the impressive courtyard of "my" university La Sorbonne (see separate articles), the charming island Ile Saint-Louis, the stunning Place des Vosges, the village-like Place Dauphine, and many other addresses. Nevertheless, if I should name THE place that best captures Paris' spirit, I would elect Place de Furstemberg.

The dimensions are perfect, the surrounding architecture rich, and the harmony complete. It is grandiose, but it doesn't give you the feeling of being in a busy and big city. It is Paris.

At the very address of Place de Furstemberg you'll find some nice textile- and interiorshops. One minute walk will take you to the English-spoken wineshop "La dernière goutte" (6 rue Bourbon le Château) as well as to Cosi, the perfect place for lunch with delicious sandwiches made with straight-from-the-oven-Italian bread (54 rue de Seine). No mystery I come here almost every Saturday...

Métro Mabillon (line 10) or Saint-Germain-des-Près (line 4)

PS: The marvellous litography illustrating this article is made by Jean-Pierre Petit who was generous enough to let me share it with you.

Charlie and the chocolate factory: Rochoux

A compulsory stop when wandering around in the Saint Germain area is the marvellous chocolate shop of Jean-Charles Rochoux. The shop is small, but the products are grand.

Mister Rochoux invents the recipes and makes his chocolates backstage, but sometimes he gives his sales assistant a helping hand too. He is a very nice man, and is likely to invite you to taste something (he knows that once you have tasted, you cannot resist!).

The shop opened about four years ago, but mister Rochoux learnt his "métier" long time before that. For several years he worked in one of Paris' most famous chocolateries. He has also been dessert chef in the three-star restaurant Guy Savoy.

He makes some absolutely stunning "truffes". However, as the recipe comprises cream, the treasures must be kept in the fridge, and are thus not suited for being brought back home, if you are a tourist. In that case I rather recommend you buy some small, individual chocolates. Have a box filled up, or simply ask for a few pieces in a bag. My all time favourite is "citron" (lemon), but Mira, rose and "framboise" (raspberry) are strong cards on Rochoux' hand too...

Common for them all is that the thin chocolate coating crunches, and that the subtle and tasty ganache cream transport you to the land of perfect well-being, and lets you stay there - indeed the taste lasts for a long time. Simply delicious!

16 rue d'Assas 75006 PARIS . Métro Rennes (line 12)