In my recent collaboration with top travel site Fathom and favorite department store Le BHV Marais, I wrote an itinerary on how to spend a perfect day in the Marais, my beloved neighborhood. I thought it would make a nice gift to those of you visiting Paris, as you too can enjoy this city like a local. So… here you go! Maybe I’ll see you at one of these favorite Marais spots. For the travel buffs, more of my Fathom features, here.
Could veggie burgers with sweet potato fries become the new steak
Founded in 2007 by chef Christel Dhuit and later expanded in 2009, Soya Cantine Bio is a vegetarian haven just steps away from Canal Saint Martin in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. With lunch and dinner combining organic seasonal produce – couscous dishes and endless vegetable plates including homemade garam masala among the options, even vegans will be well fed. As for the sweet side, all pastries are gluten-free.
Soya // 20 Rue de la Pierre Levée, 75011 // Sunday 11:30-4pm, Tuesday 7-11pm, Wed-Friday 12-4pm, 7-11pm, Saturday 11:30-4pm, 7-11pm
Lula Cantine Bio & Veggie evolved of the love of healthy organic eating by Colombian born sisters Luciana and Natalia. Since 2014, they share their seasonal and creative vegetarian recipes, many inspired by their South American roots, with passion added to every plate. It’s difficult to choose between Fajitas and the chock-full of veggies Lula Bowl. Sunday Brunch is 100% vegan and gluten-free and full of decadent albeit healthy surprises.
Lula Cantine Bio & Veggie // 216 Rue Saint-Maur, 75010 // Sunday 11:30-4pm, Monday-Saturday 9-3pm
Passionate about healthy living and gourmet organic cuisine, Agathe opened the first Café PINSON in the North Marais in 2013. Designed by interior superstar Dorothée Meilichzon, it’s hard not to feel at home while sipping your matcha latte. Both a café and restaurant, Café PINSON serves a daily changing menu of 100% organic vegetarian food with plenty of options for vegans and juices galore. You can also find a selection of their goodies at Le Bon Marché.
Café PINSON // 6 Rue du Forez, 75003 // Monday-Friday 9am-10pm, Saturday 10am-10pm, Sunday 10am-6pm
The wild revolution began on Rue Charlot in 2015. Since then, Emma Sawko has continued to expand her health-food endeavor Wild and the Moon, opening outposts on Rue Amelot, in the 9th arrondissement and most recently at Place du Marché Saint-Honoré. The 100% organic, locally sourced menu complete with cold pressed juices is one of Paris’s hotspots for gluten-free and vegan food, from morning to night. Whether you’re in the mood for a turmeric latte or thai curry, these inviting addresses will serve you well.
Wild and the Moon // 19 Place du Marché Saint-Honoré, 75001 // 25 rue des Gravilliers, 75003 // 55 Rue Charlot, 75003 // 4 Rue du Helder, 75009 // 138 rue Amelot, 75011 // LAFAYETTE ANTICIPATIONS 9 rue du Plâtre, 75004
Named in tribute to their mother and fueled by a love of healthy and sustainable living, brothers David and Adrien opened Le Potager de Charlotte in 2015. Potager meaning vegetable garden, the menu combines organic farmers market produce to create epicurean plant-based cuisine. Their two addresses in the right bank serve seasonal specialties including chickpea and rice pancakes and coconut yogurt. Ask about their heavenly Sunday brunch!
Le Potager de Charlotte // 12 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne 75009 // 21 rue Rennequin 75017 // Wednesday-Saturday 7-10:30pm, Friday-Saturday 12-2:30pm, Sunday 11-3pm
Ten years ago, I bid farewell to the life I had known for over a decade in New York City, to the friends I knew I would hold on to, to the career I had excelled in, and to the city that had taught me so many invaluable lessons. I dove into a new life with a man I had met only months prior but trusted with all my heart. And so began my journey of love in the City of Lights, and this blog. Today I reflect on these past ten years and what I have learned by choosing to live a soul-centered life.
Most importantly, while I’m a full-fledged romantic who grew up believing that love serves as fuel, it’s up to us to find this love within ourselves. I’m forever grateful and appreciative for the adoration of my Italian, but it is self-love that truly fuels me.
This too applies to happiness. As much as I thrive on traveling and discovering new cultures or reveling in those that are close to my heart (ciao Italia!), happiness is not a place, nor is it a person. Happiness is a choice. And sometimes it’s as simple as watching the sunset over Notre Dame, or anywhere for that matter.
When I first moved to Paris I thought much like a New Yorker. How can I achieve success, how can I become something? Given the difficulty in finding work in my field, every day I would come up with a new business plan. It was when I let go of the ego and allowed my soul to soar that I discovered my path. This is how my namesake handbag business came to life and why I became a writer. I still think like a New Yorker, it’s in my composition, after all, but it’s now about becoming in my own eyes, not in those of anyone else.
Another life lesson that I’ve learned through this decade in Paris is that some people are meant to remain in our lives while others quite simply are not. As a Leo with loyalty in my core, I cherish the friendships that have grown with me through the years, both in Paris and around the world, and let go of those that haven’t.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons that I’m still learning is that of acceptance. While I may never understand the way Parisians think, or how and why they behave the way they do, which also applies when immersed in other cultures, the key is to accept them. We are all different, as my Italian often reminds me.
Lastly, this past decade in Paris has strengthened my notion that we must live by our own rules and remain strong in our intentions. Before I left New York to travel the world in 2007, would I ever have believed that years later I’d be living such a blessed life? Yes. Dreams do come true when we believe in them.
When I moved to Paris almost ten years ago, I took a few books as souvenirs from my father’s vast library. As a writer and fellow Francophile, I discovered a Paris guide book published in 1950 titled The Paris We Love. I often refer to this book, a series of 23 vignettes, each written by a different French writer, to discover just how much Paris has or hasn’t changed.
I particularly enjoy the chapter about my Marais neighborhood with a map detailing my frequented streets.
It was after a meeting with Fiona of Storie Shop who calls Montparnasse home, that an idea sprang to mind.
Inspired by this book with an introduction and cover by Jean Cocteau, a Kasia Dietz handbag was created!
This limited-edition Paris tote featuring a hand-painted design, leather handles
Not yet ready to head back to Paris after so many magical days cruising the Rhone River, I reserved the most breathtaking address in Avignon of a last night of luxury. We arrived to hotel La Mirande in the heart of this historic city and immediately fell in love with this palatial address.
Upon opening the curtains in our room, we discovered the most stunning view of the Popes’ Palace. This medieval Gothic fortress and palace was the seat of Western Christianity in the 14th century.
We quickly made ourselves at home in the outdoor patio, led by the hotel’s mascot, a cat named
This 5-star hotel revealed even more magnificence within the refurbished quarters of this private home dating back to the 14th century, where cardinals once took residence.
Paying respect to the unique 18th and 19th-century design elements, Hotel La
The breakfast room appeared as though from a fairy tale. But it was dinner that transported us to another era.
Little did we know what awaited us at Guest Table, a 4-course dinner prepared by Chef Séverine
Beginning with an apéritif in La Mirande’s wine cellar, we made a toast with guests from around the world.
A communal wooden table for thirteen was set in the family kitchen, a wood-burning stove ready to cook our farm to table meal as we feasted on the first course. Memories were shared and friendships made during this extraordinary dining experience. Next time I plan to dine at their one Michelin star restaurant helmed by Chef Florent Pietravalle, as well as book the cooking class and learn a few culinary tricks.
While staying at La
There was no better place to call home on our last days of such an epic trip from Lyon to the South of France.
How better to discover Provence than via river cruise with Viking? This year for my mom’s birthday, I planned this special trip to a region of France she had not yet visited but often dreamed about. Undoubtedly she would fall in love with the charm of the south during this week-long journey along the Rhône, beginning in Lyon. Not to mention the long, leisurely dinners, terrace views and courses in local culture at every port. Having traveled to Portugal with Viking last winter, I knew she was in for a treat!
Our Viking voyage began in mid-June, perfectly timed for the lavender fields, in bloom only three weeks a year. But first, Lyon, France’s third-largest city and the grandest cultural mecca outside of Paris.
Strolling through Old Lyon, we admired the Renaissance architecture, noted the top restaurants, Lyon being the gastronomic capital of France after all, and took shortcuts through the connecting passages called
Our Viking guide even took us to the top of Fourvière Hill
Lyon situated not far from Beaujolais Wine Country, Mom and I decided to indulge in a tasting. We arrived
It was time now to set sail, our next stop Vienne, one of the oldest cities in France. Founded by the Romans thanks to Julius Caesar, and once serving as Rome’s major wine port, the city remained rich in Roman monuments. The temple of Augustus & Livia, built around 20-10 BC and dedicated to Emperor Augustus, stood proudly in the old square as if transported directly from Rome.
The following day found us facing the impressive 16th-century Château de Tournon in Tournon-sur-Rhône.
It was here that we truly stepped back into history when we boarded the Tournon Steam Train which carried us on a ride through the scenic landscapes of the Ardeche. The locomotive chugged along the tracks revealing stunning views of the Doux gorges. What a wild ride!
One of the most sleepy towns we encountered along the way was 5th century Viviers. Taking a guided night tour through the cobbled streets and buildings dating back to the Middle Ages proved an awe-inspiring and mystical experience.
The next stop in Provence was the history-laden pastel-hued city of Arles, often called “Little Rome of Gaul”.
Their ancient amphitheater seating as many as 20,000 spectators is still in use for events including bullfights.
Vincent Van Gogh settled in this artist’s haven for a just over a year after leaving Paris. We stopped to admire the cafe famous for his Café Terrace at Night painting from 1888. In a hotel just next door, Picasso was often a guest.
Not far away from Arles sits the hilltop village of Les Baux-de-Provence. I had already become smitten with it on a previous visit and wanted my mom to experience its unique charm. We also stopped by Carrières de Lumières for the most stunning light show in a former quarry featuring Van Gogh. Magical!
It was now time to inhale the sweet scent of lavender on our full-day trip to these freshly blooming fields.
From the Lavender Museum to a working lavender farm, we learned all about the differences between lavender and
Along the route, we stopped at the tiny village of Monieux for lunch at the only restaurant in town. Could this week-long journey have been any more breathtaking? Both mom and I were filled with memories to last a lifetime.
Our last stop was to Avignon where we would stay for another night at a very special address to explore the city.