Tuesday 18 September 2012

hungry for paris



I Paris obsessed? Que non! Okay, just a little and you may see more Paris related on the blog this week. I found this beauty in my letter box yesterday, Hungry for Paris by Alexander Lobrano. I look at it as my sanity-saver. You see, I'm back to filling out forms for all the kids for school ... in French bien sûr; the same forms I filled out in spring when we moved. Why on earth didn't I take a copy?

Too much reality, let's go back to Paris.

I'm not writing a review as I only got Lobrano's book yesterday, but it looks very promising. Alexander Lobrano is a food-and-travel writer that lives in Paris and of course the man has a website. I learned about him through my book Paris: The Collected Traveler edited by Barrie Kerper that I have mentioned on the blog before (I plan to tell you more about that one later, as with all books it has both pros and cons). There is a short interview in the book with Lobrano and here are two parts of it that I have marked in my copy (I have added Google map links to all the locations he mentions):

[Kerper]: Which arrondissement do you call home, and if forced to name your favorite café or bistro du coin, what would it be?
[Lobrano]: I live in the ninth arrondissement between the church of La Trinité and Saint-Georges, and the best little bistro in the area is the wonderful Chez Georgette (29 rue Saint-Georges ...), a friendly place that does wonderful French home cooking and is very reasonably priced. The café I go to most often is the Café La Rotonde (2 place d'Estienne d'Orves), because it's just downstairs, the people watching is terrific, and the staff is nice. My two favorite cafés are Le Nemrod (51 rue du Cherche-Midi, in the sixth—they do superb croques-monsieur and -madame, great steak tartare, and their Morgan Vieille Vignes is one of my favorite wines—and the Le Nemours (Place Colette, in the first), because it has a great terrace, good coffee, and is right next to the gorgeous gardens of the Palais Royal. (p. 360)

[Kerper]: When you're not thinking about or writing about food in Paris, what are some of your favorite ways to spend time in the city?
[Lobrano]: Whenever I have a few minutes free, I head to the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, or one of the city's many other wonderful museums—and always by foot, since Paris is one of the world's greatest walking cities. I love walking along the stone-paved banks of the Seine, and I love strolling through the city's food markets, too. And there's no better way to spend a sunny afternoon than to head for the Jardin du Luxembourg, the world's most perfect urban park, with a good book. For me, the Jardin du Luxembourg offers the ultimate unselfconscious display of European civilization, with all of its grandeur, beauty, endearing flaws, and pretty hidebound codes. (p. 362)

photo credit:
Lisa Hjalt

11 comments:

  1. oh, I miss Paris!!!!

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  2. Oh, this looks like a great addition to your Paris books collection, Lisa. I think you should more to Paris for one year and experience all these fabulous places you've been bookmarking. :) Beautiful photo too.

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  3. I SO want to go to Paris - and it will happen, sooner or later..! :-)

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  4. This would have been a great guide for me when I visited Paris a few months ago. Miss it!

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  5. I am taking notes Lisa! Hope you are too ;) xx

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  6. I think it's very healthy to be obsessed with Paris, count me in! :) Thank you for introducing me to the book - it goes on my wish list.
    xxx

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  7. Hungry or not hungry - Paris is a town I'd like to visit every year especially in late summer!
    :-)

    ♥ Franka

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  8. .. just got back and I'm already talking about my next trip.. to the southern coast! This looks like a wonderful traveling guide Lisa. Thanks for the heads up!

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  9. I am constantly and restlessly hungry for Paris:-) And thanks for the book hint, I need to look it up!

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  10. I try to get to Paris at least once a year but I'm always hungry for a trip back to moment I get home. Thank you for the book recommendation! :)

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  11. This looks wonderful, Lisa! Oh, my, I am now looking at the calendar to book tickets for the next trip. :) Sorry about filling out all the forms. Thanks for taking us on your escape!

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