It was a great pleasure to participate as a model for “Illuminata” to bring in the holidays on December 1st, the first hair show in Paris organized by Style Pixie Salon! Check out these pictures from before and after the show:

Style Pixie Salon is run by English hairdresser Victoria Nelson and her team of stylists that have been happily serving the city’s anglophone community since 2007, be sure to check them out for a complete re-looking (makeover) or any of your hair-care needs!

With 82 appearing throughout the week across arrondissements, open air markets are a ubiquitous foundation of Parisian life. The bustling crowds, tantalizing sights, aromas, and vendors bellowing their deal of the day inviting passerby’s to sample their products, however, can be somewhat intimidating to those unaccustomed to the market experience.

Here are some quick tips to help you navigate your way through les marchés alimentaires: 

1. Timing

Be sure to go early if you want browse the best selection at a leisurely pace, or late in the day when the market begins to close down for the best deals from vendors trying to sell the last of their goods.

2. Quantity

Wheeling and dealings go down in grams and kilograms, but you can always use numbers for countable items such as eggplants and apples. For non-countable items such as salad and haricots verts (green beans), just  eyeball it and say when to the vendor once you’ve reached a good amount. Otherwise you’ll risk coming home with either too much or too little of what you wanted if you ballpark the numbers, especially if you’re not familiar with the metric system.

3. Don’t Fear the Fish

See a strange yet delicious fish that you’ve never purchased before? Don’t be shy! Vendors will be more than happy to tell you about their stock and answer any  other pressing questions you might have, such as “How does one cook chou rave?”  In sum, markets are gastronomic treasure troves filled with things to try: some year-around staples include seafood paella, roast chicken with potatoes, olives, exotic pastries like baklava, while seasonal goods like vin chaud (mulled wine) and pain d’épices (gingerbread) make for the ultimate wintertime treat.

Marché Maubert in the 5th arrondissement, the all-organic Marché on Raspail in the 6th, and Bastille in the 11th is amongst our favorites but you can find a detailed map of all markets by arrondissement and times here.

Visiting galleries in Paris is a great way to soak up some culture free of charge beyond the big museum staples like the Louvre and Centre Pompidou. Located on Rue Turenne, Galerie Perrotin is just one of the many clustered throughout the Marais Neighborhood that features works from the latest emerging artists.  Kaws and Daniel Arsham are currently on display until December 22nd.

A giant sculpture by Kaws welcomes visitors at the entrance

“Sideways Clock,” Daniel Arsham

“Hiding Figure”, Daniel Arsham

“Established in 1920 as a private non-profit association, the American Library in Paris has grown to become the largest English-language lending library on the European continent. Open to all, the Library serves as a center for literature, learning, culture, and community.” – American Library in Paris Website

Need a little reading material, access to the Internet, or even just a quiet place to relax and unwind? Check out the American Library in Paris, located in the 7th Arrondissement tucked away a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower!

A collection of over 120,000 resources of the best in fiction, non-fiction,  American history, literary criticism, poetry,  Biographies, Travel Guides, Mysteries, and more, they add new books regularly and  also have a periodicals sections as well as a extensive collection of CDs, audiobooks, and DVDs of American and International Films, Documentaries, and popular television series.

The Library also serves as a cultural space for the English-speaking community with a calendar of regular events, discussions, presentations, and more during the evens and some weekends.

Day and week passes are available to access the library, which is open Tuesday through Saturday 10am – 7pm, Sundays from 1pm – 7pm, and closed Mondays.

Situated in the fifth arrondissement on the left bank of the Seine, it’s easy to spend an entire day at the magestic Jardin des Plantes, France’s largest botanical garden spanning 280,000 square meters.

Within its expansive greenery children can exhaust themselves from play, including pushing around a gigantic metal ball found near the center of the park.

The garden also houses several institutions to visit, including the large Museum of Natural History seen above, the Grand Gallery of Evolution, Mineralogy Museum, Entomology Museum, Paleontology Museum, Greenhouses full of exotic plants, and a small menagerie, the oldest zoological park in the world containing medium-sized mammals as well as a variety of reptiles and birds.

Dinosaurs such as this one and other large statues are hidden amongst the foliage to welcome and delight its visitors. The park is open every day from 8am – 5:30pm during the winter months and is a prime picnic location to steal some sunshine in between the rainy periods.

Allez-y!

As winter looms and temperatures start to drop in Paris, street vendors make their seasonal appearance by Metro stops and corners to fill the air with the irresistible smell of roast chestnuts.  Delivered steaming hot in a newspaper sheet delicately folded into a makeshift cup, these wintertime treats are sure to make your hands warm and your mouth happy. At 2 Euros a packet, they’re a must-try and hold as much Parisian street cred as crepes. Definitely one of my favorites things about winter in Paris!