When asked the question, “Would you like to live in Paris for a few months?” Most people will answer with an enthusiastic YES! The city has an inexplicable charm and allure. The first time we visited Paris was in 2002. Since then it’s become Paul’s favorite city, so we’ve returned more than a dozen times. One of the priorities for our world trip was to live in Paris for as long as was legal without a visa, which was 90 days. We chose the Fall months so we could also experience Christmas and New Year’s in Paris.
We rented an apartment for three months in the artsy, hilly district of Montmarte, with a view of Sacre Coeur. We explored an international chocolate and other famous festivals, discovered vintage shops that sold clothing by the pound, discovered tiny four table restaurant treasures, smaller museums, flower markets, indoor and outdoor cafes, and of course the bakeries. We watched Hollywood made movies, often before they were released in the States, I sampled my favorite dish, moules frites all over the city. We saw friends we hadn’t seen in years from places like Guatemala, Toronto, and our college home-town, Goshen Indiana. They were all visiting Paris for a precious few days to a week max, so it was cool to relatively be living there. We went to many museums, and still feel like we didn’t scratch the surface. We lived with Parisiens through a horrible terrorist attack on the city we were all calling home. We explored as many Christmas markets and holiday events we could, especially the famous Christmas market on the Champs de Elysees. Our months in Paris were like a fantastic dream. We will do it again, hopefully soon.
Paris is discovered in layers. The outside common layer would be places like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, eating fresh street crepes–those are the most common places for the first few trips to Paris. The next layer may be the Musée d’Orsay or the Musée d’Art Moderne, descending into the Catacombs, eating beef bourguignon. The beauty of this city is that no matter how many times you return, there will still be new layers to discover–museums, foods, experiences. This list would more accurately be titled, Our Top-10 list in Paris, the 14th edition.
10ish. The covered passages or Les passages couverts. These are shopping areas created in the 18th and 19th c, particularly around the Grands Boulevards that have glass roofs. We usually visit Paris in the summer, when it’s raining or colder, these are beautiful ways to eat out on the covered sidewalks, or simply get around.
10. International Chocolate Festival. Paris, because it’s well, Paris, is able to attract the best events in the world. We saw a few, but this was my favorite. The best chocolatiers came from around the world, and a few thousand of the luckiest people in the world could endlessly simple their wares. I’m not kidding, it’s what heaven must taste like. Overdid it on the photos…but you chocolate lovers won’t mind. The dresses made from chocolate and the sculptures were my favorite.
9. Paris markets are famous for just about everything. Since we were in Paris for such a long time, we hit up 2 or 3 markets a week, so I’ll be specific. The flowers on Rue Cler were particularly stunning. We were in Paris during wild mushroom season which was amazing. We went to a couple of book fairs. In the Marche aux Puces our daughter got a leather jacket made by Joe de Grey, where she got to pick out the leather, design it, and he delivered it to our house on Christmas. Unforgettable!
8. The shop that saved Thanksgiving. When Thanksgiving rolled around we were looking for the usual fixings, including pumpkin pie filling (I only do real pumpkins at Halloween). We discovered an American food store that had all the tastes of home, with special Thanksgiving ingredients for those of us away from home. Guess what the name of the store was called? We also found it interesting to see what familiar foods other expats were homesick for.
7. One can find a stunning view of the city from many points throughout Paris. But one of our favorite panoramas, and free to enjoy, is on the rooftop level of the tres chic Galeries Lafayette, the historic golden domed department store. You can also have drinks and snacks to go with your view.
6. An experience anywhere in France would be incomplete without a trip to neighborhood boulangerie. Ours was Coquelicot, and not only did we never missed a day, we sometimes went back mid day for yummy baked treats. In the mornings we always got 2 baguettes and 6 madeleines, which were kept by the register that had the little shelves to hold your baguette while you pay. After a few weeks, the women behind the counter know what kind of baguette you prefer, lighter, darker, thinner, fatter. Pretty awesome. The excessive picturage in this section was bound to happen.
5. We could see Sacre Couer from our window, it was only a few blocks away. Sometimes there would be fireworks that we’d watch from our windows. We spent our last night up on the mountain on the church steps overlooking all of Paris, with hundreds of others bringing in the New Year. The fireworks were red, white, and blue, the colors of the French flag.
4. Buying vintage clothes by the pound. This was a new find for us, where you buy your gently loved clothing by weight. A better place to look for cotton than boots. Still, it was a fun way to spend a few Euros. 
3. Ever since I had my first moules write 15 years ago, I’ve become obsessed with them. If they are on the menu anywhere in the world, that’s what I’m having. I had three months to eat moules frites all around Paris, and my favorite by far, rivaling a version I had in Pezenas, was in a small restaurant Best Moule Frites by the Saint Lazarre train station. We returned many, many times.
2. Ever since I took Art History with Mary Oyer at Goshen College, I’ve loved Monet’s waterlilies. We named our first dog Monet. A few years ago we went to his home in Giverny to see the waterlilies, the ponds and the Japanese bridge. My new favorite place museum is the Musée Orangerie where they have 360 degrees displays of his work. Four works per room. I told the girls to spread my ashes there when I die, which may be logistically and legally challenging. But what a place for those who love Monet’s work!
1. Christmas markets, Christmas markets, Christmas markets all over the city! One of the reasons we timed our visit for the fall, was to visit see Paris do l’Christmas. It’s my favorite time of the year, so my mind almost exploded with all the festivities, shopping, and food. Spectacular events and pop-up markets were everywhere, we could barely fit them all in. What I may remember more than the shopping, since there’s only so much you want to haul around the world or ship home, was the food! Everything is cooked in huge vats and frying pans you could curl up and sleep in. Delicious food everywhere, from many cultures. So, we basically ate our way around Paris Christmas markets for all of December. Must. Go. Back.
I could easily do another list of 10 fascinating parts of Paris not to be missed, but for now this will have to do. Stay tuned for our 15th edition.
