After living in France for over 4 years now, I like to think I have a little bit of Paris figured out.  I know some of the areas pretty well from living in the neighborhood, and others I love to visit and take in the sights.  I don’t think I am an expert by any means, but I know what areas I like and I know what ones to never venture into.  I get so many requests from people asking what to do in Paris if they come on a holiday, so I thought I would write a series of blog post

One of the best things about the New Year in France is the delicious pastry called Galette des Rois (The King’s Cake) that is served all month long in January.  This cake consists of layers of flaky puff pastry filled with frangipane (a mixture of butter, eggs, sugar and ground almonds).  Inside the galette, a little bean, or ceramic trinket will be placed prior to baking to be found when you cut into the cake.  Whoever the lucky person is who finds the trinket is the King an

Today as I was on my way to the grocery store, I passed by a bakery on Blvd de Grenelle called Poilâne. This bakery is not like the usual Parisian bakeries that you will find on almost every street corner. This chain of shops first opened in 1932 when a young baker from Normandy came to Paris to open his first shop. The first one was in the Saint- Germain des Prés district. Today, there are 2 shops in Paris and 1 in London. What makes this bakery special from the others? They