Mocha Monday

 

View from a table.

 

Above: a café noisette (strong espresso w/its small pitcher of hot milk); an espresso

 

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In France, strong black espresso is the preferred coffee after lunch or dinner and a café crème is the coffee choice of the morning. Order a café in France and you will get an espresso. Order an espresso and, while the waiter will understand, in French it’s a café express. The noisette is an express with a nice drop of milk. Sometimes I order an express with hot milk (it won’t be cream) on the side to add as I like, and it’s still considered a café noisette. In Spain the café noisette is a cortado, and while it's starting to appear under the Italian name macchiato - an excuse to make it more expensive - a café noisette should only cost slightly more than an espresso. - BPJ

 

 

Sunny Sunday

 

Catching rays by the river as a tourist boat glides by.

 

Paris Plages 2025

 Ends Sunday August 31

 

Saturday sparkle

 

Lights appear as evening descends on a Montmartre nook.

 

Fresh start Friday

 

 

 

It's almost La Rentrée, a time for renewal.

 

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August in Paris, a period of tranquility, is coming to an end. It's an ideal time to set goals, tie up lingering projects, brush up on personal style and embrace new routines. Beyond La Rentrée, September in Paris combines cultural renewal, seasonal shifts, and a vibrant event calendar. Anyone inspired by fashion, art, nature, or cuisine will be in the right place, as the city offers countless ways to reset and recharge.

September, that transition to fall, not the New Year, has always been my personal preferred "fresh start” time of year. This is when Paris’s parks and tree-lined streets begin to display burnt violets, reds, oranges, and golds. Shadows are longer, the air is crisp and it’s the perfect time for creative inspiration. Iconic parks like Jardin du Luxembourg or Tuileries with their early autumn colors enhance the city’s charm. Students, too, return to new teachers, backpacks brimming with fresh notebooks, ambitions, and dreams. Opportunities and surprises seem to pop out like corks at a Left Bank wine bar. Everyone has returned, some with already fading tans, others with dog-eared paperbacks or crisp croissant crumbs still clinging to their beards.

This might be the perfect time for a personal overhaul, whether through perfecting old skills, learning something new, or simply by enjoying life.

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Fashion Week fresh start

 Paris Fashion Week 2025 (September 29 - October 7) is a global highlight, setting trends for the upcoming seasons and infusing the city with creative energy. It’s a chance to become immersed in cutting-edge style and the excitement of new collections. Even if the exclusive runway shows are off limits, the city hosts public fashion-related events, pop-up boutiques and exhibitions. Off-the-radar designers' creations compete in showrooms, many in the Marais district. Trendy concept stores like Centre Commercial, MERCI, or A.P.C. will stock the latest Paris street fashion.

 Cultural fresh start

 September is when Paris’ cultural scene roars back to life and the choices can seem overwhelming. New museum exhibitions, festivals, and events provide intellectual and artistic stimulation. The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Centre Pompidou often launch fresh post-summer programs. Neighborhood galleries open their doors while jazz clubs, classical venues, theaters and grand opera houses like the Opéra Garnier and Opéra Bastille open their seasons with dazzling new productions, drawing culture enthusiasts to the city’s historic venues.

 

Culinary fresh start

 

September also marks the start of the oyster season and grape harvest, alongside an abundance of seasonal produce, making it a perfect time to refresh palates at some of the city's many tempting eateries. Markets like Marché Bastille and Marché d’Aligre will display seasonal delights such as cèpes, truffles, chestnuts, artichokes, grapes, and figs. Cheeses have seasons too, so watch for Tête de Moine (monk's head), Rocamadour, Camembert and Brie, more. You won't even have to know what seasonal ingredients are in season as they will be woven into menus. Find a wine barrel table at Le Baron Rouge and lift a glass in appreciation. - BPJ

 

Night ride

It was one of those nights when anything could happen.

 

Above: Place de Furstemberg at midnight

 

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Art Exhibitions Paris / August

 

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Update:

Above photo selected for exhibition / competition

 

September newsletter

 

Window Wednesday

 All over Paris restaurants, cafés and shops close during the month of August and leave a message of when they will return, although each year the grandes vacances (annual summer vacation) seem to be getting shorter.

To tip or not to tip Tuesday

Ignorance of a culture can get expensive.

 

You’re in Paris. You've researched your trip yet are still confused about tipping etiquette. There were as many opinions on what to do/what not to do as cobblestones on a Montmartre 

 side street.

 

First of all, in France, there are no specific services where tipping is legally required. If you encounter a situation where a tip is demanded, it’s not standard practice and you are not obligated to comply.

For cafés, restaurants and anything to do with food service, and this is the area where most of the confusion lies, it doesn’t operate like in the U.S. where workers rely on tips to make ends meet. Being a server is a profession, and servers are in for the long haul. They’re not students or actors waiting to be discovered, as one older American lady found out during lunch at a Left Bank bistrot. Clasping her hands she said to the waiter, “My, you are handsome! You must be an actor!” to which he sternly replied, “Non! I am a waiter!” clicking his heels.

Paying your bill and walking out without leaving anything extra won’t raise an eyebrow. Tipping in restaurants and cafés or anywhere to do with food/drink isn’t mandatory. In France, servers earn a proper salary, complete with benefits - paid vacation (5 weeks!), all healthcare. It’s hard to fire them and if the establishment changes hands, they can stay on. They return from their August congés well-rested and cheerful, having been able to afford travel to exotic locales - India, North Africa, Cuba, San Francisco.

A 15% service charge is already built into the price of every item at cafés, bars, and restaurants (the famous “service compris”). It might be visible on the menu and/or bill or it might not. It won’t be tacked onto your bill separately.

 

Service compris was in that €400 Michelin tab as well as tiny espresso taken standing at a counter. At café bars, leaving a few “pièces jaunes”  - small yellow coins - is common. It’s called a "pourboire” meaning “to drink,” so at the day's end the server will be able to buy a glass of something.

 

Having said that, some touristy restaurants are now presenting the bill (l'addition) with a “tip line” and digital screens with pre-set tip percentages - 15%, 18%, 20% or 25% along with "custom amount" or "no tip" options U.S.-style - which is counting on customer ignorance. Choosing not to tip won’t earn you The Evil Eye.

 

One tactic at mostly trendy fashion-forward restaurants is when the waitress, hand-picked for her allure, glides straight to the payer (often a man), and breathily purrs, “Did you enjoy zee service?” playing on lingering doubts. If you did, you can simply reply, “Yes!” And if you don’t want to leave anything, you don’t have to.

 

However if you liked the service and found it exceptional, it’s a nice gesture to leave a little something. Many locals don’t; or they round up their bill to the nearest euro. If you still can't shake those feelings of guilt, some leave €5 if they're two, €10 if they're four, and at high-end spots like Michelin-starred restaurants €50, although a modest €2 to €20-tip is fine. As for the tip, cash is preferred. Mais bien sûr, if you feel the service deserves more - especially if you’ve been high-maintenance - don’t hesitate to leave a bit extra.

 

Remember, "good service" means that once you've received your order, your waiter will pretty much leave you alone, not wanting to interrupt your meal. And I like that.- BPJ

 

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Adapted from:

Paris and The French: A Unique Culture - Barbara Pasquet James