Wednesday whimsy

 

 

 

A fairytale portal of twinkling holiday splendor.

 

Treeful Tuesday

 

Quirky courtyard "hotels" offer a bird's eye view.

Mona Monday

Paris Purrrfect: The famous smile finally explained.

 

Life is pain...

 

Literally: pain au chocolat, baguette (demi; tradition; bien cuite...), ficelle, flute, pain aux figues, pain de seigle, pain à l’avoine, pain au maïs, pain de campagne, pain moulé, pain long, pain suédois, pain norvégian, pain nordique, pain croque fruits, pain aux noix, pain de mie, pain aux graines, fougasse (aux lardons, olives, fromage), bretzel (from Alsace), bâtard.... To name a few.

Here's to a "Pain-ful" New Year!

🥖🥖🥖

🇫🇷

***

In France, the iconic baguettes, croissants, and artisanal loaves that fill boulangerie shelves are crafted from wheat flour that remains proudly non-GMO, thanks to strict EU regulations and national opt-outs that effectively prohibit the cultivation of genetically modified wheat or other GMO crops on French soil. No commercial GMO wheat is grown anywhere in Europe, preserving traditional varieties and farming methods passed down through generations. And gluten? In France, it's not just tolerated - it's celebrated. That robust, elastic gluten is the magical backbone behind perfect crusty exteriors and airy mie, delivering the texture and flavor that make French bread world-famous.  - BPJ

Stand-up Saturday

 

 

Bold blocks of color feel like Mondrian... One text at a time.

 

Santa Sunday

 Santa traded in his sleigh for a vélo and was caught red-handed sneaking in some after-dark boutique pit stops before the big night.

 

*** 

 

Que cette saison des fêtes vous apporte joie, paix, et magie.

May this holiday season bring you joy, peace, and magic.

À bientôt! - BPJ 

 

- FocusOnParis returns after Christmas -

 

 

  

Sit-down Saturday

 

 

A vine-draped terrace where wine flows and time slows.

 

🍷 

 

Foie gras Friday

All over Paris épicerie shelves are groaning under holiday indulgence.

 Above: artisanal foie gras de canard from Maison Barthouil, perfectly paired w/bottles of Château Rieussec Sauternes, the ultimate French fête combo

 

La Grande Épicerie

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche

24 rue de Sèvres 75007

   

Thoroughfare Thursday

 

 

Once noisy with cars, this Marais street has been transformed into a pedestrian haven. 

  

Window Wednesday

A few bright leaves hold out before winter claims them.

 

Treeful Tuesday

Swirling ribbons of red beneath the dome at Galeries Lafayette, Haussmann.

 

Market Monday

Christmas magic takes over Place de l'Hôtel de Ville.

 

 Best Christmas Markets 

 Marchés de Noël 2025 

 

*** 

  

 Right now, Christmas markets dot the capital and here, in front of the main City Hall, as joyful children carouse on the carousel of the “Forêt Enchantée," it's surreal to imagine that long ago this very spot in front of Place de l'Hôtel de Ville - once the infamous Place de Grève - was for centuries the stage of gruesome public executions. Despite cozy twinkling lights, merry music, crêpes, arts and crafts, roasting chestnuts and pure festive cheer, Parisians have not forgotten (nor will they let you forget!) the echoes of its grim history. From molten lead to mulled wine, Paris, you’ve come a long way. - BPJ

 

Sit-down Saturday

 

Alone at his regular spot, an elderly gentleman enjoys his morning coffee.

 

Flashback Friday

Festive feasting in the English countryside.

 Above: roasted wild pheasants; savory stuffing; fresh (apple-raisin-orange-zest) cranberry chutney; creative salads; home-made tartes

Below: chestnuts for the stuffing; a chai-obsessed chicken; glorious sunrise on a country road 

 

 

 

 

3 hours (or less) from Paris

Eurostar

 

London

 

***

 

Years ago, living in London and invited by friends to the Cotswolds, I was surprised to discover that in the modern English countryside game birds regularly appear on tables ready to carve, and some say are more abundant than ever. These birds, trussed with rosemary, roasted til golden, skin crackling, have earned their place in the kitchen. The majority of pheasants and partridges survive the season to breed wild. Hedgerows are planted and managed specifically for them, cover crops of kale and quinoa stretch for miles and predators are legally controlled. The result: on a good estate you’ll see thirty or forty pheasants strutting along a single lane at dusk, tails flashing, while coveys of partridges whirl up from the stubble like brown fireworks. Soon the birds are plucked, seasoned simply with sea salt, cracked pepper, butter, rosemary or thyme sprigs and laid breast-up on the rack. Glasses are filled with good red wine or a local cider, and the company - cheeks flushed from laughter and gathering chestnuts - falls upon the feast with the honest hunger that only a day in the cold can give. Welcome to the enchanting rhythm of the countryside. - BPJ

 

 

Next newsletter

An English country Thanksgiving

 

Thursday thoughts

 At café Les Deux Magots Paris pauses between present and past.

 

***

 

Paris, the city where time does not merely pass but folds back on itself, like the Seine curling around Île de la Cité. The same cobblestones that felt the heels of revolutionaries in 1789 now support the hurried sneakers of tourists chasing that perfect Instagram of Notre Dame Cathedral. Inside Les Deux Magots, the café tables where Hemingway nursed vermouth and Simone de Beauvoir black coffee (while scribbling pages that would one day shake the world’s conscience), today hosts twenty-somethings who stretch five-euro coffees like it's a full-time job, and, like a mille-feuille, centuries collapse into a single afternoon. Stand on the Pont Neuf at dusk and watch lights flicker on along the quais, and suddenly understand that this city is not old or new but perpetually now - an eternal present tense where a medieval past and electric delivery scooters all occupy the same breathless moment, because Paris refuses to let anything truly end. - BPJ

Windmill Wednesday

Montmartre at night, where almost every corner feels like a painting.

Above: Le Moulin de la Galette

Table Tuesday

 

 

Golden leaves carpet the ground at the Renoir Gardens, one of Paris' quiet treasures.

 

 

Mocha Monday

 A café crème to start the week.

PAUL

corner of rue de Seine / rue de Buci 75006 

 

Sit-down Saturday

 

 

Looking back to warmer days.

 

île-de-Ré

3 hours (or less) from Paris

 

 

Floral Friday

 

At a Left Bank florist, flowers spill onto the terrace of a covered market.

 

Almost winter

 

Paris in suspension between two seasons.

***

Presque hiver

As coats and scarves leave closets, trees stand half-undressed. Soon the light will turn to gray, but the real cold hasn’t yet bitten on this almost-too-cold-to-sit-outside-but-we'll-do-it-anyway evening. - BPJ