Thoughtful Thursday

 

 

A perfect book nook at a café-librairie in the Marais district.

 

A door adorned

 

The Art Nouveau door on Avenue Rapp.

 ***

  The Art Nouveau movement, characterized by flowing lines, natural motifs, and innovative materials like iron, glass, and ceramics, left its mark on various buildings across Paris. This door, a prime example at 29 Avenue Rapp, designed by Jules Lavirotte in 1901, is a top contender for the most beautiful door in Paris.

When the door first appeared, it caused a stir for its intricate carvings, lavish sculptural ornamentation such as Adam and Eve and the door's rumored naughty overtones, which only added to its allure. 

Despite soaring popularity, the movement began to fade around the early 1910s, its decline often linked to the onset of World War I in 1914. By then, the style’s exuberant, ornate designs began to give way to the more geometric and streamlined forms of Art Deco which better suited the post-war desire for modernity and simplicity.

Today there are Art Nouveau touches all over the city if one but keeps their eyes open. Probably the best-known and most-spotted are Hector Guimard's whimsical metro station entrances. - BPJ

 

Table talk Tuesday

Lunchtime, Place des Vosges:

"A splash of historic architecture with our salads, please."

 

Mocha Monday

 Wrapped in the warm glow of a classic Parisian café off Avenue George V. 

 

Fête des Mères

Joyeuse Fête des Mères 2025

***

 Does Paris "do" brunch? visitors often ask. Not only has Paris wholeheartedly embraced le brunch in recent years, but it's transformed the Anglo-Saxon breakfast-lunch hybrid into a quintessentially French affair. From cozy bistros to trendy cafés, the city buzzes with options, as seen on sites like OuBruncher? or through any quick search for "best brunch spots in Paris.” Locals and visitors alike flock to homey favorites like La Bossue in Montmartre for its we-adore-you Grandma! decor and generous buffet to Carette for its breakfast spread. With endless variations of croissants, avocado toasts, luscious pains perdus, pastries and perfectly paired cafés au lait, Paris has made brunch a stylish celebration, especially fitting for La Fête des Mères. For mothers - and others. Enjoy! - BPJ

Some instagram-worthy plates can be had at: 

 

Café Ella 

Le Boissy d'Anglais

PomPom
Kafkaf

Perdue
Kozy

Le Ju'
Café Berry
Les Bariolés de Maud

La Poutinerie

Cakepart
Le Loulou Friendly Diner
Jackpot
Oni Coffee Shop
Wild and the Moon
The Wild Bakery
Immersion
Azur Café
Jozi Brunch
Holybelly
Ob-La-Di
Sunday In Soho

Brunch Crêperie Balard

La Bossue

Decadent, elegant, expensive:

 

La Cuisine at Le Royal Monceau

Grand Brunch at the Ritz

The Prince de Galles

Café 52 at Grand Powers

La Bauhinia ("orchid tree" in English) at the Shangri-La

 

🌹

 

More great places to brunch in Paris on Mothers Day weekend. And beyond.

Saturday sighting

 A blackbird is spotted at this Left Bank café, where buttermilk chicken is the plat du jour.

 

Floral Friday

 

When a gift shop on a Montmartre side street turns out to be a delightful florist.