whether you drink it or like the smell..

beans from around the world, comfy-ass chairs, quiet and comforting.... 

do my teasing images give it away at all???

obviously THIS hooked me!

why don't you have a look for yourself... 52 Rue D'Hotel de Ville....

....x

follow, follow, follow, follow

follow the little pink hearts......

I hoped off the metro at Pont Marie to meet a friend for coffee and I stumbled across the most delightful thing....

a little trail of neon pink stenciled hearts which curved back in and around through to Rue de Rivoli

I counted over 30 when I realised that I was going to be late and had to back track to Rue d'hotel de ville to meet G.

I have a secret, well to some not-so-secret obsession with hearts.....so I was pretty chuffed when I found myself following the little pink path....

What do you suppose it was for, a random throught-provoking gesture, an artistic display of love, an inventive step in a lovers suprise...

No matter, it caught my eye and led me along for awhile

but then again, my name is Hart.....x



les portes

REPOST - I know the photos didn't come out when I originally posted this so here it is again!

They are everywhere.  You pass by them, you see them, you walk through them…..they hold untold stories behind them, they create privacy, they hide secrets, they’re heavy, they’re beautiful and well, in Paris……they are one of my favourite things.

Front doors, side doors, back doors, courtyard doors, palace doors, secret doors……

The myriad of colours……(a definite blue theme in this post!), the style, the intricate wood work and iron curling.  I love the peeling paint and the worn patina.  Imagine how many thousands no, millions of hands have pushed them open. 

When walking around sometimes all you see are doors and you wonder where everyone is, but then you get a quick glimpse in as a door swings closed and you realise that there is a whole little community of frenchies living behind that one door. 

secret door anyone...?...

They lead into courtyards and apartments, offices and studios, secret gardens and years of history……yeah definitely one of my favourite things…..

wish this was mine, but alas, it's NOT!

les timbres

I went for a wander today to find my nearest library and I stumbled across a very interesting street.  It’s very common here in Paris (and possibly elsewhere) that specific industries/markets hang out together. 

 For example, Saint Germain des Pres is well known for all its galleries.  It’s not far from Les Beaux Arts (an art school) and there is a particular street that is just gallery after gallery after gallery.  In Montmarte, if you’re in need of fabric and haberdashery, you go to Marche St Pierre, they have it ALL.

So I’m dawdling along and I realise that I keep seeing the same thing! 

Stamps!  Postage Stamps! 

Attention all avid stamp collectors - Buying or Selling, Rue Drouot is the place to go.

Shop after shop, displaying, buying and selling, gorgeous vintage stamps – I counted at least 7!  If you’re after a specific time period or style, you can buy individually or you can buy in bundles or you can even buy whole albums of a set grouping.  Fantastic!

This one was my favourite, all the stamps displayed like Real Estate, description, photo, price.....

What I love is that some are still on the envelope and they have the most beautiful penmanship!

I’m a bit of a stationery fiend and now I’m feeling rather inspired to write letters…..now who to write to……

-Rue Drouot-10th Arrondisement-