Bois de Boulogne

Since the weather here in Paris has been so nice lately it has been a perfect opportunity to get out to some of the beautiful parks that Paris has to offer. So, last weekend my boyfriend and I walked over to Bois de Boulogne to spend a lovely afternoon in this huge park. Bois de Boulogne is located on the western side of Paris, and luckily we are able to walk there from where we live near the Eiffel Tower. There are canoes that you can rent to row along the river that runs through the middle of the park. You could rent a bike and ride on the paths through the wooded areas, walk around the parameter of the park and enjoy the nature or just sit and relax while eating an ice cream from one of the many vendors.

We decided to walk around the water and enjoy the nature away from the bustle of the city. We came upon these turtles sunbathing on a little log while about 10 other turtles relaxed nearby in the water.

As we walked further, we found these adorable baby swans!! The mother was close by watching her little ones while she bathed in the water.

More babies, this time little ducks were swimming past us in the water!

After walking a while we sat alongside the water and relaxed in the warm spring sunshine!

One of the many great things about Paris is the many parks that offer a little glimpse of nature while still being in the city. Hopefully the warm weather will stay around all summer so I can enjoy these beautiful parks in the sunshine!

Famous Graves at Le Père Lachaise

Le Père Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris and is the final resting place for many famous people, therefore making it a bit of a tourist attraction. A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I set out to visit the cemetery. We bought a map at the entrance to be able to find the famous graves among the 105 acres of land. Once inside, we made our way over to perhaps the most visited grave, Jim Morrison. I had been to see it once before, and this time was just the same. The site was full of flowers, graffiti, candles and other items that fans have left behind.

There was a tree in front of the grave which was covered in writing from fans leaving their mark for Jim.

As we continued through the cemetery, we came across the grave of Oscar Wilde. The large grave stone was covered in graffiti with words for the late writer and poet.

Edith Piaf was one site that I had wanted to see. Edith's songs are just so "Parisian" to me that I remember playing "La Vie en Rose" as I was thinking of moving to France a few years ago.

Chopin's grave was also surrounded by tourists bringing flowers and taking pictures.

Other than the graves, Le Père Lachaise also offers a large park, beautiful gardens and lots of architecture. It was a nice outing on a sunny day with good friends!

Parc de Sceaux

Walking through the Parc de Sceaux is such a nice break away from the craziness of Paris. Only 9km outside of Paris, you will find this beautiful park. My boyfriend had wanted to take me to this park for quite a while now, and I am glad that we finally made the trip to see it. We walked around the spacious gardens, taking in the scenery.


Climbing to the top of the hill, we saw the Chateau and got an extraordinary view the park below.


The same landscape artist who did the gardens in Versaille also did these. You may recognize the trees shaped into triangles that appear throughout both gardens.


The fountains in the park are also very impressive. There are ones that shoot water high into the sky, or quirky ones spitting out water.




After the park we finished off the day with good company and a delicious lunch with homemade french fries, champagne, lemon tart, chocolate eclairs and fresh fruit salad! What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!

A Day at Bercy

This past Saturday, my boyfriend and I took a little trip out to Bercy. I had never visited this part of Paris before, so it was nice to explore another part of the city. We took the Metro to Bercy and got off right beside the stadium there. We quickly noticed that there were hundreds of people lined up to get into the stadium to see Lady Gaga who was performing that night.
We walked around all the people and into the Parc de Bercy. Over to the left hand side, is the Cinémathèque Française designed my Frank Gehry.

After stopping to take some pictures, we strolled through the park to enjoy the flowers and wildlife.



Inside the park, we came across a cute little vegetable garden, and small vineyard. The Bercy district has always been associated with wine. When it was still a rural village outside the city walls, Parisians came to drink cheap wine at the many bars along the river. To have “Bercy fever” was once a popular Parisian saying for being drunk!





After walking through the park, we headed over to Bercy Village to check out the shops.

Once inside the village, we saw two rows of rehabilitated chais (wine storehouses) converted into a pedestrian-only shopping area.


The boutiques, restaurants and bars aren’t really unique, but the buildings themselves, and the café terrace seating along the central cobblestone pathway provides the perfect setting for an afternoon drink in the sun!

Parc Floral de Paris

If you are visiting Paris anytime soon, be sure to check out the Parc Floral de Paris. It is free admission until about the middle of June. It is a beautiful park situated just off the last stop on Metro 1 at Chateau Vincennes. The park is filled with flowers, ponds and waterfalls. You can stroll through the park, enjoy an Italian ice cream or even rent a two driver bicycle! There are a lot of things for kids to do at this park. There are climbing towers, slides, bicycles that look like horses, and even a ping pong tables.


I highly recommend a day out at Parc Floral de Paris when the sun is shining!

Springtime in Paris

Spring is in the air here in Paris, and what better way to celebrate than to make spring jewelry! I have been creating new designs for the spring season, and will be posting them to my website www.glimpsebeads.com next week! These new designs will include more chunky styles, and wooden paired with semi-precious stones.
To gather inspiration for my new designs, I have been enjoying the warm weather in the various parks around Paris.




The Jardin des Tuilleries is full of people this time of year with children sailing boats in the fountains, and groups of men playing bocce ball. It is nice to sit and watch all the people enjoying the warm sunshine.







Another great place in Paris is the parc de monceau near the Champs Elysees. It is filled with statues and flowers and has a many little hidden bridges and pathways.




Parc Montsouris is great for nature lovers. It offers a little piece of greenery in the middle of the city. I loved the little waterfall, and the ponds filled with ducks and fish. The only strange part about this park is the subway that goes right through the middle!
I am looking forward to all of the flowers to be full bloom so I can enjoy them at these various parks!