The ParisSharing Blog

Archive for April, 2010

“The Red Children Market” is the oldest farmer’s market in Paris, located 39, rue de Bretagne in the 3rd.  Its name is taken from a 16th century orphanage that clothed its children in red. It was only in 1777 that the place was transformed into a covered market.

I’ve passed by this market countless times and never took a moment to peep inside. Today was my lucky day. Much to my astonishment, the market is a splendid hide-away that offers, in addition to the market per se,  a choice of about ten small inexpensive eateries representing cuisine from around the world (including French). The tables are almost all set outside, and one has little doubt where the produce comes from.

If you’re up for some good provincial French cuisine, try the “L’Estaminet des Enfants Rouges”. You might be faced with slow service, but will enjoy your meal and your time basking in the sun and enjoying the peaceful haven in the heart of the city.

Marché des Enfants-Rouge

Marché des Enfants-Rouges

You can see more photos of the market here.

To see more reasonably-priced restaurant choices by quartier (neighborhood),  click here.

The annual “Quality of Life Index” calculated by International Living Magazine has ranked France the “best place to live in the world” for the fifth time in a row. I’m sucker for reading these kinds of reports, even though the results are sometimes ridiculously subjective.  For example, has anyone ever seen “The Economist” rank France in the top three for anything ?

One of the criteria taken into account is infrastructure. I was astonished to see that the USA had a slightly higher score than France,  who’s infrastructure I thought was second to none. Unless, of course, you put a lot of weight on being able fly out  when there is snow on the ground. On that criterion, Paris is a disaster !

You can follow this link to see the complete ranking.

I don’t know if France is the “best” place to live, but it is certainly an extraodinary place to be. It attracts by far more tourists each year than any other country, and as the French say “il n’y pas de fumée sans feu” (there’s no smoke without fire). What I do know is that Paris-Sharing.com is my personal contribution to making France more accessible and enjoyable for all those who want to visit.

To wrap up this post, I thought you might enjoy this sneak preview of a side-spliting one-man show that makes fun of both Parisians and Americans. The humor is…well, French. If you don’t like it, remember that there are 100 better reasons to come to Paris !

Photo courtesy of Eric Tenin, ParisDailyPhoto.com

If you’re new to French bread and bakeries, you may find yourself in state of frantic ecstasy as you attempt to try them all out. When the honeymoon is over, you will of course become more sensitive to the subtle differences between flour blends, tastes, and textures. You will then search for the secret of how to identify the best bakeries. By the charm of the décor ? By the inviting smile of the boulangère ? By the irresistible aroma wafting out ?

As it is written, wisdom comes from the mouth of babes. Yesterday, as I was standing in a very long line to buy my daily “baguette tradition” in the bakery where I have probably purchased several hundred over the past few years, a toddler strolled past my knees holding on to her mother with one hand and a fresh baguette with the other. Delighted by her own perspicacity, this what she said to her mom :

“Il y a beaucoup de monde, alors on sait que la boulangerie est bonne.” Where there are loads of people, you know it’s a good bakery.

So there’s the secret. Great bread (just like great anything) requires time. Time to set, time to rise, time to knead, time to cook, and…time to wait in line !

If you’d like a more reputable source for choosing the most excellent of all bakeries, try the winner of the official annual “best baguette” contest. This year’s winner is Grenier à Pain Abesses.

For a more in-depth study of Parisian baguettes, have a look at this slideshow.

Paris family-style, photo courtesy of Eric Tenin

The Couchsurfing phenonmenon has taken off in the past few years. There are currently about 1.3 million couchsurfers in the world, and Paris is the top couchsurfing destination with over 25,000. For those who are not familiar with the term, couchsurfing is a form of hospitality tourism. When you travel, you stay for free in someone’s home while they are there.

As declared on the Couchsuring website :

“CouchSurfing is not about the furniture, not just about finding free accommodations around the world; it’s about making connections worldwide. We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!”

Paris-Sharing shares a similar spirit of travel (“authentic stays for authentic people”) but one that is more tailored to travelers who would like more privacy, more comfort, more security, or who worry about feeling obliged to their hosts. This is likely to be the case for many couples and families.

It may feel good to go for free, but it can also feel good to know that you are compensating someone fairly for the use of their home, and that both parties are clearly benefiting as a result. This is why PariSharing is founded upon the principle of fair compensation.

For couples, you can have a honeymoon through ParisSharing if you’d like (couchsurfing is not advised for that !)

For families, you can enrich your children’s cultural awareness by staying in an authentic home, with all the space you need and far less concern for bothering people. The price you pay is be peanuts compared to hotel rooms.

In most cases, a Paris-Sharing home is vacant for your sole use. Some owners of very large manors or villas may offer to rent out part of their estate while they remain on premise. B&B is also offered through Paris-Sharing, and these establishments are clearly marked as such.