48 Hours in Paris

People often ask me for great places to go in Paris. I'm never sure what to tell them because I love everything about this city. However, if I only had a weekend to spend in this perfectly beautiful place, this is probably what I'd do...

I'd reserve a room at La Belle Juliette hotel.

Or La Maison Favart...

Or one of my all-time favourites, the Hotel du Pantheon.

I might even request a bouquet of flowers.

And perhaps a Champagne bottle or two. (Depending on who's with me on this mini Parisian honeymoon.)

Although if I wanted to save money, I'd just wait until I went to the Flower Market at Place Louis-Lepine on the Île de la Cité (Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux), which is open every day of the week and filled with glorious blooms. Browsing, of course, is free, but there's nothing like a small posy to enhance a Parisian hotel room.

To really begin the weekend in the Parisian spirit, I'd wander around the Left Bank and get reacquainted with the charming streets, just to remember how pretty the city is. I'd also head for the gorgeous quartier tucked away behind the Rue de Furstenberg, where some of the best design stores are clustered, like macarons.

And then I'd wander around the corner to Rue du Buci, for a coffee in a sidewalk cafe, and some serious people watching, for some free lessons in fabulous Parisian style.

Then I might head to either Catherine B, for some vintage Chanel (a girl can only dream)...

Or head across to the Right Bank and Hermès, for some of the best browsing in Paris. (Tip: If you can't afford an entire outfit, their fragrances are just as lovely.)

And while I was over that side of the city, I might make my way up to Montmartre, to the fabulous fabric shops of Marché Saint-Pierre on Rue Charles Nodier. Most people head for the biggest one, which is nicknamed (confusingly) Marché Saint-Pierre, but I prefer Reine and Moline. The choice of French silk taffetas is extraordinary. And the French linens are always lovely, too.

Then I'd head back to the hotel, put on some fresh lipstick and a cute frock, and head out to dinner somewhere on the Île Saint-Louis, just so I/we could walk across the Seine at the magic hour, when the pink twilight makes you feel as though you're in a movie.

Then, if we had some energy left and there was a spare taxi nearby, I'd suggest a late-night drink at The Champagne Bar of Dokhan's Trocadero hotel, one of the most beautiful rooms in the entire city.

The next morning, I'd wake up before the rest of Paris and wander the streets, because dawn is always one of the best time to take photographs of Parisian streets. 

Then I'd grab a freshly baked croissant at a traditional French bakery. (Tip: If you're not sure which one to go to, look for the busiest places.)

Or, if we wanted to splurge, we'd head to the Hotel Vendome for breakfast, because while the suites are well out of my price range the fancy brunches are thankfully still within budget!

Then I'd head to one of the many fantastic flea markets, before the crowds descended upon the best antiques. 

With lunchtime approaching, I'd head back to the Left Bank, for a wander around the Luxembourg Gardens and the neighbouring Fifth Arrondissement; both of which are always charming on a sun-filled Sunday. (Many shops and tourist attractions are closed on Sunday mornings, so these places are also great to fill in the time until the city wakes up  and/or open its doors.)

I'd find a cute place to have some lunch. 

Or just a macaron to see me through the afternoon...

And perhaps finish off the day with some shopping, seeing as Le Bon Marche is right nearby.

Before heading back to the hotel for a sound night's sleep!

{All photos mine, except the lovely map, Belle Juliette, Maison Favart, the exquisite Chanel drawing, Hermes, the YSL lipstick and the beautiful Burberry coat – all the good ones were taken by others, of course!}

Joy – And The 2012 Phenomenon

At the risk of sounding like a gospel choir from Harlem (which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing), I thought I'd do an addendum post on joyous and inspirational things.

Further to the last post on Happiness, here are a few cheeky ideas and images to keep you cheerful for the rest of the week. Cos God knows we all need a little inspiration.

Be happy. Don't forget the world is supposed to end on December 21 with the 2012 Phenomenon. (I only realised the Mayan connection with the numbers the other week – 122112; clearly I'm not a mathematician.) So if you haven't done everything you've wanted to do in life, you now have slightly less than 3 months to do it!

Better get cracking people.

Here are some suggestions for a memorable last three months.

GET CREATIVE

We love a bit of DIY in our house. I'll make anything – ottomans, curtains, chaise longues. Our house is dangling by a thread, but that doesn't matter. There is nothing as pleasurable as getting your hands dirty, in my DIY opinion. Now we just need to make ourselves a bomb shelter, if the 2012 Phenomenon is to be believed... (NB Hermès handbag project found here.)

SEE AN INSPIRATIONAL EXHIBITION

‘Doris Duke’s Shangri La’ has just opened at New York's Museum of Arts and Design, and it's certain to be an eye opener. The New York Times did an article on it, entitled 'Treasures of an Heiress From a Personal Paradise', found here. It's one of dozens of great exhibitions showing in London, Manhattan, Paris and Sydney this year. 'Eugène Atget: Old Paris' is another, now showing at the Art  Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. Lose yourself in the beauty of old Paris with more than 200 rare and original prints from the founder of documentary photography. I fell in love with photography at the age of 10 when I picked up a book on Mr Atget. Few have matched him since.

MAKE A HOME-MADE VIDEO OF YOUR LIFE

We tried doing one in New York but I got distracted by the shop windows. (I think that's called Sartorial ADD?) You will no doubt do a much better job. Here's a beautiful example, one of my  favourites, called Kiki and Coco in Paris, here. 

WATCH A CLASSIC MOVIE

Or, even better, start collating a library of classic DVDs.

COLLECT VINTAGE BOOKS

...So we can save them from oblivion. 

(Plus they'll give us something interesting to read when we're all together in the bomb shelter for the next few years. See 2012 Phenomenon reference, above.)

MAKE A TRAVEL WISH LIST

Whenever we visit my parents (my mother is recovering well,  by the way; thanks for your beautiful messages), we marvel at the map on their powder room wall. It's a map of the world criss-crossed with the hundreds of trips they've done. 

If you haven't been out of your comfort zone lately, do consider it. We're contemplating Siem Reap for a week in January (if the world is still here). Even my home-loving Virgo hubster is happy to go. Colonial architecture, the French Quarter and the famous Angkor ruins... How much more exotic can you get? {Images by Tim Walker}

TAKE MORE PHOTOS

I'm the worst culprit for not taking casual photos. Sometimes I can't bear to pick up a camera to take  happy snaps after doing a day of professional shoots. But I read recently that photo albums make you happy. Imagine being 79 and looking back on your happy snaps? I think it would stop me from falling into my G&T.

TAKE MORE PHOTOS OF YOUR LOVED ONES

See above. 

Look – even Lillian Bassman is acquising to a portrait. Love that camera Lil.

READ MORE BIOGRAPHIES

Sometimes reading about others makes us feel less inadequate. Just look at Zelda Fitzgerald, poor love. I've been reading Edith Wharton's. Such an inspiration. 

LAUGH

Have you seen the cute twitters from The Honest Toddler yet?  {Just go to: twitter.com/HonestToddler} Some of them are very funny.  "If I lost at the Emmys I'd still go up and collect my trophy. Fastest one gets it." Someone give him a book deal.

BE HAPPY FOR OTHERS

I dislike people who take great delight in putting down other people. What's that all about?  I'm thrilled when someone achieves their dream, or even strives for it, and has a little quiet moment of happiness at how far they've come. The Tall Poppy Syndrome needs to be abolished, in my opinion. This year, I've been quietly applauding Justine Picardie. She had a horrendous life there for a while, then wrote her way to happiness with a bestseller about Chanel. Then she met  – and married – the love of her life in Scotland. (An Astor no less.) And, if all THAT wasn't joyous enough, she's just been given the editorship of UK Harper's Bazaar, which she's just started this month.  I'm so thrilled for her. Truly. It could not have happened to a nicer person. {justine-picardie.blogspot.com.au} Oh – And did I mention her dress was a couture Chanel? It was courtesy of Karl himself for writing such a superb biography. 

Before the wedding, the fitting in Paris...

So, as some of you will have guessed, my wedding dress was by Chanel -- and it was perfect. I have never loved a dress as much as this one: for its simplicity, as well as its complexity. It had to be cream silk, rather than white – I'm not a virgin bride – and sufficiently sophisticated for a grownup occasion, while also appropriate to a country wedding. Above all, it represented so much of the circuitous journey that has taken me from sadness to joy; navigated by Mademoiselle Chanel herself, a woman who understood how clothes can bestow dignity to those who have felt broken, while also giving a lightness of touch to the most emotional of episodes.         

INTRODUCE COLOUR INTO YOUR LIFE

Apparently white is returning as a trend. Please God, no. We've just started embracing the joys of blues, greens, tangerines and reds. Look at this street's efforts! How stylish. The sight of these early on a Monday morning as I drove to work would certainly make me happy.

Look, one person's even taken the designer rubbish thing to extremes. I wonder if it smells like leather too?

Green, Spring, & The Art of Being Happy

Do you ever look up from your life and think: I'm actually quite happy? Do you ever sit in the garden with a cup of tea, or sing along to a great song in the car, or walk along an autumn/spring street just as the trees are erupting into colour and realise, with a small shock, that life is actually really lovely?

I'm deeply ashamed to say I don't. Not as much as I should. I used to. I'm sure many of us did. Years ago, a good friend told me about CBT and The Art of Gratitude, so I used to practice both of them. Often. Running was another life enhancer. Walking too. (Especially in foreign cities such as Paris: there are few things as lovely as being a flâneuse.) But then my partner and I had a few challenging years. As many of us have had since the media and PS industries hit the proverbial wall...

It started when we bought a big, old, rundown house in the country, which ended up being inhabited by ghosts. (No, I didn't believe in them either, until last year). Then I became quite sick, then kept getting sicker, and nobody could figure out what was wrong. (I'm slowly getting better thankfully). And then the publishing market collapsed, and my publishers collapsed with it. (One of them, Murdoch Books, is even being sold as I write this.)

So I started writing a book about a famous Australian novel (above), which I discovered was cursed. Or, if not cursed, then certainly affected by its own haunting back story. (The story is too complicated to explain but it's incredibly sad.) We eventually sold the big old house and left the persistent ghosts behind. But the entire book industry, meanwhile, kept falling to its literary knees, and still hasn't been able to get back up again.

So, earlier this year, we made the decision to move to the US East Coast where I could perhaps have a better career, perhaps even start my own company, and my partner could have a better career in his industry, and we could buy 3 houses for the price of our Australian home! But then, realising our families needed us, we turned around from our NY reccy and came back again.

Then, to finish everything off in a truly fitting way, we realised that, by not moving to the US, our dreams of having children were probably quashed once and for all. (It would have been easier there, with adoption and surrogacy options, than here in Australia, where such things are impossible.)

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't think about happiness for a long, long, long time.

Until yesterday.

You know those days where everything falls into place, like a high-scoring Scrabble word? Well, this was such a day. It was glorious. I took the dogs for a long walk and realised I could at last breath again.

The scents of the spring hyacinths, apple blossoms and jasmine filled the air, and the soft morning light turned into the most golden day. Some parts of it were showery with spring rains, but other moments were warm and still. There was even a double-rainbow, which acted as a exclamation mark for a pretty sunshower that made our newly replanted hydrangeas perk up again.

I gave the dogs a bone each and sat down to finish editing the last chapters of The Book About The Cursed Novel, and realised it wasn't such a horrific story after all. I went out at lunch and bought an orchid, and a sports bra to go running again, then prepared some dinner for The Loved One. I also made significant progress on The Garden Tour Itinerary (which has been very, very difficult, but will be worth all the effort), and then sorted through 658 photos of Paris and New York for 2 lovely new books that we're about to begin work on. {Image of a Gramercy Park balcony from our faux honeymoon earlier this year: Oh, how I loved Gramercy Park. That was a glimpse of happiness, right there!}

At 5 o'clock, I went for another walk with the dogs, amid yet another sunshower, and ended up near the Botanic Gardens at dusk, which reminded me of this beautiful book (above). It was there, at the top of the hill that The Loved One found me, soaked through and grinning from ear to ear like some Jane Eyre-esque madwoman. Only without the attic. And the match. (He'd arrived home, realised we were out in the rain and come to find us in his car.)

"Hi honey," I said, as we all clambered into the 4WD, soaking wet. "Thanks for coming to collect me. I love you. Life's pretty wonderful, don't you think?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Have you done something you haven't told me about yet?" he said.

I know it's a cheesy thing, but sometimes you just need a bit of gratitude to enjoy life again, don't you think? Why is it that the old-fashioned remedies – a walk, a run, two dogs, some grass, a whiff of jasmine, a toss of a salad, a flick through photos of Paris – work far, far better than any modern therapy methods? I don't know. But I do know that that the old 'Halleluja Approach', as my grandma called it, is vastly underestimated.

{NB Here's K D Lang singing Leonard Cohen's Halleluja here – so beautiful, it will bring tears to your eyes.}

Here's another quick tale. I have a friend in the Bahamas who owns a famous and very beautiful hotel called The Landing, on Harbour Island. I'm helping her and her husband write a book. I may even publish it. One day, several years ago, her little sister, an extraordinary young lawyer who was highly respected in New York, went out running in SoHo. A guy started driving a truck backwards down a one-way street, while talking on his cell phone. The ladder perched precariously on the back of his truck struck her in the head. Just like that. She had no ID so she wasn't identified for several days. She was so respected that when the news leaked out, much of the New York legal community went into shock. Then this friend's father, a GP who by all accounts was another extraordinary soul, passed away. Then, just last week, I learned that her other sister, another remarkable person with a heart of gold, also died. The funeral is in Nassau this week. Hundreds are going. It's being planned as a enormous celebration of life. Which is just what it should be.

So this is what I advocate. Be grateful for the life you have. Even if it isn't quite what you imagined.

Here, to inspire you all on a Tuesday, are some glorious photos of green and spring growth. I'm sorry for the bad metaphor, but I couldn't think of nicer images to illustrate The Art of Happiness. Furthermore, I'm now officially engrossed in The Garden Tours, which are going to be wonderful, and so I thought a few horticultural images might make give us all a little spring in our step today. (Sorry, another bad metaphor!)

So if your career isn't going the way you want to, if your family life is getting on top of you, if your dreams have stalled and your life isn't unfolding quite how you planned, don't worry. Don't worry. Just be thankful anyway. It works. Trust me.

Wishing you all a truly lovely day.

(PS I've caught a cold from the rain yesterday but you don't need to hear that. It would have spoiled a good story!)

The spring windows of Peony, in Hawthorn. Jill always does a beautiful job of merchandising.

Joe's in Greenwich Village, New York. I remember this day in New York. It was sunny. All the cafes had opened their window and doors. Washington Square Park was full of happy dogs. It was a magical day.

The spectacular garden of the Delano Hotel in Miami. Gardening as only Miami can do.

A Marimekko tray from the spring range. Have you seen how Marimekko is coming back into fashion? The new store near the Flatiron building is eye-wateringly beautiful.

    

A bouquet with limes. Love this. Imagine the scent as you walked past?

Love this too. A design by Fulvio Bonevia, via Slim Paley. I love broccoli. Not sure I could do a handbag in it but this is still enchanting.

The parterre potager of a new friend, the always-delightful Bumble at Lynwood Farm, which can be found here, at this blog – here. Bumble's garden is truly amazing. Look at that trim job!

            

Photographs of the countryside by the talented Ben Pentreath. I love Ben's work, and not just his architecture and design. He's a skilled writer and photographer, too. His lovely blog is here.

The library of one of the most stylish people in fashion, Iris Apfel, via Architectural Digest.

Re-reading this, with much joy. Adam Nicholson is one of the best gardening writers there is, next to Monty Don. No wonder really, considering his grandmother was Vita Sackville-West.

Also bought this on the weekend. The images of Italian and English gardens are wonderful.

A curious little Arts and Craft-style cottage at 29 Leggatt Street in Daylesford that recently sold as part of an auction of charming country properties. Another one was Islay House in Woodend (below) – the old Georgian coach inn, and one of the architectural treasures of Macedon.

It sold for just over $550,000, apparently. Even though it was derelict and in a flood zone. So happy to see that someone's going to save it.

Bunny Mellon's conservatory. Have posted this image before, but still love it. Look at that trompe l'oeil. {Via Vanity Fair}

The royal greenhouses in Brussels. Just lovely.

And a gorgeous new restaurant in Sydney called Chiswick, which has its own kitchen garden. Love the colour scheme, and the outlook over the potager. A meal here would certainly make you happy.

And a few more images for the road...