Covered Passage near Beaubourg - Le Passage de l'Ancre

I have walked next to it hundred of times without noticing ! with no doubt, very hidden! 223 rue St Martin in the 3rd distric (Marais Beaubourg) don't miss next time you pass by I did!
The passage was restored less than ten years ago, and with its numerous plants you instantly feel like you're somewhere else, like a village. In the past it was called the passage de l'Ancre-Royale, then the passage l'Ancre-Nationale. Where does the name come from? Around 1637 there was an inn called Au Grand Saint Pierre run by Nicolas Sauvage. M. Sauvage was the first to invent the system of 'fiacres', the precursor of the taxi. Some of them were permanently reserved for the Royal Marines, hence the name.
Nowadays, the passage has a few workshops, one for kids and another for cooking: l'Atelier de Fréd (Fréd rose to minor fame after a TV show documented his culinary travels around the world).

Hansel and Gretel Tearoom - back childhood

Yesterday, I was in the 13 district, in the Buttes aux Cailles Village where I used to live when I was a young lady and I found this very cute tearoom whom name caught my eye. I have read Hansel and Gretel hundreds of time when I was a child

43, rue des Cinq Diamants
75013 Paris
à la Butte aux Cailles
tel: 33 1 45 88 74 29

An enchanting and peaceful square behind the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre!

Parc de la Tourette, behind the Sacré Coeur and so peaceful when hundred of tourists stand in front of the church. very few tourists go there.

Lisette's home - a village in the city of lights

Montmartre is not only the Sacré Coeur and the Place du Tertre. Hundred of people go there every day and miss the real beauty and atmosphere of the village

Lovely Tea Room in a 18th Century passageway

Located near the secret passage La Cour de Rohan and the famous and so old retaurant Le Procope, it is a lovely place to have lunch or a cup of tea
La Jacobine 59-61 rue Saint-André des Arts, 6e, Mº Odéon, tel: 01.46.34.15.95

Open Markets in Paris: one of my favorites is the rue cler market

The 7th arrondissement is blessed with more open markets than any arrondissement in Paris. Rue Cler is especially convenient for the neighborhood because it is open on Sunday mornings. Many families attend mass at 11am at St. Pierre du Gros Caillou on rue de Grenelle, then head immediately to rue Cler for their baguettes, cheese, bottle of wine, cuts of meat, and desserts. Get there early as it becomes extremely crowded after 11am on Sundays. Being near rue Cler is one of the great pleasures of living in Paris, whether for a week or a lifetime.
Rue Cler Market: Open weekdays, all day Saturday, Sunday mornings. Many of the stores are closed on Mondays.

Le Bon Marché: the Paris' Oldest and most chic department store in the left bank

I was at the Bon Marché today doing my Christmas shopping as everybody!
It is not a secret place but less visited by foreign visitors than the Printemps and Galeries Lafayete. It is so old fashion (founded in 1838) and I love it! It is Paris' Oldest and most chic department store in the left bank.
Le Bon Marché: 24 rue de Sèvres 75007 Area: Saint Germain des Près Tel : 33 1 44 39 80 00 Metro : Sèvres-Babylone line10, 12 Open : Mon-Wed, Fri 9:30am-7pm Thu 10am-9pm
Sat 9:30am-8pm Close : Sun