Hikers of all ages come out for the annual Randonnée Paris du Printemps walks. Setting out from the Gymnase Henry de Montherlant, walkers opt to complete one of two circuits of varying lengths, each taking in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne.

A 10km hike takes in the Bois’ waterfalls and is a perfect excuse to catch the park as its colourful spring blooms burst forth. After 10km, walkers can opt to hike a further 10km on the second circuit, taking in the modern office blocks of La Défense while uncovering some surprisingly green corners hidden amid the concrete jungle.

The walk is taking place on the 14th March 2010, making it an ideal option day out for Mothers’ Day.

For details, visit the organiser’s website (Godillot Familial Association). The show goes on, come rain or shine!

Photo A Bunch of Tulips by Bcmom

The French band Air will be back in their homeland as part of their European Tour during January. Their music can probably be described as ‘moody electro-romantic’ with some sort of emphasis on the word ‘romantic’ as they are back in France to plug their new album entitled Love 2 – admittedly a somewhat odd title as Love 1 or just plain Love was never made but who am I to complain.

Nevertheless, Air – made up of  Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel really are a treat to listen to with the soft tones in their music making it very relaxing. As such, a venue like the Casino de Paris – an old-style music theatre in, surprisingly enough, Paris, is an excellent location for them to play in France.

Aside from being close to their hometown of Versailles, it is fitting to their style of music. For just two nights – on the 11^th and 12^th of January – it is possible to see them in Paris.

At this time of year, moody music, the moody cafes of Paris, the moody French waitresses, what more could you want?

Photo Air by Indy138

We recently came across a new blog Badaude which is quickly becoming one of our favourite reads to discover new places in Paris. As well as brilliant writing her posts take you on a little adventure making you feel as though you were visiting each place with her.

The latest in Badaude’s Paris Address Book posts details a visit to Hôtel du Nord which she has kindly let us share with you on Little Break Big Difference.

‘The most romantic walk in Paris might be up in the 11e arronidissement along the Canal Saint Martin. Wander across a couple of the arched bridges between Quai de Jemmapes and Quai de Valmy in the evening twilight and drop in at the Hotel du Nord for a Kir.

This bar/restaurant has the cachet of being the current coolest on the canal. The incredibly romantic classic Michel Carné movie was named after the hotel, which was renovated and reopened in 2005. Now it offers a daily changing modern French menu in a smoky-walled 1930s ambience.

Spellbound by the warm atmosphere, after hanging around for an apero, flicking through a book from the in-bar library, you might be tempted to stay for dinner.

One word of advice: Book. This restaurant is POPULAR. I visited on a freezing night in the middle of a financial crisis and both the dining room and the bar were HEAVING with the canal’s black-jeaned hipsters mixed with a sprinkling of cool tourists.

The menu is a bit of a mix: traditional/European/American-anglo, with an oriental twist. I started with old school fresh foie gras, perfectly cooked to melting point and layered with paper-thin slices of fried apple. My date’s chestnut ‘cappucino’ arrived in a Starbucks-sized mug complete with a head of delicate foam.

I went for the slightly adventurous Aiguilettes de canard (yes, that means ducks’ tongues) stuffed with wild mushrooms and roasted pleurotes (parsnips). The tongues were cooked to a delicate pink but over-salted, killing the delicate taste of the mushrooms. My date ordered a cheeseburger (she’s an American in Paris recovering from flu and needed comfort food). Again, the meat was perfectly cooked (as were the fries) but the bun was on the sloppy side and the dish had to be ‘deconstructed’ (ie – taken apart: she’s a  literature Major).

To read the rest of Badaude’s visit you can continue reading the rest of her post here.

Photo Hôtel du Nord by Coolman 7540

The start of December brings with it another feeling: Christmas is little more than three weeks away and the need to buy presents for family and friends becomes ever more pressing by the day.

Of course, the difficulty with present buying is relative: it is easy to find something common which your friend will thank you for but not remember in a few weeks time. But if you want something rare, unique, and authentic, then a visit to Paris is necessary.

But not just to any area of Paris. The historic Ile Saint Louis is the perfect place to visit for shopping for Christmas presents – Ile Saint Louis is one of two natural islands in the middle of the river Seine running through Paris and has a deliberately artisan and romantic feel.

With its charming and relaxing vibe, the Ile Saint Louis is almost tailor-made for Christmas shopping: its boutique shops sell everything from vintage clothes to antique watches and gadgets – they truly have something for even the most hard to please.

If you buy a present for a friend, sibling, parent or partner, it makes sense to buy it from the Ile Saint Louis: they will treasure it and remember it for years to come. For just this reason, a trip to Paris would definitely add greatly to your Christmas shopping.

Photo The Shopping Festival is Coming by Prakhar

The French do classy better than any people on earth. With winter being the perfect time to look demure and elegant, this could scare you away from a trip to Paris at this time of year. Don’t let it! If you did it would mean you would miss out on the Paris Christmas Markets.

While there is a certain ubiquity to Christmas markets – there is one in almost every major world city – this should not detract from the brilliance of the Paris Christmas market.

Situated between Boulevard Saint-Germain and Place Saint-Sulpice and lasting from the 5^th until the 31^st of December, this really is a terrific event: the market features products ranging from traditional French favourites – clothes, food, wine – to the more obscure such as artisan nutcrackers.

What’s more, one can stroll around the market while enjoying a class of Vin Chaud (how much more classy does that sound than ‘mulled wine’) and if one is looking for stocking fillers for children, help is at hand: children can visit Père Noël and reveal their wish-list – this is useful for present-buying – and it gets rid of them for a while if you wish to buy an extra-secret present.

With the quality of produce on show, this outcome is very likely. But that shouldn’t put you off visiting the Paris Christmas Markets – they truly are a sight to behold.

Photo St Germain Paris Christmas Market by Visitingeu

Les Sapins de Noël des Créateurs : a long name in a foreign language. Surely this is an event which you have no wish to be in any way associated with ? Wrong. Plain wrong.

Because LSNC (I’ve shortened the name for obvious reasons) is about both art and fashion.

Picture the scene: the most prominent designers from the Paris fashion scene – people like Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermes, Gucci, as well as our very own Paul Smith, create their own ‘Christmas tress’ which are then displayed  – this year at the Cité de l’Architecture from the 8^th until the 14^th of December – and after this, auctioned off for Christmas.

LSNC is worth going to because it isn’t just a series of trees. Rather, the Sapin de Noël (Christmas tree) tends to turn out to be anything but a Christmas tree.

Past entries have ranged from haute couture dresses inspired by the shape of firs – and surprisingly beautiful these were as well – to high heels decked out in baubles and tinsel. In other words, these are metaphorical Christmas trees.

It is for this reason that LSNC is so worth a visit: the element of surprise with what will be on show is immense and what’s more, some truly brilliant designs have emerged in the past.

With the only cost that of voluntary donations to Sol en Si, an AIDS charity, LSNC can be part of an enjoyable break to Paris.

Photo Christmas Tree by Tamburix

The lovely David from David the Designer who joined us on our Little Break in Brussels recently ran a competition to give one of his lucky readers the chance to win a pair of Eurostar tickets so they could take their own little break.

Mike (Reed Words) who won the competition has kindly shared the details of his Little Break with David and us which as well as enchanting you, might also inspire you to take a Little Break of your own.

Ah, Paris. City of joie de vivre, esprit de corps, and that certain je ne sais quoi. After I won David’s competition, and secured my two free Eurostar tickets, David asked if I’d write a post or two reporting back from my travels. So here I am. If you’re one of those for whom holiday snaps and anecdotes produce instant narcolepsy, it’s probably best you stop here.

Montmartre isn’t far from the Gare du Nord, so we walked it, and arrived among the steep, cobbled avenues and the endless flights of steps feeling happy but hungry. In Montmartre, you can’t throw a pain au chocolat without hitting a charming little bistro, so we went into the first one we stopped outside: Le Progres, it was called.

We squeezed either side of a tiny table just inside the door, and soon enough were presented with two great-looking plates: chicken and chips for Wendy, which of course sounds better as poulet au frites, and a huge slice of roast salmon for me.

Alongside this splendid bit of fish were two odd-looking discs that I took for mushrooms. I love my food, and am always keen to try something new, so popped one of these peculiar-looking things into my mouth.

It was not a mushroom.

Whatever it was, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. It was like chewing on a slice of ripe, aged dog turd. At least, that was the first image that came to mind as my tastebuds howled in protest and searched desperately for the exit.

Eventually I swallowed the damn thing, my vision started to clear, and over Wendy’s shoulder I saw three middle-aged French women convulsed with laughter at my tortured expressions. One was even reduced to holding her napkin over her eyes, to soak up the tears. Every time they started to calm down, one of them would glance over at me, and they’d be in hysterics again.

I have a theory these jolly femmes go regularly to Le Progres, to watch idiot Englishmen like me eat whole slices of what I now know to be Andouille: boiled and roasted tripe sausage.

The English waiter explained what it was, and that ‘it’s not very popular with foreigners.’ Indeed. Still, it was an excuse for another beer to wash it all down. And the rest of the food was fantastic.

It was also nice to reflect that I could honestly claim to have made three local women very happy within less than two hours of arriving.

This is just one of Mike’s wonderful adventures in Paris and you can read the full story from part one here on David’s blog followed by part two here and you can check out more of Mike’s photos on Flickr here.

The last our our delicious recipes from Eurostar’s Pastry and Dessert Masterclass at Chef Martial during their 15th Birthday celebrations in Paris a couple of weeks ago. If you give it a go let us know how you get on!

Ingredients

Butter: 200grs

Sugar: 180 grs

Almond powder: 200 grs

6 eggs

Corn flour: 80grs

1 pinch of salt

Pistachio paste: 40 grs

Leave the butter to soften (ambient temperature). Whip together butter, pistachio paste and sugar until the mixture becomes white and homogeneous. Add almond powder and eggs one by one while whipping to lighten the dough. Add corn delicately, salt and Grand Marnier. Butter the mold, cover with a sheet of buttered cooking paper and pour the dough. Cook in the oven at 180° during 40 minutes. Un-mold when cooled down.

Photo Macro Pistachios by Payhere

Attending any boat show is partly an aspirational thing. The reality is, that many of the super-yachts on display are beyond the means of any visitor to the boat show. But they give boats shows an element of grandeur.

They also give the organisers an element of risk. I have never been as terrified, as when, age 7, I started the engine on one of the boats at the London Boat Show which wasn’t in the water and almost burnt out the engine. The way I was shouted at by the employees should have been enough to put me off boat shows for life.

But it wasn’t. And the reason it wasn’t, is because every boat show is always enormously fun. The Paris Boat Show (5^th to 13^th December) is no exception. Indeed, the name doesn’t nearly do the event justice – the Paris Boat Show is huge which makes Porte de Versailles a fitting venue.

Nevertheless, it is the activities and exhibitors which make the Paris Boat Show so magnificent: there is a Beach Club where children can learn to sail, as just one example. As a whole, the exhibition is divided into five sectors which means that whilst there is a section for flush businessmen, there is also the ‘Espace Courses’ section which focuses on racing, and the Surf Sports Village which will enthrall everyone, young and old.

With the number of boats on offer – from kayaks through to super-yachts, there truly is something to appeal to everyone. And if you blag it well, you may just get invited onto one of the super-yachts. This is what makes any boat show, but particularly the Paris Boat Show, a must for young and old.

Photo A ride through Paris on a Fly boat by Frederic

Another lovely recipe for you to try last weekend from Chef Martial during Eurostar’s 15th Birthday in Paris.

Ingredients

6 egg yolks

Sugar: 120 grs

Mascarpone cheese: 1 soup spoon

Flour: 120 grs

Baking powder: 3 grs

Soft butter: 80 grs

Lemon paste: 40 grs

Lemon zest: 1

Beat the egg yolks with sugar and lemon paste until white, then add soft butter and mascarpone cheese. Add the grated zest, then flour and baking powder delicately. Pour the dough in individual wood baskets filled with cooking paper and cook in the oven 15 minutes at 180°, then 15 minutes at 150°.

Serves 6 people

Photo Not Bad Lemon Cake by Cowbite