Part II: Paris

A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy.

Paris is so much to me…a constant source of inspiration, of light study, and beauty. When we stepped off the train from London at Gare de Nord, the smell hit me, that same familiar Parisian smell of coffee and cigarettes, and dusty old books in a garden of roses. The hotel, so quaint, with the Eiffel Tower framed between the walls of the street. We sat in cafes and drank wine, watching the people go about their day, their loves, their minds lost in their own thought. I wonder what they are thinking and have I thought that same thing before? We climbed the stairs of Sacre Coeur, danced with the states at the Louvre, and watched the sunset on Pont Neuf. On a poetic day we found ourselves on a train to Normandy, on a walk through the beaches of Omaha in silence, imagining the horror of war, looking up at the fate of too many. I always love Paris – it’s never goodbye but only I’ll see you soon…. and soon I did.

A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy. A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy.

A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy.

A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy. A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy. A black and white film journey through Paris and the beaches of Normandy. Continue reading “Part II: Paris”

Ralph Lauren

There are those really special moments in life where you find yourself in a place that you have only dreamed of. If you have been following along on Instagram you know we are in Paris, and Paris in the fall is one of the greatest experiences in life…the beauty, the light, the smells, how the leaves crackle under your feet on the old cobblestones. I am always looking for new Paris recommendations to keep discovering this beautiful city each time we return.

I had heard about Ralph’s, Ralph Lauren’s restaurant on the famous Boulevard Saint German in the Latin Quarter of Paris, and when I walked through the archway I knew this was the place I had been dreaming of…an old Parisian mansion built in 1683, saved and renovated to the highest detail and quality by Mr. Lauren. We arrived to dine in the courtyard, surrounded by beautiful landscaping, massive windows slightly ajar allowing you to hear the clinking of champagne glasses from inside. Ella Fitzgerald, Edith Piaf, and other old jazz standards echoed off the stone walls and dissipated up into the night sky. I laid back on a sea of Ralph Lauren linen pillows with a glass of Chateau de Tracy with its mesmerizing floral bouquet and said to Kevin, I feel like I’m living in Jay Gatsby’s world, if he were in Paris to visit Hemingway.

Surrounding the restaurant is the complete world of Ralph Lauren. Room by room, positioned around gilded mirrors and enchanting fireplaces are the collections of this iconic American designer, but the view of Boulevard Saint Germain from the old mansion’s windows leaves no question in your mind, you are in Paris and what a city she is…

Continue reading “Ralph Lauren”