Great Source for Unique Parisian Tours

My January trip to Paris was great fun - as would be any trip there. One of my objectives was to get out and interact a bit more - I was traveling on my own and past experience has been that I am a little shy at starting up conversations (Yes, I do speak the language somewhat adequately so that isn't the issue, more my shyness.) In any event, I planned in some social activities that I thought would be fun.

One was a cooking class that I found on Richard Nahem's Eye Prefer Paris Tours website. The 'class' was really more of a cooking demonstration with recipes provided at the end but that was just fine. What I got was a fun five or so hours with some delightful people. We started with a tour of a local market with Richard where we shopped for ingredients for what would be our lunch. Based on that experience, I would highly recommend Richard as a tour guide. His specialty is tours of the Marais but he also does tours of St. Germain, the Latin Quarter, and Montmartre. In the brief time we spent at the market, he offered perspective on what we were seeing and how markets fit in the context of daily living for the French. Now, I had read all this many times before, but seeing it with Richard gave me a new appreciation that I found I took with me when I explored another market a few days later that he suggested I check out - that is the mark of a great guide.

Enjoying a tour of a French market

From the market, we went to Charlotte Puckette's home for the 'lesson.' Charlotte has written a book on Ethnic French Cooking and lived in Paris for many years. She has a catering business that she operates out of the bottom floor of her home and this is where we prepared lunch. As it turns out Charlotte was born in the south of the U.S. as was the other participant in the cooking class. I was entertained by a slew of amusing stories by the two on growing up 'in the south.' We laughed a lot but also learned a good deal. The three recipes were simple and easily reproduced. Charlotte possessed a wealth of cooking tips that simply poured forth as she cooked. The lunch was absolutely delightful and I returned home energized with new ideas.

Besides, I snapped a really great photo of Charlotte holding a celery root (makes a great side dish for fish) that I know will transform into an art quilt one of these days. The lighting was coincidental but just perfect.

So, if you ever have the opportunity to get to Paris - which I highly recommend for any quilt artist - be sure to check out Richard's website for a fun addition to your trip!