The Rococo Christmas letter and Meert

For the rest of December you can BUY A SINGLE CHRISTMAS LETTER (Rococo style with your name hand-written on it), the NOV Advent letter or 'Have fun in Paris Noël map. Random Paris goodies will be included in the envelope of course. Today Bear dragged me over to the very rococo patisserie, MEERT on 3 rue de Jacques Callot 75006 just off rue Mazarine.

Some bears can not get enough Paris pastry. Some bears should be sleeping instead of drooling...

Well let's face it. Just about everyone is leché-vitrine (drooling) at Meert. And Saturdays their special pastries arrive fresh from Lille.

Put one foot inside magical MEERT and its like a time machine. Candies of yore beckon. And jams, biscuits and teas.

Lovely chocolate bears with marshmallow inside.

The packaging is so whimsical you find yourself buying boxes just for their beauty.

Well some people do...

Such eye candy with edible candy inside.

Big enticing jars of jam/confiture call out your name.

And don't forget their famous gaufres. De Gaulle's favorite cookie (delivered to him fresh every Friday). I wanted the yellow box even if I am a bit tired of the color yellow. No way José. You can only get lemon/citron waffle cookies in summer time if you please. Meert has rules and sticks to them assiduously. Perfection does not come wothout a few bumps in the road.

Bear insisted on a Selfie in Meert. Such a teenager...

Bear has been invited to the Nut Cracker suite the day before Christmas. He is thrilled to bits.

With our mutual obsession drawing loops and arabesques, the December letter had to be Rococo. Though first we tried three or four other themes. Adding in the fun tree ornaments from ASTIER DE VILATTE helped. Their boiled egg in a cup is on the letter art if not on my table...see top left.

Well thanks for reading Parisbreakfast. You can get the single December Parisbreakfast letter, map or watercolors in my Etsy shop.

WITH LOVE FROM PARIS! XXX BEAR 🐻❤️

Paris is still Paris

Thank you dear PBers for your many kind wishes and thoughts. I am keeping very safe on my little island in the Seine. Yesterday I took a break from tusseling with the December letter art to run up to rue Saint Honoré and pay an annual visit to ASTIER DE VILLETTE to see their fabulous tree ornaments.

If you are in Paris now this is a MUST do SVP!

I took a quick look around. People are still shopping like crazy bien sur.

Parisians are still wishing there was snow and dressed up like Inuits...ahem

So much delightful color in the shops

In Fragonard's window...a fabulous animal crown for the tree? For a mere 45€ I'd wear it around my neck instead.

Paris still loves bears. Me too.

Last Wednesday night I took a look at the windows on boulevard Haussmann

PRINTEMPS has outdone themselves this year IMHO

Full of much needed fantasie..

Parisians still adore the ever present macaron. Me too

More bears...eatible in this case.

Angelina's window

A BIG MERCI to PBers Kathleen and Mariah who took me out for a work break lunch to divine BOUILLON RACINE on 3 rue Racine. The perfect atmosphere after viewing the MUCHA show at musee Luxembourg. The duck (magret de canard)was excellent by the way.

For dessert we went to ALSACE FETES DE NOEL Christmas marché at Gare de l'Est for Alsacian cinnamon-ginger cookies.

Notre Dame is still as glorious as ever. There are still lines.

Intrepit cats roam the quiet streets of my Ile Saint Louis...

The Guarde Republicain exercise their horses here, leaving souvenirs that no one fines them for...ahem

Skies are intermittenly grey and drizzly and sometimes gloriously sunny in Paris. Layer up please.

As for my opinion of the weekly Saturday chaos...my French simply isn't good enough to make a statement. I'm certainly not happy about it.

My head is very much in the 18th century these days as I make my Rococo doodles.

I thought it would be a good idea to make the December Paris map show all the fun things you can do here during Noël. As my guy at the copyshop said, "Where are the gilets jeunes(the yellow jackets)?" There are plenty of wonderful things to do in Paris safely right now. Unfortunately Saturdays are on lock down. I hope the situation is resolved soon🙏🏻🤞🏼. In the meantime during the week day and night PARIS IS STILL PARIS IMHO 🥐☕️🥂. 

Thanks for reading Parisbreakfast. If you'd like to receive Parisbreakfast letters, watercolors and maps in your mailbox, look in my Etsy shop blah blah blah

BONNE SHOPPING, WRAPPING, EATING PBers! XXX BEAR 🐻❤️

Alphonse Mucha - Musee Luxembourg

I was late visiting the MUCHA EXPO at MUSEE LUXEMBOURG, but not too late to become inspired to draw his lavish swirls and loops. Don't miss this terrific video on YOUTUBE if you can't make it to Paris by 27 January 2019.

You might think you've seen all the Mucha you need to see (like me...).

Not so. The exhibition is eye-opening. Czech artist Mucha studied art all over Europe thanks to a hometown sponser, before he made a big splash in Paris with this poster of SARAH BERNHARDT in 1895.

Mucha's agility at drawings is nothing short of spectacular.

The layered patterns. The complexity of geometric design.

Fabulous tonal figure drawings show he planned ahead every image in detail.

A sickly green woman seems perfectly normal when Mucha paints her.

His delicate colorations are superb.

The French Champagne industry adored Mucha's effervescent style.

As did the biscuit, soap and cosmetics industries.

He put his hand to store design

Including the ornate interior furnishings.

And scupture and jewelry design. Was there anything this man could not do?

Plus he was renown for his photography.

Mucha was the toast of Paris no doubt, living in luxe bohemian digs to the hilt.

Until I suppose too much of a good thing turned his head to an obsession with the mystical.

Mucha's watercolor costume designs for a Shakespearian production.

After his bout with mysticism he became patriotic, returning to his homeland to paint big historic mural  paintings but you'll have to go see those for yourself.

We're strictly all frills at PB. Patisserie Angelina has a small tea salon at the museum.

A ruby red raspberry delight was specially created for the Luxembourg Mucha show. Another reason to go non? It was grey and drizzly on Saturday. But even with the yellow jacket chaos on the Champs-Elysées, Parisians were busy shopping, eating macarons and 'footing' (as they call jogging).Thanks for reading Parisbreakfast. If you'd like to receive Parisbreakfast letters, watercolors and maps in your mailbox, look in my Etsy shop. 

Bon(ne) Semaine PBers ❤️ 🐻