August is honestly always one of my favorite months to be in Paris because it’s so (so!) quiet, but this year I was scared to death it was going to be beyond packed with the Olympics so I was barely here. We spent the first part of the month in Normandy before heading to Italy on a trip that Romain and I had been looking forward to for many months. We brought bébé with us for the first part of the trip and then his grad-mère took over and we got to enjoy one of our favorite places in the world, Portofino, without him. By the time we returned back to Paris we were fully rested and recharged and ready for la rentrée! Read on to discover exactly where I ate and drank, shopped, and what I did in the August 2024 recap.
Where I Ate and Drank in August
- Hotel des Pins in Jullouville, Normandy is my go-to morning coffee spot. The front room where they serve breakfast has a funky little beach town decor that is just right. The coffee is delicious and is served with a homemade madeleine on the side, which is honestly a major draw.
- Boulangerie Houel in Genêts, Normandy. This boulangerie has a direct view over Mont Saint Michel and the specialty of the house is some sort of flan pastry. Neither Romain nor I are huge flan fans, but we were fighting over this pastry.
- Les Antiquaires was of course our first stop on our first morning back in Paris for coffee. We were only in town for two days before heading to Italy.
- Le Voltaire was our next stop for lunch. Romain met us to try their new Lobster Roll which is better than divine. Now that I’m thinking about it again I’m craving it. It’s huge and would be a great thing to share with a group so everyone can have a bite.
- Before we even left Italy I told Romain that my first meal back in Paris was going to be a burger (it’s the American in me), so we had Le Cristal delivered. It’s seriously one of the best burgers anywhere on earth. I then went on a huge cooking at home kick because I was so over eating out.
- Le Petit Vendôme because there is nothing better than a simple and delicious sandwich. I never change my order because I never need to – I get ham, cheese, and cornichons.
- Couldn’t resist a Christophe Michalak pastry. They just opened a boutique on Rue du Bac which is both good and bad news for me.
- Bistrot du Passage continues to be one of our favorite lunch spots. It’s French food – traditional with a twist – and not too heavy.
Where I Shopped in August
- Tom’s Garden at the Carolles Marché. They don’t have anything to link but if there’s one market vendor in Normandy that’s worth going out of your way for I think it’s Tom’s Garden. They have the most amazing flavored salts – we love them so much that we included them in our wedding welcome bags.
- Album de Famille was a very unexpected find in Granville. They have gorgeous home goods and I fell in love with all of the tableware…shocking. It felt like something more suited for Paris than Granville but I hope they’ll stay open because they have a great assortment of products.
- Le Bon Marché because now I can’t avoid the baby section ever. We also had a gift card left over from our wedding registry that was about to expire and we had the very difficult task of choosing fun things to buy. I went back and forth between getting lots of practical, every day items and just going crazy and buying a few things that I wouldn’t ever normally buy. Practicality didn’t win.
- Saint Laurent Babylone which is the Saint Laurent bookstore. They have a super cool curated collection of books and photographs. I specifically was interested in the Zoë Kravitz book which features photos shot at Le Voltaire.
- Collector Square. If you’re in the market for vintage watches or handbags, this is a must. It’s best to make an appointment, especially if you’re looking for something specific.
- Contre Temps. This was more window shopping than actual shopping but I did try on a gorgeous watch. They have so many beautiful vintage watches and the stock changes often.
What I Did in August
- Visited the Ferme Cara-Meuh. The weather in Normandy wasn’t particularly amazing so we were looking for activities to do and decided to visit this farm. It was actually really fun seeing all of the animals and different production processes but the highlight at the end of the visit was shopping in the boutique for all of the different products. I can’t wait until bébé is older – he’s going to love this.
- Went to the Jardin des Tuileries to see the Olympic flame. Even during the day it was so cool to see!
- Went to Italy which is why this recap is a little bit shorter than usual!
A big merci for being a member! If there’s ever anything you’d like to see more of, don’t hesitate to let me know!
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Where I Ate and Drank in August
- Hotel des Pins in Jullouville, Normandy is my go-to morning coffee spot. The front room where they serve breakfast has a funky little beach town decor that is just right. The coffee is delicious and is served with a homemade madeleine on the side, which is honestly a major draw.
- Boulangerie Houel in Genêts, Normandy. This boulangerie has a direct view over Mont Saint Michel and the specialty of the house is some sort of flan pastry. Neither Romain nor I are huge flan fans, but we were fighting over this pastry.
- Les Antiquaires was of course our first stop on our first morning back in Paris for coffee. We were only in town for two days before heading to Italy.
- Le Voltaire was our next stop for lunch. Romain met us to try their new Lobster Roll which is better than divine. Now that I’m thinking about it again I’m craving it. It’s huge and would be a great thing to share with a group so everyone can have a bite.
- Before we even left Italy I told Romain that my first meal back in Paris was going to be a burger (it’s the American in me), so we had Le Cristal delivered. It’s seriously one of the best burgers anywhere on earth. I then went on a huge cooking at home kick because I was so over eating out.
- Le Petit Vendôme because there is nothing better than a simple and delicious sandwich. I never change my order because I never need to – I get ham, cheese, and cornichons.
- Couldn’t resist a Christophe Michalak pastry. They just opened a boutique on Rue du Bac which is both good and bad news for me.
- Bistrot du Passage continues to be one of our favorite lunch spots. It’s French food – traditional with a twist – and not too heavy.
Where I Shopped in August
- Tom’s Garden at the Carolles Marché. They don’t have anything to link but if there’s one market vendor in Normandy that’s worth going out of your way for I think it’s Tom’s Garden. They have the most amazing flavored salts – we love them so much that we included them in our wedding welcome bags.
- Album de Famille was a very unexpected find in Granville. They have gorgeous home goods and I fell in love with all of the tableware…shocking. It felt like something more suited for Paris than Granville but I hope they’ll stay open because they have a great assortment of products.
- Le Bon Marché because now I can’t avoid the baby section ever. We also had a gift card left over from our wedding registry that was about to expire and we had the very difficult task of choosing fun things to buy. I went back and forth between getting lots of practical, every day items and just going crazy and buying a few things that I wouldn’t ever normally buy. Practicality didn’t win.
- Saint Laurent Babylone which is the Saint Laurent bookstore. They have a super cool curated collection of books and photographs. I specifically was interested in the Zoë Kravitz book which features photos shot at Le Voltaire.
- Collector Square. If you’re in the market for vintage watches or handbags, this is a must. It’s best to make an appointment, especially if you’re looking for something specific.
- Contre Temps. This was more window shopping than actual shopping but I did try on a gorgeous watch. They have so many beautiful vintage watches and the stock changes often.
What I Did in August
- Visited the Ferme Cara-Meuh. The weather in Normandy wasn’t particularly amazing so we were looking for activities to do and decided to visit this farm. It was actually really fun seeing all of the animals and different production processes but the highlight at the end of the visit was shopping in the boutique for all of the different products. I can’t wait until bébé is older – he’s going to love this.
- Went to the Jardin des Tuileries to see the Olympic flame. Even during the day it was so cool to see!
- Went to Italy which is why this recap is a little bit shorter than usual!
A big merci for being a member! If there’s ever anything you’d like to see more of, don’t hesitate to let me know!
