Inspiration by City - Paris — Miss Ariel Chiang

“We love ourselves and we love the possibility of what’s to come even though we have no idea what that will be.” - city of love, Paris.

Ah, Paris, where do I start… This city makes me feel loved in so many ways, maybe it’s because people said French is the most romantic language? Don’t get me wrong, I think the language itself is absolutely beautiful and romantic, however, I find Paris so lovely in its buildings, style, streets, arts, culture and all the little things.

Today I want to share 5 places in Paris that inspired me during my last trip there - I visited Paris for the second time in 2019 May, I know it has been a while… but every time when I look back at these photos, it always brings me back to those moments, the feeling of being inspired and being curious to find out what the city has to offers. And that is the reason why I started this series of blog posts too! If you haven’t checked out the NYC post, make sure you do! Be warned, this is not your typical travel blog post.

Boulangerie Murciano

Boulangerie Murciano: This little bakery shop located in Marais has stolen my heart! My mom and I were wandering around the area, and we were feeling the munchies, that’s when we went into this Jewish bakery and thought we could find a park to have a little snack.

I don't know why I don’t have a photo of the pastries we got, nor a photo of the storefront, we were prob rushing to eat them. The store is so darn cute and both of the pastries we got were very delightful. Finding gems like these is one of the best parts when exploring new places, somewhere unplanned and surprisingly good, like a slice of heaven, literally and metaphorically.

Boulangerie Murciano, 16 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris

Inside Boulangrie Muriciano, my favorite corner!

Hand-lettered window sign

Bob Hotel by Elegancia

Bob hotel unfortunately is closed because of the pandemic. UPDATED 2022* it is back to business baby!

This was a highlight of the trip, as I usually stayed at airbnbs when I traveled, I found this boutique hotel to change things up a bit. Bob hotel is not only aesthetically pleasing but also located in the heart of Montparnasse district (the 14th dist.), about 3 min walks from Pernety metro station, it was so easy to get around the city and the area was surrounded by local bistro and Parisian markets on little paved streets.

BOB stands for Business on Board, it embodies co-working space and accommodation perfectly and that really attracted me as someone who was a freelancer and who works remotely.

We had an extremely pleasant say at Bob hotel and I would definitely want to stay there again. OH! I had my very first hamman experience at the hotel, yes, they have a HAMMAN, and that is the cherry on top.

Bob Hotel by Elegancia, 30 Rue Pernety, 75014 Paris, France

co-working space/lobby @ Bob Hotel Elengancia

window in our room

breakfast area

enjoying the breakfast buffet

Murals, art around Montemarte

Although I went to several museums which I adore while I was in Paris, first we are gonna talk about the street-art! There are countless street arts throughout the city, and I handpicked these two by In Love Street Art, I came across them the day my mom and I visited Montemarte and they make my heart warm and giggled, it’s as if the walls are sending you love messages.

It is not a secret that I am a heartaholic, I love everything heart-shaped since I was young, and I still do…! I would love to have the artwork as prints to frame or merches! There are so many of them around Paris, be sure to be on the lookout for them!

Musée d'Orsay - Salle des fêtes

I know, I know it is probably funny to not talk about the art in the exhibition at the museum, but man oh man, I fell in love with this room the sec when I stumbled upon it and no one would argue about the building itself being a work of art. Musée d'Orsay was once a train station and if you did your homework you must have seen lots of photos taken in front of the clock window, one of the few remnants from that time.

Salle des fêtes at Musée d'Orsay is a ballroom, the embellishments and the delicate floral details on the chandeliers, the color palette so soft, that the gold is feminine. If I have to be honest, I prefer this so much more than the famous hall of mirrors at Versailles!