Month: July 2018

ice cream

Best 5 Spots to Enjoy Ice Cream in Paris

It’s hot in Paris, and when you’re in a city that eschews air conditioning, it’s important to find other ways to cool down. Luckily, Paris is also home to more than a handful of great glaciers or ice cream shops.

But before we delve into our faves, here are some important words to know when you place your order:

Une glace – an ice cream
Un sorbet – a sorbet

Une boule – one scoop
Deux boules – two scoops
Trois boules – three scoops

Un cornet – a cone
Une coupe – a cup

Merci ! – Thank you!

Now, on to more important things!

1. The Oldest: Berthillon

It’s hard to talk ice cream in Paris without mentioning Berthillon, the French glacier that has been churning out luxury ice creams on the Ile Saint-Louis since the 50s. While you’ll find several shops selling the famous ice cream, there’s only one original shop, on the rue Saint-Louis-en-Ile. Here, you can sample all sorts of flavors, from classic vanilla or dark chocolate to more innovative whiskey-coffee, lavender, or lemon and cilantro praline. (Sample it with us on our tour of Paris’ islands and Notre Dame.)

Berthillon – 29-31 rue Saint-Louis en l’île, 75004 Paris

2. The Most Ubiquitous: Amorino

Nearly everywhere you go in Paris, you’ll find an outpost of this gelateria, an Italian-style gelato shop that is famous for scooping its ice cream into beautiful flowers. While it might not offer the artisanal charm of some other shops on this list, Amorino’s gelato is delicious (and is available in flavors like dulce de leche, blueberry cheesecake, or cream.

Amorino (find all addresses in Paris here)

3. The Most Creative: Une Glace à Paris

The co-owner of Une Glace à Paris, Emmanuel Ryon, received a Meilleur Ouvrier de France recognition for his work in ice cream and pastry, and it’s not hard to see why: these homemade ice creams are made with some of the best ingredients and boast flavors like beech-smoked vanilla or buckwheat nougat. (Test some more MOF-made creations on our Best Bites of Paris tour!)

Une Glace à Paris – 5 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004 OR 44 rue des Abbesses, 75018

4. The Most Exotic: Bachir

Bachir brings cool, creamy flavors from Lebanon to Paris. Made entirely with organic ingredients, these ice creams feature flavors like rose, lemon, or pistachio that can be mixed and matched to suit your tastes. The Achta ice cream is one of the stars of the menu – a combination of cream ice cream and pistachio that has stolen the heart of many a Parisian.

Bachir – 58 Rue Rambuteau, 75004

5. The Chicest: La Glacerie

Paris is one of the world capitals of fashion, so it’s perhaps no surprise that this chic vibe has even made it to the city’s ice cream. At La Glacerie, ice creams are sold, not in a cone, but in a tube, like a lipstick! With a huge variety of flavors made from only the best ingredients, ice cream never looked so cool.

La Glacerie – 13 rue du Temple, 75004

eiffel tower fireworks

Bastille Day Isn’t Called Bastille Day in Paris (But It Is a Party!)

The 4th of July has come and gone with little fanfare in Paris, but France is building up to its own national holiday: the 14th of July, dubbed “Bastille Day” in most of the Anglophone world, is France’s national holiday, but if you ask any French person, it’s not the celebration of the day the Bastille prison fell.

A Bit of History

In 1789, the political and social upheaval that had been brewing in France finally came to a head: beginning in May when the commoners of France (those who were neither part of the clergy nor members of the aristocracy) formed a National Assembly, against the wishes of the King, and invited both clergymen and nobility to join. In late June, the newly formed National Assembly took the “Tennis Court Oath,” vowing to establish a constitution – and not to separate until it had been done. They locked themselves into the Jeu de Paume building – now a museum – to do so.

While these events are certainly the ones that led up to the Revolution, the event that many remember was the July 14th Storming of the Bastille, when a group of Revolutionaries released the prisoners held inside – all seven of them. This largely symbolic action was seen by the Revolutionaries as a direct affront of the monarchy’s abuses of power.

But while the 14th is a public holiday in France, it actually celebrates, not July 14, 1789, but July 14, 1790. In the year that ensued, the privileges and feudal rights of the aristocracy and clergy were abolished, and the Declaration of the rights of man and the citizen was adopted and signed. On July 14, 1790, the Revolutionaries believed that they were well on their way to adopting a constitutional, parliamentary monarchy (like the one currently in place in England), and the very first Federation Day celebrated, ostensibly, the new unity among people, aristocracy, clergy, and King.

Yes, the French King was still alive on the first July 14 holiday; Louis the 16th and Marie Antoinette wouldn’t try to flee France until the following year, resulting in their eventual demise by guillotine.

Celebrations in Paris

Today, Federation Day occurs on July 14 throughout France. It is France’s national holiday, a celebration of the rights of men and of the French values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

But like the 4th of July in the United States, it’s also an excuse for a party.

One major event folks in Paris look forward to every year is the Fireman’s Ball. These free balls are held at 40 different firehouses throughout Paris on both the 13th and the 14th of July, allowing folks to dance, drink, and celebrate with the (very handsome) firefighters of Paris. For a full list of participating firehouses this year, click here.

There are, of course, also gorgeous fireworks in Paris for the 14th, with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. Many people will congregate on the Champ de Mars to enjoy them, along with the musical accompaniment! This year, the theme of the display and music is “love;” to see how this is interpreted, be on the Champ de Mars before 9pm, when the concert begins. The fireworks will be launched at 11pm and are sure to be a gorgeous site!

Bonne fête de la Fédération à tous !

Image: Yann Caradec