Paris Paris Paris
I recently came across this amazing gluten-free patisserie Helmut Newcake in Paris (the city’s first). It looks truly fantastic and as one reviewer put it they had to pinch themselves and another simply ‘GF Patisserie need I say more!”
“All I can say is that I believe this is the future for humanity – living gluten free is such healthy lifestyle and if places like this were more readily available in the world” trip advisor Kikibamba23
Paris is a city imprinted on my psyche.
A city I fell in love in and with.
Walking down a Parisian street first thing in the morning enjoying the heady aroma of fresh patisserie that somehow never taste as good anywhere else in the world. The never ending array of global, regional cuisine and the one off little back street cafes or restaurants that literally have ques around the block.
France is of course home to the Michelin guide, and Paris is adorned by fine dinning resturants with the real wow factor such as Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée.
I was very lucky to spend a lot of time in Paris in my 20’s. In another life I’d head straight from work to the Euro Star and spend fantastic weekends in the 8th arrondissement.
Days soaking up the culture and shopping and evenings in the fabulous bars and clubs; Georges, Buddha Bar, Man Ray, I even meet a rock stars in the ladies of the Monkey Club and was back at my desk in London by 9am the next morning.
A different world to the one I inhabit today of toddler tantrums, school nativity plays, Floppy Biff and Chip, C-Beebies and cuddles and one I wouldn’t change for all the gluten-free cakes in Paris.
Ten years ago I was planning my hen party and Paris, a city I knew and loved well was my first choice of destination.
Unfortunately it wasn’t to be as my mother’s health suddenly deteriorated and I wasn’t happy going far from home.
My mother once lived in Paris and it was her love of the city that first infected me as a teenager when I was equally mesmerised by Rodin’s kiss and the simple chic elegance of Parisian women.
In March next year it will be the ten year anniversary of her death.
In some ways it is hard to think that ten years will have passed and yet so much has happened.
Many amazing moments I wish I’d been able to share with my mother. And times where I’ve tried to navigate through the shit storms life can throw at you and have desperately wanted to just be able to just pick up the phone and chat through it all through with her.
But the love my mother in stalled in me is the strength I still call on when all else seems lost and I hope although my daughters will never meet her in person they too will know this love and strength.
The night before my mother died we watched the penultimate episode of Sex in the City together. I know she loved looking at the beautiful scenes of Paris , I didn’t realise at the time why she was asking how it would end (the Big and Carrie story).
A memory I treasure, doing something relatively normal together in an otherwise very abnormal time and some of the last moments we spent together.
So perhaps one of the looming ten year anniversaries is the perfect opportunity to hot foot it on to the Euro Star and get my gluten-free backside to Helmut Newcake?
There we will get a big box of delicious treats to take away, go and buy a bottle of the best bubbles we can afford, hop on the metro to the gardens of Luxembourg and have a little party picnic to toast the last 10 years and look forward to the next.
If you want to find out more about Helmut Newcake here are some great posts from blogger’s who’ve been there:
And for any of you SATC lovers here’s some of the best bits of the finale.
Tabitha’s Edit 
2 Responses to “Paris Paris Paris”
Tabitha, Helmut Newcake is every bit as amazing as people say it is. We sent ours sons back for a third time to get supplies for our train trip to Barcelona but it was closed, so check the closing times so you are not disappointed. If you are heading to Paris, have a look at some of our gluten free places suggestions: http://glutenfreeandtheaustralianteenager.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/78/
Joanne
Thank you Joanne that’s great to know and I will certainly look at your tips and review. Thank you for stopping by and I look forward to visiting your blog shortly.