Bonjour, Friends!

I promised a Halloween follow up: Last minute, we decided to climb the Eiffel Tower after dark with visiting friends. We took the stairs, and it was worth every step, with our Young Lion leading the charge.

I have done this a few times now, but this was my first after-dark climb. It’s totally worth it for the feeling of being suspended between iron and stars from the second-floor observation deck. I've posted a short video on YouTube if you'd like a quick look.

The rest of the week was filled with fall colors and leisurely walks. Around Buttes Chaumont, I stumbled on an outdoor photo display of Nicole Lala. One thing I love about Paris is the random public art that appears around the city.

Nicole Lala was a mid-century photojournalist and later a film set photographer. Working in Paris from the late 1950s through the early 1980s, her black-and-white work captures everyday Paris, from kids and workers to street scenes, with a quiet, human eye.

➡️ What To Do In Paris This November: HiP Paris rounds up what to do in Paris this November, from Salon du Chocolat and Festival d’Automne to major exhibitions and the kickoff of Christmas markets.

➡️ The French Secret to Healthier Eating: (Thanks for this, Heather) The New York Times looks at how France pairs high-quality prepared and frozen foods with smart public policy and better school meals to make healthy eating convenient.

➡️ Paris launches lottery for burial plots among famous artists: BBC News reports that Paris has launched a lottery to buy and restore select 19th-century gravestones in Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse, and Montmartre for €4,000, granting the right to a nearby burial plot under strict conditions.

➡️ November 2025 Restaurant Buzz: Where to Eat in Paris: Bonjour Paris rounds up November’s dining news, highlighting Le Pompon at Palais Brongniart, Le Serpentine at Hotel Miss Fuller, Cheese & Wine Week, and Thanksgiving specials.

➡️ How specialty coffee culture is changing in France: Perfect Daily Grind explores how specialty coffee is steadily reshaping France’s café culture, with younger consumers, new roasters, and laptop-friendly cafés driving growth.

I visited the Eiffel Tower twice this week, and it reminded me why this iron giant still stuns me. I don’t really identify with it as the symbol of Paris. My Paris is the canal, cafes, long walks, and hidden river spots. However, I still love the tower, and I still feel a sense of awe when it rises into view.

Here are five things I share on tours that surprise most guests:

One, it was meant to be temporary

Built for the 1889 World’s Fair with a 20 year permit, the tower survived because it became useful for early radio and military communications. Utility saved beauty.

Two, it changes color and height

Throughout its life, it has worn Venetian red and yellow-brown before today’s Eiffel Tower Brown. The paint is applied in a gradient, darker at the base and lighter at the top, to sharpen the silhouette. In the summer heat, the iron expands, and the tower can grow by approximately 15 centimeters.

Three, Paris hated it before it loved it

More than 300 artists and writers signed a blistering letter calling it a useless and monstrous eyesore. Time had other plans. It is now the most visited paid monument on the planet.

Four, Gustave Eiffel’s secret apartment

At the summit, Eiffel kept a compact private apartment where he hosted scientists and VIPs above the noise of the city. You can still see it staged with period furniture and a wax figure of Eiffel.

Five, the con man who sold it

In 1925, swindler Victor Lustig convinced a scrap dealer that he had the authority to sell the tower for demolition, complete with forged government stationery. He almost pulled it off twice. Wild. 🤣

If you want the deeper stories behind Parisian icons, come walk the city with me or join my weekly newsletter, The Paris Love Letter.

I’ve had this book bouncing around the city with me in my backpack, and I’m loving its bite-sized chapters, perfect for quick reads between stops.

Nobody Sits Like the French is a blend of travel guide and history, showcasing how seven Paris World Expos (1855–1937) have shaped the city we know today.

It connects the dots between headline landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, and the Grand and Petit Palais, and the “little” things we barely think about: Vuitton’s award-winning 1867 trunk that evolved into our modern suitcases, classic bistro chairs born of café culture, Baccarat crystal on the table, and even the sewer system under our feet.

You can read the full description at the Amazon link above. It’s definitely worth a read!

Known as “Monsieur 100,000 Volts” for his electrifying stage presence, Gilbert Bécaud was one of France’s great chanson icons from the 1950s onward.

“Nathalie” (1964) is one of his most beloved songs, a warm and cinematic tale set in Moscow, where a French narrator is guided through the city by a young Russian woman named Nathalie.

It blends romantic intrigue with Cold War-era curiosity, carried by Bécaud’s rich vocals and sweeping melody. If you’re new to classic French chanson, this is a perfect and timeless entry point.

Custom routes. Real local stories. Zero tourist traps.