🇫🇷 💌 The Paris Love Letter #147

Linking You to Paris

➡️ An Ugly Building in a Beautiful City Gets a Much-Debated Makeover - The New York Times reports that Tour Montparnasse, long derided as a Paris eyesore, is moving toward a major makeover led by a consortium redesigning the tower and architect Renzo Piano reworking the bleak base into a greener, more walkable public space.

:➡️ Wellness Culture Has Come for Paris - Vanity Fair explores how a new wellness culture is reshaping Paris in a distinctly French way, from lighter pastries and butter skepticism to luxury spas, meditation-friendly flights, and an emphasis on balance and joie de vivre over optimization.

➡️ Le Regard: The Art of the Gaze - Bonjour Paris explains that street photographer William O’Such learned to watch for “le regard,” the moment someone’s gaze meets the camera or locks onto a subject, because that fleeting connection adds narrative depth and rewards patience over rapid-fire shooting.

➡️ The world’s most beautiful avenue car-free this Sunday - One Sunday each month, all year round! It's a chance to experience the world's most beautiful avenue in a different way and snap a selfie in front of the Arc de Triomphe without cars disrupting the view.

VISITING PARIS
The Paris Insider’s Guide to the Gray

Most people see a rainy forecast for their Paris trip and feel a pang of defeat. They pivot immediately to the big museum trap, spending four hours in a humid security line at the Louvre just to stand ten deep in front of a small painting behind glass. But here is the secret: Paris was not built for constant sunshine. It was built for the gray. The zinc roofs, the cream colored limestone, and the 19th century ironwork were all designed to catch the soft, diffused light of a rainy afternoon. When the sky opens up, the city does not shut down. It just moves indoors into some of the most atmospheric spaces ever conceived.

The 19th Century Indoor Outdoor Hack

In the early 1800s, before Baron Haussmann carved out the wide boulevards we see today, Paris was a muddy and chaotic labyrinth. To solve this, architects created the Passages Couverts. These are glass roofed arcades that allowed the fashionable elite to shop, dine, and wander without ruining their silk hems in the street muck. These are your rainy day gold. They are time capsules of Belle Époque ambition, filled with old world bookstores, stamp collectors, and tiny bistros where the sound of rain hitting the glass ceiling provides the perfect percussion for a long conversation.

From Palais Royal to the Passages

If the clouds roll in, start under the covered arcades of the Palais Royal. From there, use the galleries as your connective tissue. Walk through the stunning Galerie Vivienne, which is perhaps the most beautiful of them all, and let it lead you deeper into the 2nd Arrondissement. Aim for the classic trio: Passage des Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, and Passage Verdeau. You stay dry, you see the history of Parisian commerce, and you avoid the museum crowds entirely.

Dining Inside (kind of) the Icon

For an overpriced, but stunning experience, head to Café Marly. It sits literally within the wings of the Louvre. On a rainy day, the usual swarms of tourists vanish from the courtyard. Sitting under the high, sheltered arches of the Richelieu wing while looking out at the glass pyramid is a singular experience. As the rain slicks the stones of the Cour Napoléon and the city turns a quiet silver, you are dining within the architecture of the world’s greatest museum while staying perfectly dry. It is a splurge that feels entirely worth it for the atmosphere alone.

The Art of the Linger

Rain in Paris is a forced meditation. It is an invitation to stop rushing and start noticing. If you find yourself caught in a downpour, don't just run for the Metro. Try one of these instead:

The Bookstore Refuge
Head to a legendary spot like Shakespeare and Company or a quiet antique dealer in Passage Verdeau. Buy one book. Write the date and the neighborhood inside the cover. Then, find a café with a covered terrace and read the first chapter right then and there. That is a souvenir that actually survives the flight home.

The Terrace Under the Awning
There is something uniquely magical about sitting on a cafe terrace during a storm. If it isn't too cold, find a spot tucked deep under a wide awning. Order a coffee or a glass of wine and watch the rain bounce off the pavement just inches away. It is the best seat in the house for watching the city turn into a watercolor painting.

The Open Doors of the Parish
Many visitors don't realize that most of the city’s historic churches are open to the public throughout the day. They are some of the most peaceful "dry rooms" in Paris. A space like Saint-Eustache or a small neighborhood church offers a silent, vast shelter where you can sit for twenty minutes and listen to the muffled sound of the rain against centuries-old stone.

FRENCH PHRASE OF THE WEEK
“Je vous en prie"

This new segment comes courtesy of a recommendation from one of our readers, Tim from California. If you like this new section and want us to continue, please let us know by replying to this email. Thanks for the suggestion, Tim!

The Phrase: "Je vous en prie"
Phonetic: [zhuh voo zahn pree]
You’ll also hear: "Vous en prie" (the clipped, everyday version)

The Context:
If you’re learning French, you’ll usually start with "de rien" as the standard "you’re welcome." "Je vous en prie" is a more polite, slightly more formal alternative that’s very common in everyday Paris, especially in shops, cafés, and any situation where you’re using vous. It literally translates to "I beg you of it," but in practice, it just means "you’re welcome" or "don’t mention it."

How to use it:

• The Door Moment: You hold a heavy café door. They say "merci." You reply, "Je vous en prie."

• The Checkout: You say "merci" to a cashier, and you’ll often hear a quick "(Je) vous en prie" in return.

The Vibe:
It’s the difference between a casual "no problem" (de rien) and a warm, polite "my pleasure" (avec plaisir). "Je vous en prie" sits right in the middle. It’s polished, respectful, and signals that you understand the grace of Parisian etiquette.

The "Parisian" Twist:
It can also be used as a weapon of politeness. I once watched a friend hold a door open for a man who marched right through without a word of thanks. My friend didn't let it slide. He shouted a sarcastic "Je vous en prie, Monsieur!" at the man’s back. Even in a confrontation, the French stay formal.

FRENCH SONG OF THE WEEK
M - Qui De Nous Deux

Last week, we looked at the Chedid family performing a tender acoustic reminder to tell people we love them. This week, we are zooming in on the most eccentric branch of that family tree: Matthieu Chedid, better known as M.

If last week was the warm family dinner, this song is the late night conversation that follows. The title asks "Which of us two?" as a nod to the relationship between the man and the myth, or perhaps the artist and his guitar.

It is a track that manages to be both incredibly catchy and slightly surreal. It proves you can be a massive pop star in France while keeping your intellectual credentials firmly intact. Listen for how the guitar not only accompanies him but actually talks back. It is a masterclass in making a pop song feel like a living piece of theater.