My Routine

photo: Amber

It's clear that I haven't been able to establish a rhythm for my writing habit. We can debate whether I'm putting in enough effort, but after a certain age, when you change countries, many old and new habits take different durations to settle into a routine than you might expect. Especially, like me, if you come to a country with your spouse’s assignment without finding a job, and if you don't know the language at all, then your situation becomes even more challenging. It's essential to find activities that will become part of your new life and keep you disciplined. It could be something as simple as taking your child to and from school. This is very important to me; chatting with my daughter while going to and from school, witnessing her growth, is one of the most enjoyable ways. As she grows older, our walking time has decreased, but that's okay; every age has its pleasures. Next year, she'll be in sixth grade and will prefer going to school without her father. This means that I'll need to develop a new habit for mornings next year. It might be exaggerated, but wouldn't it be great if I started doing sports, right?!?!

My second routine in Paris became "going to the market." Except for school holidays, you can see me every Wednesday at Avenue President Wilson market. Located between Iéna Square and Alma Square on Avenue President Wilson, the market is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, opening early in the morning and closing at 2:30 PM. Frankly, the variety of products on Saturdays is much better than Wednesdays; if you have the chance, I recommend going on Saturdays. I'm not saying this because I go there regularly, but among the markets I've seen while walking the streets of Paris, this is one of the best. One of the characteristics that make up the city's spirit is each neighborhood's own shopping streets and local markets. The Parisians' commitment to this culture is one of the most important factors for me to love this city. Watching an elderly Parisian with a grumpy look and a seller who you wouldn't believe enjoys his job sharing recipes with each other in a butcher's shop is a wonderful moment for me. So when the "home delivery in 15 minutes" initiative came to Paris, I told my friends it wouldn't work, and I was right. Especially in food shopping, reducing or cutting off the contact between seller and customer, like trying to change the culture of Parisians, is also not possible.

In the 20 arrondissements of Paris, 72 markets are set up. You can check where and on which days they are set up on the city's official website. To rent a space at the market, you need to obtain permission from the local municipalities. The process typically begins with the applicant applying to the relevant administrative authority, which evaluates the suitability of the vendor and the products they plan to sell. Among the key requirements are providing fresh and locally sourced products, offering a variety of items, keeping the stall clean and organized, and clearly displaying prices. Additionally, local authorities expect vendors to create a friendly and professional atmosphere by communicating with customers in a warm manner. Generally, the places where the products come from and the production methods (such as organic-bio) are indicated on the labels.

Seeing dried grapes, dried apricots, dried figs, and quinces coming from Turkey through the labels makes me very happy, indeed. Here, at one of these stalls, there's Azdine. I can say that I made my first attempts at speaking French with him at the market. He's so polite that he has been putting up with me for years. In addition to dried fruits from Turkey, his stall also offers many varieties of nuts, mezes, and the types of olives that I buy most frequently. In France, olive and olive oil consumption is significantly lower compared to Italy, Spain, and Greece. So finding olives that suit my taste is not easy either. Thanks to Azdine, he allows me to taste 2-3 varieties before deciding which olives to buy. He has been doing this job for 30 years. Azdine's attitude reminds me of the vendors in Yeşilköy market from my childhood. Always cheerful, always talkative, and always loud. The flower stall across from him is his favorite because the scents wafting from there especially in spring make him very happy. He says that chatting with customers is the most enjoyable part of his job, and indeed, in the small question-answer interviews I conducted, all the vendors mentioned that chatting with customers is their favorite part of their jobs.

Azdine was the last to reply to my e-mail so he deserves my “sympathy” (photo: Amber)

One of the most enjoyable conversations you can have is with Carine, right next to the Azdine’s stall. She has been at the helm of her own company, BaraPatates, since 2007. In my opinion, she's the queen of the market. The quality of the products on her stall is always top-notch, and she has a variety of mushrooms that you won't see at any other stall. Because she also loves cooking at home, she pays great attention to ensuring that the products on her stall are as high-quality as those she brings home. She doesn't put any product on the stall that she doesn't like. This attention to detail and pursuit of good ingredients is a tradition passed down in her family because Carine's family has both a catering company and butchers. Now she's passing this tradition on to her children. One of my favorite moments at the market is when Carine shares recipes with a very chic Parisian woman. I know, this might get me into trouble in the future because when I improve my French to that point, Carine won't want to see me around her stall anymore because I'll be trying to ask for a new recipe every time. One of the things market vendors dislike doing the most is carrying crates, and Carine thinks the same way, rightfully so, she even had to undergo shoulder surgery because of it.

Kneel before the queen of mushrooms ! (Photo: Amber)

Another market vendor who doesn't particularly enjoy the setup stage is Herminia 'Mimi' Pereira at the Saint Vrain cheese stall opposite Bar a Patates. Setting up Mimi's stall is more challenging. The care needed to transport cheese and other dairy products is different from that needed for potatoes and onions, of course, so preparing the stall requires a serious level of concentration and patience. Once that's taken care of, the job becomes easier. Mimi's favorite moments in her job are when customers are told to her how satisfied with the products they purchase. I recommend visiting the Saint Vrain stall especially on Saturday mornings; the variety of cheeses there can be overwhelming. Lastly, let me tell you why Mimi and I get along so well: Both Mimi and I love comté cheese the most among all the cheeses. Actually, this isn't all that rare because it's really hard not to love comté. It's made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the France-Comté region near the Swiss border in eastern France. It's one of the most produced cheeses in France, and its production process undergoes strict controls, including calculating how many cows can be on how many square meters of land. These standards are referred to as French Appellation d'origine Contrôlée (AOC). By the way, Comté pairs beautifully with the white wines of the Arbois appellation in the Jura region. You should try it when you come to Paris.

note for the smart-a.. ; we are aware that the cheese is not comté but we like this photo the most.

(photo: Amber)

Talking about white wine immediately brings fish to mind. I confess, I never used to buy fish from the market in Turkey, so I didn't buy it here in the early days either. Then I put an end to this nonsense and started buying it. After making a few changes to the stalls over the years, I've been benefiting from Jean Pierre's 40 years of experience for the last 2 years, and I started buying fresh fish and seafood from his stall. His advice on how to cook them has improved the quality of our fish dinners at home. Jean's advice is very accurate because he cooks at home. Of course, Jean's least favorite thing about the market is the cold weather. The reason he complains more than other vendors is actually quite clear: in winter, having to clean fish with hands exposed to water! He's not entirely wrong, don't you think?

gratter & vider ; the first 2 French words i learned for fish shopping. (photo: Amber)

When Jean wants to buy something from the market, of course, he prefers vendors who bring organic products from their own gardens. One of these stalls is ValdemarBerreira's. They grow their products on lands 40 minutes outside Paris. You should see the variety of herbs in spring; they are incredibly colorful and fragrant, and towards the end of summer, they have various types of tomatoes. Valdemar took over this business from Joël Thiébault, who was famous as a supplier for starred restaurants, in 2016. His wife, Zilda, also joined the team. Like her colleagues, Zilda doesn't like the cold of winter or the "canicule" (heatwave) of summer. Since such good products pass through her hands, she uses them all in her own kitchen, and she can't resist sharing them with her customers if the new recipes she tries turn out successful. As a customer, what more could you ask for? Good ingredients and recipes; it's hard not to love this stall!

Zilda & greens (photo: Amber)

We've got the vegetables, fish, cheeses, and nuts; but where will we get the fruits? I'll answer right away; fresh fruits await you at Mourad's stall. Especially if you love berry varieties, they're always very fresh here. I can say that my daughter's obsession with Fuji red apples started because of this stall. I always have the opportunity to taste whatever fruit I want, just like I'm used to from Turkey. I'm always offered the fruit I want according to the season; this warmth and sincerity are the behavior I value most. Mourad might be the youngest person at all the stalls I shop at, both in terms of age and work experience: It's only been 10 years. I was there at 7 of it Mourad! He can't cook at home, but learning to cook is among his future plans because the products he sells put pressure on him. He says it doesn't seem possible to stay away from the kitchen when such good products pass through his hands, well, go ahead Mourad !

She knows why that apple is there. (photo: Amber)

Finally, let me tell you about the stall that makes me the happiest when I see it at the market. It's the stall of İbrahim and his family, meticulously making “gözleme” in their pristine white outfits. The only downside here is that they can't come on Saturdays because they set up their stall at the Versailles market on Fridays and Sundays. İbrahim also cooks at home because it's part of his family's traditions. They have different varieties of “gözleme” at their stall. My favorite is the one with baby spinach and feta cheese. They make sure all the ingredients they choose are additive-free. Therefore, the taste is equally excellent. We can't enjoy many good Turkish meals outside our home in Paris, but İbrahim and his family's varieties of "gözleme" delight us.

İbrahim’s flour toss. (Of course, he doesn’t do anything like this, it was just my absurd idea.) photo: Amber

Among the regular customers of this market, there are also famous chefs. During my Wednesday routine, I sometimes come across Matthias Marc and Takuya Watanabe. Of course, even though I feel excited to be buying ingredients from the same place as them, the lack of any similarity of the final dishes between what we cook at home and what they cook brings me back to reality. 😃

LEM était en Turquie

One party entered my life with piyaz with fennel, the other with razor clams. I want to share with you how I combined these two choices that seem very far from each other and how two pop up evenings that turned out to be more beautiful than I’ve ever imagined. I want to start with the host; Mustafa Otar, the person who has the biggest share in making this organization full of flavours.

The first three pieces of information I want to share about him are that he loves the soil, he is in love with the sea, and he is fond of his freedom. Since the day I met him, he has been talking about the fruit trees in his homeland and the vineyard he dreams of. He goes and touches the soil at every opportunity and easily becomes a part of that life. I would also like to mention that he recently realized his dream of a vineyard. I am eagerly waiting for the wines that will come from that vineyard when he believes that it is 100% ready. I first heard about Mustafa in Istanbul  from another chef friend of mine whom I admire. She was doing a consultancy for a restaurant and after working together for a while; she described him as creative, quick, takes initiative and knowledgeable. Some time later, in another restaurant in Bomonti, I heard about the lamb shank he prepared in the wood oven that became famous by word of mouth and was ordered in advance during the reservations. However the day that was etched in my mind was in a much more cosy environment. It was sincere but challenging. We were 14-15 people who had been working in the food and beverage business for a long time including some chefs. This group could easily be arrogant and on top of that he cooked in an unfamiliar home kitchen. Very few of us helped with the preparations and Mustafa fed us all with great patience. I cannot forget the piyaz with fennel on the menu. Despite preparing everything in front of us all evening, none of us could understand how he cooked that piyaz so deliciously. Later, we strengthened our friendship at the raki tables. Mustafa has a strong character, is knowledgeable and never hesitates to share his knowledge, mature enough to know that those around him must be very good when a collective work has to be done. The young and dynamic staff in the restaurant we saw when we came for this organization was like a proof that Mustafa left nothing to chance. The team's motivation being at the highest level eased the work of the Les Enfants du Marché (Lem) team. They did a wonderful job with great discipline. I also want to thank the team from here. Thanks to you, the kitchen organization went seamlessly. You are all wonderful.

Mustafa's first meeting with the Les Enfants du Marché (Lem) team took place when he came to Paris in November 2022. Of course, I took Mustafa to Lem, just like I took all my friends who are in search of good food. The satisfaction in all the dishes we ordered was reflected so quickly on his face that I was relieved. So, how did I meet Lem? Let me explain it right away. As you know, I walked all the public streets of Paris. I did these walks with a plan which is, arrondissement by arrondissement. (Paris consists of 20 arrondissements and is in the shape of a snail) While walking the 3rd arrondissement, I came across a covered market and threw myself into the Marché des Enfants Rouges. This is Paris's oldest fruit and vegetable market, established in 1628. Over the years, some politicians have set their eyes on it, but those living in Marais have never surrendered and have protected their market. In 1982, it was added to the "historical monument" list and gained a complete protection . My first visit was in 2019. After touring the inside, a stall that distinguished itself from other food stands with its energy and spirit caught my attention and I sat down.

And yes, as I mentioned in my first sentence, my first order was razor clams. It was a classic; with garlic, parsley, and white wine sauce. I couldn't help but wonder how this dish, which I sometimes come across in Paris, could be so tasty. Just like Mustafa's piyaz.

I started to go there frequently over the years. I took every friend who was after good food in a casual environment here. As I went often, I saw how good a boss Michael Grosman is. His most important feature is his love and respect for his job. He is always at work, smiling, full of energy, a disciplined boss who communicates very well with his team and his customers. He is modest enough to say that they are not doing rocket science and adds “we are just after making good food with good ingredients.” Mika's food knowledge and management experience is a legacy passed on to him from his family and developed by himself. Mika, who is from Southern France, learned everything in the businesses owned by his family and frequented by very famous people (Mick Jagger, Elton John, Madonna...). Later, he became one of the founders of the Japanese bistro Soma, which I love very much in Paris. In 2017, an opportunity came up and he took the place at Marché des Enfants Rouges. Menus are created with whatever ingredients found at the market seasonally. Natural wines accompany it. The wine list is of course mostly French producers but there are also wonderful Greek, Austrian and Italian natural wines. Wine is also the area of expertise of Lem's chef Shunta. He became interested in wines in Japan and did his study. In fact, after coming to France, he worked for a wine producer in the Rhone region for 6 months and improved himself about wine production. After his experiences in Japan, he participated in pop-ups in Thailand, Singapore, Germany and Iceland. In Paris, he worked at the one-star Restaurant Sola and with chef Sota Atsumi (at Maison Sota), whose food I have loved since Clown Bar. After Shunta took over at Lem, where he started as a sous chef, an extra elegance appeared on the plates. The harmony of the ingredients he uses is really striking. Spending a week with Shunta, his black notebook which he never lets go of, taking notes about the new ingredients he learned and writing down new ideas that came to his mind was a great experience for me. Even while chatting about daily topics, thinking about the ingredients and the dishes he will make in the background was a sign why he is different.

Now that I have introduced both sides, I can now tell you about our week-long adventure.

First of all i need to say that Mustafa seemed to have prepared everything in his head before the Lem team arrived. He was just impatient to learn Lem's menu. Therefore, the first two days were hard for Mustafa. Lem team was not in a hurry either because they first wanted to get to know Mustafa, then the city and Yazz, and feel the energy. They observed a lot and learned a very important piece of information: You don't joke with raki!

On the first evening, Mustafa took us to Girida Port, the best fish restaurant in the region. There, the night was full with both seafood and hospitality. From the moment dear Shunta learned that raki was our traditional drink, it was a pleasure for me to watch him start thinking about how he could find a place on his own menu and try it with other flavors on the table, and to listen to him exchange ideas with Mika and Mustafa. Of course, we didn't need to drink so much Raki to let Shunta understand it totally. We struggled a bit the next day. But even for this situation, Mustafa already had a solution, he immediately took us to a great döner shop. Once we calmed our stomachs, it was the time for the team to enter the kitchen. Under Mustafa's guidance, Shunta and Mika's requests began to be prepared quickly. Both were stunned to find such a good team. They immediately got in tune with the team and the preparations began at full speed. The hardest part of the second day was expected to be the wine tasting, but it immediately became easier at the first try. The Turkish pet nat and natural wines that Mustafa wanted the chefs to taste received positive notes from these two experienced Parisians. Especially dear Seyit Karagozoglu's pét-nat turned into a pleasure drink in the evening even though we started as a tasting. We spent our second evening tasting Mustafa's dishes at the hotel. Thus, the Lem team fully learned about Mustafa's style and understood the quality of the food served at the hotel. We were just about to go home when there was another surprise from Mustafa. On Saturday evening, we were the first to try Mustafa Otar's botarga, which will be presented to the guests coming to the chef's table. Honestly, botarga is not one of my favorite ingredients cause it takes over everything it gets into and creates very difficult situations for someone like me who always seeks balance in meals; however, I learned a lesson. Dear readers, there are no bad or tasteless or strong ingredients, there are very good chefs who know how to use ingredients! Mustafa's Botarga is now a reality in my life and botarga is a beautiful thing."

Wednesday and Thursday passed with the preparations of the main ingredients and sauces in the kitchen. These two days showed us the differences between the working cultures and how important it is for some people to take time for himself/herself. Mika and Shunta showed that they set aside 1-1.5 hours for themselves every day, no matter how intense they work, and they invest in areas outside of their works by doing sports/yoga to clear their minds. (Mika participated and completed the Paris Triathlon a week later) Moreover the two great developments of Thursday were the arrival of Mika's family and Alca (Mustafa’s partner) Now all the motivation factors had been provided for the two meals at the weekend.

Friday morning started early because we went to the farmers’ market that Mustafa talked about before we arrived. It was a wonderful market. Producers coming from surrounding villages and towns were showing how valuable lands Türkiye has. The Lem team was very pleased to be at this market. But there was a significant risk of visiting such a good market. Chef Shunta might want to change his menu... and he did! But we saved the printed menus by guaranteeing that he could do whatever he wanted with the side dishes, provided that we could not touch the main ingredients.

After the market, we moved to the hotel and the final preparations for the evening began. Lem, Mustafa, and the team prepared the final dishes in perfect harmony and the evening meal started to be served to all hotel guests around 7.

The menu created by the Lem team and Mustafa was a flavor storm. The festive, which started with two different pieces from the back and belly part of the tuna presented with different spices by the Lem team, followed by smoked bonito with licha and a touch of Bouillabaisse, a traditional dish of the Marseillais. As a main course the Japanese touch to the Turkish lamb, namely panko frying, satisfied our stomachs. The dessert was greatly influenced by the first night of Fethiye: Raki. That is two slices of different structures were presented by infusing raki into a watermelon that had been cooked on a wood fire for a long time. On the other hand, Mustafa added the most loved ones from his own menu, considering the more traditional guests of the hotel. As the starters, tzatziki and hummus were served. Because of the incredible tastes, now a few friends can't eat tzatziki without almonds and fennel. Also the slices of dried and smoked lamb thigh served in cold starters still enter my dreams with its slight spiciness. You can eat the tempura corn with anchovy mayonnaise served in the hot starters three meals a day without getting bored. Mustafa's main course option was grilled grouper. He served it with smoked carrot puree and tiger de leche he prepared. If I hadn't met the team, I could have thought that there was a very good Peruvian chef next to Isa, the lahmacun master from Kilis. (I can write a separate article for lahmacun because I ate lahmacun every lunch for 4 days, thank you master Isa) As the end of the night approached, our joy increased because the reactions from the guests were very positive. Especially at the end of the dinner, the dialogues Mika established with the guests increased everyone's joy one more time. After we all switched to party mode, Mika and Shunta disappeared at one point (we thought one of the yacht owners kidnapped them 😁) and excited us. But when i saw them spending time with the team in the resting area of the kitchen, it was a proof of why this duo were the rising stars of Paris. They know that success is a team job, that both difficulties and fun will increase the team spirit when shared together, and they enjoyed being part of the fun of the team that has been working hard for a week. Of course, Friday was not the only night and none of us should have been drunk (!!!) with victory.

On Saturday evening, a chef's table was organized, and the most important feature of this evening was that the new kitchen set up for Mustafa was filled with equipments that operated entirely on wood and charcoal fire, and it was the first time they were being used. Doing this with the Lem team was truly a great start. From here, I wish Mustafa many more wonderful meals in that amazing kitchen. The biggest difference that set this evening apart from the others was the presence of guests who were very knowledgeable and experienced in the food&beverage industry in their respective fields, which meant there could be critiques. However, I believe that the knowledge, experience, love, and respect for their work from Mustafa, Mika, and Shunta reached such a high level that they all chose to simply enjoy the dishes that were served. The superstars of the second evening were Mustafa's botarga, the dried, smoked, and grilled mackerel with peas, and Lem's tuna fish with Bouillabaisse sauce.

In conclusion, both of our evenings were filled with a storm of flavors. As the orchestrator of the meeting between Mustafa and the Lem team, I can't help but give myself an extra point for being a part of this culinary journey. It was a perfect match, a week filled with inspiration. Throughout the week, I witnessed the incredible talent and passion of Mustafa Otar and his young team. I am delighted to have the opportunity to touch the team’s professional lives. I hope they realize the international caliber of Mustafa's knowledge, talent, and vision, and how fortunate they are to work alongside him. The time spent with Mika and Shunta from different cultures was a treasure trove of techniques, perspectives, and new ideas that will shape their future.

Lastly, I would like to thank Yazz Collective for fully supporting Mustafa Otar's knowledge, talent, and hard work, and for opening their doors to us and ensuring that the organization was carried out smoothly.

Serenity in Paris

When I started this blog, I thought that I would be writing regularly, but I have not been able to do that. Unfortunately, it has been a while since I’ve written something new. When I first started the parisbywalking account on instagram, my aim was to walk all of the streets of Paris and post pictures of buildings, statues, museums, graffiti, restaurants and views that I liked. I wanted to share these along with their stories and facts which I found amusing. The blog came later as a tool to share all this in more detail without the restraint of the limited space Instagram allows. Well, but what was next when all of the above was done? That part I hadn’t yet contemplated.
In the end, I walked and I walked and at last the city ended and there was nothing left to see. I thought, “So what now?” Yes there are still around 200 restaurants that I want to go to but I decided that I don’t want the next step to be to turn my account into a restaurant rec account. There are already a lot of accounts that do that, and they do it with a lot more technical background info added.
But then what could I do? I kept thinking and decided to focus on a question that I have been receiving from a lot of people around me lately: “We always go to the same places. You have been around the whole city, why don’t you take us to different places?”
It was around this time that on a wednesday at the Marché President Wilson one of my followers approached me and told me that she loved my photo and was always curious about the places that I posted about and asked me if I would recommend her a route to wander through. This suddenly helped me put it all together and come to a final decision.  
I had to organize walking tours in non-touristic parts of the city!

When I write it like this, it seems really easy right? Well for me, it was not so.

All my life, making decisions about business has given me nightmares and it has always taken me a long time to decide. Although in the end, my decisions never fail me, still this knowledge doesn’t make it any easier to take that final leap.  Well it is also because since I was 18, all my work dreams and plans have been taken away from me by outside factors in the end. Therefore you might understand me when I say that whenever I get a new idea, the second thought that comes to my mind is “Why bother, it won’t probably work out in the end” Maybe this is something that I should discuss with my own therapist and not here. 🫣

Well, if there are any psychologists among you, please DM me. 🤓

Ok, maybe it’s better I get back to writing about Paris.
In the end, I took that leap once again as a “micro-entrepreneur” to start my one-man company and finally I’m beginning to organize my walking tours. I have already done a couple of test runs. I have already announced the structure of the tours on Instagram and I will soon be announcing upcoming tour dates. Here I wanted to explain in more detail why I’m starting from 20th Arrondissement. In a documentary I watched recently, they were talking about the benefits of writing since it allows you to come up with and realise things that you hadn’t thought of before. Let’s see what writing about the contents of the tour will bring out about the 20th Arrondissement. Before all else, we should all agree that I’m not a professional tour guide, which means these will not be tours full of historical and technical information about the area. More likely, they will be sightseeing tours where we chat about our own Paris stories. In our last trial tour, two friends who have moved to Paris at the same time as us confessed that they hadn’t seen any of the streets on my route before even though the route was only 30 min away from their home by metro. But like they also commented, it is way easier to have someone guide them through what he has discovered before rather than trying to find these places by themselves. I believe the fact that no one has any time to waste any more helps a lot what I’m doing.

The 20th Arrondissement has been a later addition to the Paris city limits. Charonne village which used to have vineyards is also a part of this arrondissement. A part of my tour takes us through the village’s main road which still exists today. A lot of the streets on the route have an architectural style completely different from the rest of the city. It actually feels like a small town. I think this is the main reason why I decided to start my tours from this area. When we first moved and before I started my Instagram account I remember very clearly thinking that what makes Paris so powerful and famous cannot only be the grandeur of the citycenter, there must be something more and I have to find that out. As I walked through all of the arrondissements I believe I understood it better. I think the power of the city comes from the variety it offers. Both the variety in human profiles and the variety of architectural styles work to form an harmony that adds to the magic of the city.  What sets the 20th apart from other arrondissements is that it also includes a agroecological farm. Although it is stuck between buildings, it still maintains a sustainable farming system that also gives job opportunities to those in need, while also arranging workshops for students and gives the city habitants a chance to connect back with the land. You can also buy fresh vegetables and herbs for your own kitchen. I have read that there are also a couple of restaurants in the area that source their produce from this farm.

What else is on the tour? In summary; for example, although it doesn’t appear very exciting on the first look, the street where the tour begins from has been around since 1672. Then we walk though a street where obviously the most plant loving neighbours of the city have come together to live and come upon an extraordinary artdeco church. From there we move onto the part where the vineyards used to be, although they have lost their battles to urbanization long ago. However we discover that there are still some dead-end alleys in the area curiously. We come out on a plaza that I love which was chosen in 2020 by The Guardian as the most authentic neighbourhood of Europe and we use this opportunity to take lovely pictures of the place. Next we see one of the biggest and therefore most unexpected statues of the city and ask ourselves “Why?” Right after, we see another building where we once again ask “Why?”, I try to explain you the why, although I’m not sure how convincing the answer is, because personally I, myself, am not convinced. We come to “La Môme” Square where we discuss the statue made in his honour and what the architect was probably thinking when he was creating it. When we reach the square, it means that we are almost done but you have to soldier on for a small climb up two more streets to finally reach the really surprising and awarding end of the tour. We end in a totally unexpected neighbourhood where we cannot help ourselves and start the actually pointless discussion of what it would feel like to actually own one of these homes and wondering who lives here. In the end, if you have enjoyed the tour, I will also be recommending 2 restaurants and a wonderful café to rest your tired feet and enjoy yourselves. The cafe is both a nice way to end the day after lunch or for those who want to skip the lunch part. Especially the serene part at the end of the tour makes one feel as if they have gotten out of Paris, therefore I decided to name this tour “Serenity”. I loved to give this tour such an appropriate name without thinking that now I would have to keep naming all my forthcoming tours. 🤦🏻‍♂️