MARTINA’S FRENCH WAYS #3: Art and Architecture.
Bienvenue to Martina’s French Ways — a corner of the site where I share the little rituals, objects, and routines that shape my writing life here in Paris.
A Glimpse of Paris
With no visits out of the periphery of Paris, I’ve turned towards nature – such as the botanical garden called the Garden of Plants (Jardin des Plantes). It’s always a location on my “to-visit” list because the extensive grounds include museums, an Art Deco hothouse (winter garden), a Mexican greenhouse (with cacti), a labyrinth, indoor and outdoor exhibitions, and even a small zoo (menagerie).
It has an iris garden and an alpine garden, with almost everything else in between. The museums include the Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy; the Gallery of Botany; the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology; the Laboratory of Entomology (insects); and the Grand Gallery of Evolution.
Related articles with photographs:
Peak blooming season in the Garden of Plants
Labyrinth Hill, Paris: a spiral ascension to a gazebo
On My Nightstand
Fool’s Gear by Dylan Nigh (2025) – I’ve started reading Fool’s Gear: A Completely Devastating Thing I’ll Probably Do Again. It’s a motorcycle travel memoir from Wilmington, North Carolina, to San Diego, California, taking the U.S. army officer through mountains and deserts. He manages to pepper the book very nicely with literature references, such as the works of Dante Alighieri, James Joyce, and John Steinbeck – which I thoroughly enjoyed.
For me, there’s something very satisfying reading about real-life motorcycle journeys – it must be the mix between freedom and vulnerability. They make me think of the Australian movies Stone and Mad Max, and other motorcycle movies like Easy Rider, Every Which Way But Loose, and The Motorcycle Diaries! (Pick up a copy here.)
Small Pleasures
I like to have a letter opener and I received a wonderful wooden one from a friend. It’s from the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico, so it has special significance for me. I love the vibrant colours of the bird design – it’s difficult to lose! (Find a similar one here.)
In My Writer’s Bag
I like the Frida Kahlo letter opener because it matches my vibrant Australian passport holder with the image of a South American toucan and an Australian cockatoo. Yes, I’m a bird fan! (Find a similar insect one here or giraffe one here.)
Paris Details
If you are in Paris, the Galeries Lafayette on the Boulevard Haussmann is an interesting up-market department store to visit – the biggest chain in Europe. Even if you don’t shop, it’s worth going just to look at the interior domed ceiling. It’s stunning – and so too is the panoramic view of Paris from the rooftop.
The Haussmann flagship store was built in 1894 in the art nouveau style, and it was renovated in 1912 with a 43-metre (141 feet) Neo-Byzantine dome.
Postcard From Paris
I’ve chosen a postcard photograph from one of the bridges across the Seine in Paris. On my morning run, one of my routes is across the river. The morning that I took the photograph, the weather forecast was 34C, so I headed out at six o’clock to avoid the heat and the people.
The sun was just rising and it gave me a perfect mirror-image effect – with the Eiffel Tower as the main feature. I never tire of seeing the Eiffel Tower. (Find merchandise of the Eiffel Tower postcard here.)
Until Next Time
Thank you for being here.
À bientôt,
Martina
