TRAVEL / December
You’ll find them for sale in most pâtisser-
ies throughout the month of December.
And of course, this would not be Paris
if each food did not come in at least ten
different luxury and avantgarde versions,
and the seemingly simple log-shaped
roulade cake is no exception.
Each year, the best restaurants and
pastry shops present new flavours, deco-
rations, forms, and colour combinations
for the famous pastry. Want to try some-
thing very refined? Gourmets and lovers
of luxury must visit legendary French
pastry chef Pierre Hermé, who this year
is featuring Yule logs in dark chocolate,
original chestnut, black lemon, and Ispa-
han flavours (pierreherme.com).
THE ART OF GIVING
You can be sure of one thing: you’ll rarely
find uninspiring gifts like socks, gift
cards, or shower gel gift sets from the lo-
cal department store (carelessly wrapped
in reindeer-themed paper, no less) under
the Christmas tree in Paris. But even
if you do, they’ll at least be wrapped in
tasteful wrapping paper with a touch of
French charm that makes even the sim-
plest item look elegant and handmade.
So, if you want to be the best gift giver in
your circle of friends and family this year
(but no one is saying it’s a competition...
right?), Paris can help you convincingly
achieve that status.
Christmas in Paris is both Christmas
and shopping on steroids. Gifts from
Paris have a special sheen, thanks to the
fact that here gift wrapping – like shop
window displays – is practically an art
form, and each present is wrapped with
a solemnity usually reserved for final
exams at the university.
The French capital is a fine place to
find sophisticated gifts: fragrances, cos-
metics, wine accessories, gastronomic
goodies, cookbooks. However, you should
be aware that thousands of other people
also decide to do their Christmas shop-
ping in Paris, and the big flagship stores
will most likely be overcrowded. The
Avenue des Champs-Élysées – already
full of people on an average day – will no
doubt be teeming with crowds during
the holidays. It’s therefore worth invest-
ing a bit of time in seeking out a few
lesser-known but still wonderful stores
featuring your favourite brands and
located off the beaten track in quieter
districts of the city.
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/ airBaltic.com
A restaurant in Paris, decorated
with Christmas trees and lights
A true French merchant will
immerse himself in your
purchase to the very last detail
For example, if you want to put some-
thing from Guerlain’s range of products
under the tree (and Paris is definitely the
right place to buy this brand), pop into its
smallest but still very cosy shop at 35 rue
Tronchet on your way to the Galeries
Lafayette. This stop is well worth it,
because much of the magic of shopping in
Paris lies in the French art of enchanting
store customers. It’s an art that continues
to draw people to physical stores at a time
when shopping on the internet seems so
much faster and more comfortable. You
can be sure that a true French merchant
will immerse him- or herself in your pur-
chase to the very last detail and will help
you find the perfect gift for that special