Notice to fans of picturesque and unusual trips in Paris. Here is the ideal walk for an afternoon in the countryside … at the Passy metro!
Installed in a sublime garden with a view of the Eiffel Tower , the Maison de Balzac , where the writer lived, appears as the best kept secret of the 16th and houses a secret tea room signed Rose Bakery . And that's good news: entry is free and open. We enter ?
A visit to Honoré de Balzac's apartments
Is the magical power you dream of going back in time? Meet at 47 rue Raynouard, address of this pretty house with green shutters where the writer Honoré de Balzac put his bags between 1840 and 1847 under the pseudonym “ Monsieur Breugnol ” in order to escape his creditors.
On the ground floor, we put on the novelist's slippers and we infiltrate his apartments: modest kitchen , study fitted out as at the time when he imagines The Human Comedy , manuscripts , pages of proofs corrected in hand, quotes and reviews, busts , canvases acquired by Balzac himself.
Lunch or afternoon tea at Rose Bakery
Sheltered in the bucolic garden of the Maison de Balzac, Rose Bakery is in charge of a small tea room where time is simply… suspended. Depending on the mood, you can sit on the terrace in full sun , feet in the grass (and the dead leaves in autumn) or inside in the sober and contemporary decor entirely revised by Émilie Bonaventure ( Belle Maison , Epoca , Frenchie Bar à Vins ) in a wabi-sabi (Japanese hygge) spirit: large tables in light wood, polished concrete walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a sweets counter that immediately catches the eye.
À la carte: the organic and English touch bestsellers for which Rose Bakery is famous, starting with its seasonal soups , the signature carrot cake and the incredible gluten-free cakes . We also find its super quiches , mixed salads , minute squeezed juices and the sharp selection of specialty coffees and lattes (lactose-free option of course), kombucha and organic wine .
A literary exhibition on the Unknown Masterpiece
To complete the walk, we conclude the visit with an exhibition in the basement of the house, occupied in the 19th century by small craftsmen.
An exhibition devoted to the Unknown Masterpiece , the short story of Balzac which hit the headlines when it was published and will titillate the fiber of intellectual Parisiennes ... A true treatise on eroticism, creation and aesthetics, we discover how this literary monument has inspired artists and novelists centuries later.
Must see: an extract from the film La belle Noiseuse by Jacques Rivette with Emmanuelle Béart and Jane Birkin , graphic studies and engravings commissioned from Pablo Picasso , paintings by Bernard Dufour, Anselm Kiefer and Callum Innes or a pastel by Paula Rego ...
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (except public holidays)
“ The unknown masterpiece: between genius and madness ”, until March 6, 2022, € 8.
Maison de Balzac , 47 rue Raynouard, Paris 16
Also discover Café Compagnon, the new favorite café of Parisiennes
