Paris preparation

This Sunday I'm off to Paris for a week. That single sentence brings me so much joy that I'm mentally jumping up and down every time I think about it. There's a Dutch saying which roughly translates as 'A party is most about preparation before and the memories after' and I wholeheartedly agree. The preparation is as important as the event itself.

So here's an overview of my preparation for my trip to Paris:

* Chocolate and Zucchini weblog and in particular the Paris City Guide section, written by Clothilde who lives in Paris and is one of the best food-blog writers around.

* Barrie Kerper's The Collected Traveller's Paris. This is not your run-of-the-mill travel guide, I'd call it more of an inspiration guide. I have a copy of her guide to Italy and I enjoyed that so much that I decided to buy a copy of the Paris guide for this trip. Mrs. Kerper has collected a large number of articles into one book, divided into several sections, which include food, neighbourhoods and history (but with much nicer names). Many of the article have first appeared in Gourmet Magazine and I must say that it's kinda US biassed (although I don't mind, since there's something romantic about Americans and their love-affair with Paris). I love this sort of book. It makes you feel like you're in the place, without going there.

* Gourmet Shops of Paris. An Epicurean Tour by Pierre Rival and photographer Christian Sarramon. This is the best book a foodie-traveller to Paris could wish for. Highly informative, divided into sections like sweet, savoury, wine and small snacks. The photography is absolutely stunning and I've fallen absolutely head over heels in love with this book.

* Bought a Moleskine Sketch Journal (with two Pilot G2 pens) to write down recommendations and to keep a journal.

* The copy of 'Paris in a Basket' that I picked up at Borders a while back is coming with me too.

* A Rough Guide for Paris. I figure I need a few practical details and find that Rough Guides are most suited to my kinda eclectic needs. They feature almost every single museum, no matter how small, and I love the history section in the back.

* My own travelguide. I'm a geek, I'll readily admit that. So not only do I take this mountain of paper with me that I outlined above, I also make my own guide. Plucked from various resources off the internet, I collate the details that I want (opening times for museums, tips I read on forums etc) into one .pdf file, which I then print and take with me.

Now all I need is a good map, but I usually pick one up at my destination itself. I've rented an apartment for a week, near the Centre Pompidou, and a stone's throw away from the Marais.