Sweets at the Musée Rodin Sculpture Garden. Photos by Theadora Brack.

By Theadora Brack in Paris—

Wake up! Wake up, you Cheapo-heads! Even in the City of Light, beating jet lag during the winter season is a difficult feat for most. Yes, the sun also rises, but not until late morning…

So to help out with jet lag in Paris, here’s an eye-opening walking tour with a sculptural twist, geared to jumpstart all six senses.

1. Food for thought

Start out at the Gérard Mulot Pâtisserie at 76 rue de Seine (Metro: Mabillon). Here you’ll find a bustling local crowd, service always with a smile, and a mind-boggling array of cakes, macaroons, and tartes that are gastronomical works of art.

With provocative names like “Miroir Passion”, “Sortilège” (”magic spell”), “Coeur Frivole”, and “Magie Noir”, the sweets will seductively compete for your attention. So keep your head and pace yourself. Take your time. Savor the moment. No one’s gonna kick you out. It’s Paris, after all.

The sweets on offer at Gérard Mulot Pâtisserie.

2. A free museum

Speaking of masterpieces, before waking the taste buds, pick up a little formidable inspiration at the Musée du Compagnonnage at 10, rue Mabillon (just around the corner from the pâtisserie).

Rarely mentioned in the guidebooks, this free museum is dedicated to the history of trade guilds and is packed with intricate scale models of staircases, belfries, domes, and pulpits—all created by master carpenters-in-the-making. After seeing what went into building all those Gothic towers and Baroque palaces, you’re bound to experience the city in a totally new light. (Open Monday through Friday, 2 PM to 6 PM.)

3. Dejeuner sur l’herbe (“Lunch on the Grass”)

Taking a cue from Manet, hotfoot it over to the Musée Rodin Sculpture Garden at 79, rue de Varenne. The walk should take you about 45 minutes, but with the architectural underpinnings whizzing by, it will feel like fifteen.

With your Mulot sweets beside you in the Rose Garden, you’ll be able to delight your tongue while feasting your eyes on Rodin’s chocolaty bronzes and sugary marbles (a comparison that even the artist himself was aware of; he sometimes called them his “patisseries”). And all for just one euro! (Closed Mondays.)

4. Designer scarf with a cause

A lion sculpture at Église Saint-Sulpice.

If it’s chilly out, pick up a striking red scarf at the boutique agnès b. on 6, rue Vieux- Colombier. Not only are they inexpensive (€15), but the proceeds also go to various humanitarian causes, including the fight against AIDS. Sold by designer Agnès Bourgois Troublé since 1988, you’ll find the unisex scarves (in lamb’s wool during the winter and cotton during the summertime) by the checkout register. Free gift-wrapping!

5. Heavenly rest at Saint-Sulpice

Finally, catch your breath by breaking with the lions outside the Église Saint-Sulpice before hanging with its Delacroix’s inside.

And all you DaVinci-Coders, don’t leave without walking the famous Rose Line (up near the altar). And if you’re lucky, you may be treated to the sounds of someone rehearsing on one of the finest organs in Europe, too. Talk about a moment to savor!

Cheapos, saisissez le jour! (P.S. Happy birthday, dad!)

Popularity: 6% [?]

The vibrant city of Florence, chock full of some of the most world-renowned Renaissance art and architecture, is always surprising us. This week, we were happy to learn that the Bardini Museum, which kept its doors shut for renovations for nearly a decade, has finally reopened.

A little bit of history

The museum is named for Stefano Bardini (1836-1922), an art dealer known for his flair for Renaissance art and his love of blue painted walls (he originally trained as a painter). In 1922, Bardini donated his life’s labor—and the building he housed it all in—to the city of Florence. For years, the museum was open to the public and showcased most of his own personal collection.

Fun fact: Fans of Bardini’s collection during his lifetime included the famed Bostonian Isabella Stewart Gardner, a great collector in her own right. She even used his signature blue-painted exhibition walls in her own self-made museum.

In with the new

The improved Bardini Museum is said to be a one-stop for some of the most unique Renaissance art in Europe. This week, and in the future, the museum will be offering lectures and tours too.

Highlights of the collection include Roman sarcophagi, delicate wooden sculptures, and works attributed to Donatello and Pisano. Newer acquisitions now grace the halls as well as many others thought to be from between the 12th and 15th centuries. All are presented in the Bardini’s unique setting where columns, altars, and even stairs from original Romanesque and Renaissance-era buildings lend the museum’s spaces an authentic, ethereal feel.

If you go…

The Bardini is located at Via dei Renai, 37 (Ponte alle Grazie) and is open Saturdays, Sundays,  and on Mondays from 11 AM to 5 PM. Admission is €5 (adults), €4 (students and seniors), or €2 (children).

For more information, you can visit the Bardini’s site (only in Italian).

Popularity: 9% [?]