By Paris breakfasts.

ThatLou

 Have you wondered what goes on behind those auspicious doors in Paris?

 Yesterday I got a chance to enter

 And find out

 I was meeting a friend of a friend,

 Daisy de Plume of THATLou

 But the moment I entered I felt like a Second Empire grande dame.. I better lift my petticoats or I'll trip on the stairway, ahem

 Daisy, who has a background in Art History, filled me in on the architecture. The building is of course classic Baron Haussmann. Once apartments it's now home to many corporate headquarters.

The remaining original details are exquisite

 Lovely curved shapes are repeated over and over in windows, mirror frames and doorways creating a sense of classic balance

 Daisy says the white-washed ceiling reliefs were formerly painted full-color.

 Down we go to lunch, lifting our petticoats as we go.

What a stairway!

 Through the inner doors

 If you don't know where to look for the door buzzer you could be a prisoner here for life. I can think of worse things...

Daisy takes me to another grand building for an Italian buffet

 La vie est belle non?

Daisy le Plume (don't you love that name?) runs monthly themedscavanger hunts at the Louvre (what THATLou stands for). As well as designing birthday parties, corporate team-building events and special hunts for families. Really she couldn't be more fun or knowledgeable.

Drop by THATLou for the latest dope on the Winged Victory of Samothrace or catch her next waltz through the Louvre Sunday August 5th.