Success, to me, is filling your life with what brings you joy. It’s being genuinely, deeply happy right where you are — your physical home, your day-to-day routine, your relationships with others, your relationship with yourself. It looks different for everyone. And it can't be ticked off a list, because it's a lifelong endeavour. It's THE lifelong endeavour. Finding joy, and bringing it to others. What else matters, really?
As you are quite likely aware, this blog is called Adventures of an Anglaise — “anglaise” being the French word for English girl/woman. But in truth, I’m actually half “anglaise” and half “irlandaise”, and although I've never lived in Ireland, I’ve always identified very closely with that side of my nationality/heritage. It’s not particularly surprising,... Continue Reading →
To some, autumn signifies the end of summer. It’s an unwelcome thing that a lot of people resign themselves to, reluctantly accepting the seasonal transition, already wistful for the warmer weather. I’m not one of those people. To me, that undefinable sweet, smoky scent that suffuses the cooling air heralds change, promising new beginnings. I... Continue Reading →
Three years ago, I wrote a blog post entitled Paris is Closed. It was about how, every year, half the city packs up and migrates South (or abroad) for the summer - much like a flock of impeccably dressed birds - and, consequently, a lot of independent shops and restaurants close for several weeks. As... Continue Reading →
I was planning to do a nice, traditional Valentine’s blog post about creative date ideas in Paris. Something romantic, you know. Only then I remembered that, between our 6pm curfew, everything being closed, and the fact that it’s absolutely bloody freezing this week - perhaps the coldest weather we’ve had in the four winters I’ve... Continue Reading →
Solo travel is a special kind of time to yourself, when there’s no obligation or pressure to do anything specific or productive. How often, in the busy balancing act of grown-up life, do we get the opportunity to spend several (waking) hours in total repose, without any guilt or consequences?
Single for the first time since the age of 19, I recently ventured onto the dating scene in Paris - via the weird world of dating apps. And it really is a bloody weird world.
This morning saw the first frost of the year, at least as far as my own experience goes. Not in my neighbourhood - central Paris rarely sees frost at all. But arriving in Boulogne-Billancourt for work today, once I had managed to squeeze my way through the tangle of people inadvertently blockading the doors of... Continue Reading →
I made it! As of two-and-a-bit weeks ago, I have now been resident in France for a full year. I would have written about it on the day, but I actually celebrated my ‘anniversary’ by being in another continent – where I was a) making the most of every precious minute with friends and family... Continue Reading →
Paris in August is a strange phenomenon. The holiday allowance is so generous for most people working in France, that it’s perfectly common to take three weeks, if not a whole month, of leave in the summer. I’d hazard a (completely unsubstantiated and non-scientific) guess that about 90% of Parisians depart from the city for... Continue Reading →
Adventures of an Anglaise 