Last weekend marked my 7-year Paris-versary (pronounced Pareeversary, in case you were wondering). Seven whole years as a parisienne; seven whole years since I made my teenage pipe dream of living in France a reality. Seven years of grappling with the trials and tribulations of expat life and language barriers and bloody french bureaucracy. Seven... Continue Reading →
I bought a curtain a few weeks ago. “She’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel for content here,” I hear you thinking. “Biweekly blogging is so much of a stretch, she’s resorted to writing about the upholstery.” Bear with me a minute, okay? It’s not as dull as it sounds. Or maybe it is.... Continue Reading →
From a young age, until a probably-not-young-enough age, I was a committed star-wisher. I don’t remember ever being convinced of the stars’ wish-granting powers, but I was definitely open to the possibility that it might bring me what I wanted… So sure, why not? My wishing was very formulaic: Identify the brightest star in the... Continue Reading →
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 →
I embarked on another food quest this week, deciding on a whim to dig out one of my (embarrassingly numerous) "to try" lists and settling on a little boulangerie I've been meaning to visit for at least two years now. The boulangerie in question is the Circus Bakery in the Latin Quarter, specialist purveyors of... 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 →
I have a new favourite activity in Paris: picnicking along the riverbank. It's no particular secret that Paris is great for picnics in general; there are beautiful parks left, right and centre, not to mention the myriad of the other attractive and/or secluded spots scattered across the city. But whilst cruising down the Seine... Continue Reading →
A little while back, I wrote a post in defense of that which is dismissed as too ‘touristy’ and therefore shunned. I don’t know what’s prompting me to do so now, but I’ve decided to make a brief list outlining examples that support the argument I was making in said post: "...just because something is... Continue Reading →
This is a short post to announce that, as of last week*, I am now the exceptionally proud and delighted owner of one authentic 1960’s typewriter. For someone who endeavours to fill their life with as many attractive clichés as possible, the mere fact of ownership is enough to please all by itself. The thought... Continue Reading →
Happy May 1st! And a happy day it is indeed, for me anyway, because in France, it’s a national holiday! On a Tuesday, too, which is a huge novelty for someone who has grown up in England, where mid-week bank holidays are simply not a thing - unless it’s Christmas, Boxing Day, or New Year’s... Continue Reading →
Adventures of an Anglaise 