Tag: Paris blog

There’s no place like home: Embracing expat otherness

I have lived in Paris for almost exactly 8 years, and whilst it’s fair to say I’ve long since been pretty damn parisienne, I’m clearly not – nor will I ever be – French. I’m very comfortable in this country; more at home than I’ve ever felt anywhere else; thoroughly assimilated in a culture that made more sense to me than the one I grew up in long before I even moved here. But I don’t have the references of a native française, having neither been raised in France, nor by French parents.

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Thirty life lessons learned by 30

The first year of my thirties is rapidly nearing its conclusion (hello, 31) and I have to say, the experience of moving into this new decade has, in and of itself, been pretty anticlimactic. Turns out, aging, accruing life experience, all that jazz, it’s more of a gradual process than an overnight kinda thing. Who... Continue Reading →

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‘Fall’ in love with Paris in the autumn

It’s the most wonderful time of the yeeeeaaar… No, not Christmas, although that’s getting alarmingly close. I'm talking about autumn. The air is crisp and tinged with that delicious dried-leaves smoky scent. The trees are resplendent in blazing reds and soft golds. It’s cool enough to get cosy with jumpers and scarves and thick socks,... Continue Reading →

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Paris has changed. So have I.

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 →

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Sail away on The Starless Sea

"It drew my eye from across the room — tugging at my attention before I’d even properly registered its presence, like a beautiful stranger in a bar. I wasn’t wrong to judge this particular book by its cover: the cadence of the words inside captured my interest from — and I mean this literally — the very first page. They had a gorgeously, subtly poetic quality. It was intoxicating. I was, immediately, intoxicated."

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Lyonnais Love Affair (Part 1/2)

Surprise, surprise, I’m writing this blog post on a train - speeding through the French countryside, direction Paris, somewhere in the vague vicinity of Dijon. It’s a perfect “golden hour”, the rolling wheat fields and villages of tiny terracotta-roofed cottages bathed in the gorgeous glow of the setting sun. I’m reminded of how much I... Continue Reading →

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Identity of an Anglaise: “British, BUT-“

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 →

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Paris is Open

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 →

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Anglaise vs. Eos: Seine-side Sunrise

You'll have to excuse the geeky Greek mythology reference in the title; strange though it may seem, Classics grads don't get to use their degrees too often in real life. If you're not into slightly obscure deities from ancient cultures (though I find it hard to imagine why anyone wouldn't be), Eos is the Greek... Continue Reading →

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Oh Crêpe!

Joyeuse Chandeleur ! Nope, that's not a real greeting in French, I just made it up – but any day consecrated to the consumption of crêpes is worthy of one, in my humble opinion. And Chandeleur is exactly that. More or less. It falls on the 2nd February every year, 40 days after Christmas. The... Continue Reading →

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