I met up with my French friend earlier this week - incidentally, the sole Paris inhabitant I knew before I arrived. He’s not actually from Paris, rather he hails from Rennes in Brittany; an anchor tattooed onto his ankle represents his Breton roots. I’ve teased him more than once for being a walking cliché when... Continue Reading →
And so we return once more to the saga of my arrival à Paris, one Airbnb and two hotels down, and three Airbnbs - and five weeks - to go. Good grief, I feel worn out just thinking about it again. I had enjoyed something of a respite after the 'Experience' that was hotel no.... Continue Reading →
Today I ventured out to see the great swollen beast that is the River Seine at present. I don’t know if you’ve heard about/seen it at all - it’s certainly been making the UK news judging by the number of smart remarks I’ve had from English friends and family about boats etc - but right... Continue Reading →
Walking home from my yoga class* last night, I was really struck by how quiet it always is in my neighbourhood. Not in an eerie or dull way – it’s just sort of… peaceful. Morning, noon or night, weekend or working day, neither people nor vehicles have notably disrupted the calm at any point since... Continue Reading →
Fun fact of the day: this afternoon, I discovered that the French term for a pie chart is – wait for it – ‘un camembert’. I can’t say exactly why this amused me quite so much, but suffice to say I was suffering recurring fits of giggles for a good ten minutes or so following... Continue Reading →
I’ve digressed a little in my last few posts, but as promised, I am returning to my ‘arrival narrative’ – I’d hate to leave you hanging! Relieved and somewhat sleep-deprived, I left Airbnb No. 1 on the Sunday morning and began the veritable trek across Paris to the hotel I’d booked for two nights –... Continue Reading →
It has been the most unrelentingly grey and wet few weeks and this weekend is no exception - but there’s no place I’d rather be than Paris if I have to put up with the rain and I wasn’t going to let it stop me from enjoying my adopted city today. I am writing from... Continue Reading →
This a quick addendum to my post (‘A Brief Interlude…’) about the delicious French institution that is the galette des rois. In my earlier post, I tried to convey the importance of this particular pastry – I explained that it is bought, consumed and discussed by just about everyone in France for just about the... Continue Reading →
To carry on directly from my previous post, having finally gotten out of the apartment around midday, I hopped on the tram and made my way into central Paris. My first stop was the Jardin de Tuileries (by the Louvre), which was resplendent in reds and yellows and everything in between: it really is true... Continue Reading →
Having survived my first week on the new job, I found myself with a whole glorious two days of freedom stretching out in front of me, to spend at my leisure in Paris. I’d like to say I got up bright and early Saturday morning to profit from as much of the day as possible... Continue Reading →
Adventures of an Anglaise 