The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Unplugging... and it hurts!

I am about to unplug my computer and internet phone. Which means I will be without technology and the ability to communicate (online) for the next 48 hours, at least. You would think someone was asking to drain every last drop of my life force. I'm reluctant to pull the plug. Which is why I am still typing. And rambling. Aimlessly. With no thought or purpose other than to prolong the connection between my fingers and the keyboard. This is a sickness. Is there a 12-step program for people who just can't unplug? See you in 48+ hours. Don't be surprised if I have the D.T.'s. Oh for God's sake, Lisa, STOP TYPING ALREADY. It's all in your head. Read more →

The Madeleine

The Church of Mary Magdalene, known as the Madeleine. See you all Stateside for the next month. Don't worry: je reviens! Read more →

Temps Perdu?

Shall we play a game? You are cordially invited to play. Do you dare? Don't forget to tell your friends. Read more →

Chocolat 'til you drop!

Before I unplug for my trip back home, here's a quick link to my latest Bonjour Paris article, talking about my recent visit to Chocolaterie Girard. If you don't have a premium membership, don't despair; I also wrote a bit about it here. And of course, an excerpt: I made an interesting discovery recently, while on the hunt for new ways to experience more of Paris beyond the monuments and museums. I’m always on the lookout for things a woman can do alone in a big city and where I might meet some new friends. It was while visiting another ex-pat’s Paris blog that I learned about Meeting the French, a tourism company that provides very interesting snapshots into French life. Their offerings include: dinner invitations to dine in a French home, gastronomy walking tours of Paris, and a variety of short guided tours where you can observe artists and artisans at work. I thought this sounded like a unique concept, so I decided to see what was on the schedule. What a selection! I could have gone to a cheese-making shop, a bakery, a pork butcher, a coffee-roasting shop and even a snail house. I could have visited any... Read more →

Bleu laws

The Assemblée Nationale, just across the Seine from the Place de la Concorde. Pretty in it's blue gown of light, eh? The Assemblée is equivalent to the American House of Representatives; the French Senat is located off the Jardin de Luxembourg over in the 5th or 6th. Power to the people! I'm in transit the next few days, back to the States, so it's photo-blogging only for a while. Thought I'd share some of my favorite night shots taken recently when my friend Lynda was in town for a few days on business. We started with dessert BEFORE dinner at Angelina, so Lynda could sample the hot chocolate (see? I'm sticking to my promise to only go there when showing friends around the city), then a stroll up Rue Rivoli, to the Place de la Concorde where for the first time the fountains were actually in operation (each time I've been through Concorde in the past, they've been empty of water). Then to the Orangerie for some Waterlilies by Monet, a stroll along the Seine to the Bateaux-Mouches and a boat ride that was beautiful but got to be VERY cold after awhile. Finally, we walked up Avenue Montaigne gawking... Read more →

You. And Me, too.

Did you know You were Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2006? Yes, You. You, there, with your cup of coffee sitting there in your pajamas on a Sunday morning, catching up with your email and favorite blogs and doing some Christmas shopping on-line. Well, You are. Congratulations! Whether you write a blog or only read them, whether you create your own website or are one of the millions perusing the Internet as you go through your daily life, You are part of it all. Read about yourself here. Then toast yourself with that mocha latté! Read more →

A Saturday Haiku

Rainy Saturday: Errands. Cleaning. Laundry. Food. Just real-life Paris. Read more →

My fountain runneth over

Anticipation

I as now close the first chapter in my Great Parisian Adventure, the chapter where I have been dipping my toes in the ex-pat pool for the past six weeks, kind of like a test drive of REALLY living in Paris, I am already full of anticipation, thinking about what's next. I am anticipating: How I am going to spend my last weekend (in 2006) here in Paris/Vincennes and what else I can cram into the next 48 hours, realizing of course that I WILL be back and have ample time to explore to my heart's content; The cleaning and packing and generally putting everything back where I found it so that P can come back to her home and find it in one piece (at least I didn't burn the place down); A long flight home on Tuesday with my best friend meeting me at the airport; Spending Tuesday evening with my family, having pizza (which I haven't had since JULY due to my weight-loss efforts and there really being no good pizza in Paris, not by New Jersey standards anyway); Enjoying watching my family taste macarons from Laduree for dessert on Tuesday, which is the special treat I... Read more →

Good day for a stroll around the moat

What do you do when you've got just a couple of hours free in the middle of the day on a Thursday and the sun is shining? Why, you go to the nearest medieval castle, of course. Doesn't everybody? I've been trying to get to the Chateau de Vincennes since I arrived a month ago. It's close - just 4 blocks away - and every time I come out of the Métro station I remind myself: "MUST go to the Chateau!" Today, I finally made the time, and I'm very glad I did. How often do you get to stand on a drawbridge overlooking a moat? The Chateau officially dates back to the 12th century and even pre-dates the Louvre. Structures are documented to have stood on this spot as far back as 1025-58 and some of the literature I read suggests the site may have once housed a hunting lodge back as far as the late 800s A.D. But it was in the 11th century that French royalty - Henri I and Louis VII - officially claimed the site and the surrounding forest (part of which still exists at the Bois de Vincennes). In 1183, Philippe Auguste built a... Read more →