The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

Bang the drum slowly

Antique drum from the French revolution period; Musée Carnavalet. Read more →

I have no shame

Today was a really great day. It started off with me meeting Aimee for lunch, and we got Latin American food over near Saint Michel. We had a great time dishing about the recent date and our respective past dating experiences; her pregnancy, which is nearing the finish line -- she looks amazing, by the way; Frog with a Blog (and I'd love to meet you too, FwaB - name the date!); and sundry and assorted other items of interest to two girls hanging out in Paris on a Tuesday afternoon. After lunch we headed up to the Marais to check out leather wallets at a particular boutique Aimee had been eyeing. I ended up walking away with a cute little silver leather change purse, perfect for those pesky euros and centimes that bulk up my wallet. Next, Aimee decided to accompany me down to Convention where there is a Pass Navigo office; I've been wanting to sign up for one of these to make getting around Paris more convenient but wasn't sure how to do it. We got there only to discover we can only apply by mail or online, not in person as we'd thought. So, we came... Read more →

Napoleon's view

The stunning Dome Church over Napoleon's Tomb, at Les Invalides. Read more →

Because you're dying to know

Yes, I went on my date. Yes, it was a very nice evening. Yes, we opted for a fondue dinner. Yummy, except I kept overcooking my beef cubes, but fondue is actually a pretty good 2nd date activity as it is interactive dining and takes the pressure off to have to make eye contact all the time. No, the conversation wasn't boring at all, quite the opposite. Between talking about our respective experiences in settling into life in Paris, and comparing our countries, and talking about our work, we pretty much had the evening covered, chat-wise. Yes, he brought me a red rose. And a small token from his native country. Which was very sweet of him. And which cleared up any doubt in my mind that HE thought it was a romantic evening; men who just want to be friends don't bother with thoughtful gestures. Yes, we had a nice walk afterward, strolling the little streets in St. Germain, back toward my bus stop. We looked in shop windows and talked about architecture and avoided being run over by taxis (who says you can't find a cab in Paris? All you need to do is be walking along and... Read more →

Primping in Paris

I have a few "need to know" personal care items that I'm not sure where to locate in Paris and thought: here's where a network of Parisian ex-pat bloggers will REALLY come in handy (not that your moral support isn't greatly appreciated). So write in, either here in the comments or email me privately at lthwriter AT gmail DOT com, and share your favorites or your information on the following: Mouthwash. Do they not sell mouthwash, like Listerine or Listermint, in France? Or is it something you can only get by speaking to the pharmacist? I have looked in several of the best supermarkets and see all kinds of toothbrushes, toothpastes, and floss, and the only thing that came close to being a regular mouthwash was the Colgate Plax. But nothing else. I'm beginning to wonder if mouthwash is a banned substance in France. Haircut and Color. I am very close to needing a haircut and possibly some professional haircolor or highlights, although I normally do that myself to save money. I see that the places local to me have haircuts advertised for about 37 euro but the clientele seems to be little old ladies. I want a really GREAT... Read more →

Two!

Today, The Bold Soul is TWO YEARS OLD! Yes, it's the two-year anniversary of the day I posted my first-ever blog entry. It doesn't seem possible that two years have passed since I decided to write about my dream of moving to Paris and being a writer. Yet here I am! I'm doing exactly what I set out to do. And wow, does that ever feel amazing. I am so grateful for all of you who have cheered me on and wished me well on this journey. I love your comments and emails, and hope you'll continue to visit and participate often, and share your own experiences of Paris and singledom and anything else that comes to mind. And I hope that whatever your own bold dream may be, that you're pursuing it wholeheartedly. Because it's completely awesome when you finally arrive. Read more →

If you're within the sound of my voice

For a few weeks now, I've been keeping a little secret. Two fellow Paris expat bloggers -- amazing Katia of Aussielass fame and the dynamic Kyliemac -- decided to interview me for their podcast blog! We've had this up our sleeve for a while but I didn't want to say anything until it was a fait accompli. Because, you know, the Earth might open up or swallow me whole, or I might lose my Metro pass or something and would have missed the recording session. Stuff happens. So last Sunday we finally got together, and after experiencing some unexpected technical difficulties (please stand by), some pain au chocolat and coffee, we had too much enough caffeine in us to record not one but two episodes! So here it is for your listening pleasure, Katia, Kyliemac and The Bold Soul -- the terrible trio -- in Episode 23: The one where they get bold... and stuff. You might want to crank up the volume to hear us all -- as I said we had some little glitches but it all worked out in the end. The follow-up will follow... well, whenever the girls feel like posting it. I just want to... Read more →

Recall

I have a second date with someone this weekend. A date on date night, Saturday night, in Paris. With a man who seems quite nice. And no, he's not French (because I know that was your next question). Nor American. I'm not saying more than that right now. The first date was a couple of weeks ago, just before my best friend came over for her vacation. He and I had been emailing for months, having met online before the holidays when I was here and he was back in his home country, and he'd just arrived in Paris for an extended tour of duty with his work. So although he was in the middle of a work day and I was cramming in last minute preparations for my houseguest's arrival, we decided to meet for a quick lunch on the Champs Elysées near the Arc de Triomph. If you've never explored internet dating, it's essentially like picking a blind date out of a catalog. You see a picture (I never deal with men who won't post a picture -- what are they hiding?), read their vital statistics (smoker/non-smoker, height, profession, done any hard time, etc.) and hopefully they have... Read more →

A few of the thousand little reasons I love Paris

I was supposed to meet a new friend for lunch today, but she came down with a cold overnight and as she is expecting a baby any minute now, she did the smart thing and decided to stay home and nurture herself. I got her text message just as I was about to leave the apartment because I had my phone turned off (silly me), so I headed back inside to regroup. One of the things I love about Paris is that there is always, and I mean ALWAYS, something interesting to do. If you are bored in Paris, it's because you're just not trying. My problem is not in finding things to do, it's often CHOOSING from among the many options. I sat down with my Paris guidebook to see what might catch my fancy. And then, inspired by this poster on my bedroom wall, which is one of my favorites, I remembered that the Robert Doisneau exhibit is still going on at the Hotel de Ville (extended through March 3rd, if you're interested - and it's FREE!) Problem solved -- off I went. The exhibit was excellent and I splurged on the big book of Doisneau's work since... Read more →

Snow on Hyde Park

The only snow I've seen this winter was in London. This was my view on Hyde Park during my recent hop to London. It was supposed to be a big storm but in London it wasn't that bad, fortunately for us tourists! Read more →