The Bold Soul: A Writer's Life in Paris

A New "Do"

I recently got a new look for myself (see photo at right) - a fresh, lighter "do" to usher in spring and perk myself up. So I thought it was also time for a new look for The Bold Soul blog as well. I'm actually in the process of revisiting both my blog and web site designs, and will probably be making some more customized changes to both in the coming months. But in the meantime, I decided to choose a new theme from Typepad. I won't be customizing the top with my own photos with this one. And instead of the full blog post right on the main page, you'll see an excerpt, and you can either click the post title or the "Read More" link in the excerpt to see the entire post. I've also updated the menus both at top and bottom of the page, as well as streamlined what's available on the sidebar. Some of the menus will link you back to pages on my web site. Unfortunately, Typepad -- which hosts my blog and which I've paid for monthly from the start of my blog 10 years ago -- is really behind the times when... Read more →

Like herding cats

"Right now we can't even let her out on the balcony unchaperoned, because she's threatened to jump and make a run for it. Just like a teenager, wanting to sneak out and party, right?" If you think you can train a cat to do ANYTHING, you're deluding yourself. Read more →

Easy

Our spring vacation has been all about taking it easy. Although I'm on a short break from chemo, problems with my sciatic nerve and back have made it difficult for me to do any real walking and I haven't had much of an appetite. This means I've been staying home, chez Georges' sister, more than I normally would. Saint Raphael is a quiet town, especially off-season, so there aren't tons of things to do, but the mini-golf has been open in the afternoons and normally it's just nice walking around or taking short drives. We did take a short drive the other day, to enjoy lunch at one of our favorite beach-front restaurants, located on a little cove. A few people were even swimming or kayaking. I put my feet in the water for a few minutes but that was about all the cold water I could stand. I love the red rocks on the coastline here. Another day, we drove into the center of town, and I parked myself at a table at Le Poussin Bleu for a hot chocolate while Georges and le Garçon went to the nearby bookstore. Just next to this restaurant is a hotel-restaurant called... Read more →

Has it really been 7 years?

Why yes, I guess it has! Seven happy years ago today, Georges and I were on this very beach in Saint Raphael -- right about where those children are digging a hole and making a castle in this photo that I just took -- when he surprised me by dropping a melon, then dropping down on one knee and asking me a Very Important Question. There was never any doubt what the answer would be. And every day, I'm still so glad he asked me. This will always be our "Melon Beach". Happy 7th Engaged-iversary, mon coeur. Read more →

Taking a Bowl of Air

Je prends un bol d'air. I'm getting a change of air tomorrow: literally. Georges and I, and le Garçon, are leaving town for two weeks at my sister-in-law's place in Saint-Raphaël. It's the spring school holidays, perfect timing to shake off the remaining dregs of the grey (polluted) Paris air. All I want to look at for the next two weeks are palm trees, azure-blue seas, sandy beaches and a pastis bottle. And the love in my husband's eyes. He needs this vacation as much as I do. (Sketch by my SIL of Georges reading on one of our favorite beaches.) Read more →

This time, it's for Notre Dame

On Sunday, April 12th, I'll be making a (probably very brief) appearance on a French TV documentary about Notre Dame. It will be airing tomorrow evening at 6:30pm/18:30 local Paris time, on channel M6 for their regular program 66 Minutes: Grand Journal. If you're in France, please tune in and watch! I was invited to participate because the producers heard about the No Love Locks campaign, and they were also planning to interview one of the leaders of another historic preservation group whose members live in the Notre Dame neighborhood -- they've been trying to get the city to clear locks from the Pont Neuf and other bridges in their quartier for several years, and we decided to partner with them last year. The producers decided to have us both on camera together on the Pont de l'Archevêché, discussing how horrible this locks have become, and how it really degrades the neighborhood and view of the stunning cathedral. While most of the focus and press about love locks in Paris centers around the Pont des Arts, the Pont de l'Archevêché is just as grotesquely disfigured, and because it is located directly behind Notre Dame, the visual pollution has a huge... Read more →

Confetti Spring

The weather has turned sunny, the sunshine is warm and lovely, and the days are getting longer. Parisians are coming out of their grey winter hibernation... And apparently some of them are celebrating while they bask in all that Vitamin D-light! Read more →

How To Apartment-Shop In Paris, Part 3 - The Space (or lack thereof)

One of the biggest challenges in finding the perfect Parisian apartment will be the tug-of-war between your desire for as much space as possible (both living and closet), choosing the ideal neighborhood for you, and your budget. Unless money is no object (and if that's the case, lucky you!), you will have to make some kind of compromise because otherwise you'll never hit the Holy Real-estate Trifecta of "big, cheap and in the heart of Paris". Here's how it usually works: More affordable apartment = less space and/or less desirable neighborhood More space = bigger budget and/or less desirable neighborhood More desirable neighborhood = bigger budget and/or less space You can't have it all if your financial means are limited in any way (and let's face it, most of us would fit in that group). There will always be something that is less than ideal. The question is: is it something you are willing to live with, perhaps for many years? I say "perhaps for many years" because of course, if you are only seeking an apartment for a year or less, your toleration level will probably be higher for living with a microscopic kitchen with ugly cabinets, or living... Read more →