After 4 Years, Paris Keeps Calling Me Back.

Today marks the 4th anniversary since I got on a plane and landed in Paris for the first time.  I will never forget how I tried to contain my emotions as I saw La Tour Eiffel for the first time.  I worried I might get more than a few funny looks from my fellow travelers if I was openly sobbing.  I  couldn't help it, finally I was living my dream of always wanting to see Paris.  That 5 days became the beginning of some fabulous friendships that I have maintained through today.  It also turned me into a certified Francophile and I still cannot get enough of all things Paris.  I read virtually every book that has Paris as it's subject matter,  mastered making macarons, and have tried (unsuccessfully) to learn French.  The latter I am still working on!  My house is filled with Parisian themed decor and I even picked a French name (Zoe) for my dog when we adopted her.

So my obsession is not going to fade anytime soon.  I plan on returning to Paris next year. I want to see all the things I missed the first time, but more importantly, I just want to sit in a cafe and take it all in without being in a hurry. So until then, I will enjoy the memories of that trip 4 years ago and dream of the day that I will see La Tour Eiffel again!

More Favorite Books Featuring Paris

A while ago I wrote about my five favorite books about Paris.  Honestly who can just narrow it down to just five.  There are a ton of books out that there that choose Paris as the setting of their stories.  I try to read as many of them as I can.  I think for every one that I've read, there are probably ten more out there.  My mission is to read each and every one!I hope I live to be 105 cause that's how long it will take me!!

So from time to time I will share some of my favorites with you. Here's a few more that I'd like to pass along.......

This one is wildly popular and it is equally as popular with me!  The life of Earnest Hemingway and his wife Hadley in Paris at a time when THE place to be for all creative types was in Paris during the jazz age just fascinates me.  Maybe it has to do with my never ending love of Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris", I just cant get enough of this time period in the city of light.  The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain is an incredible look into the lives of the Hemingway's from the time they met and beyond.  This book is rich in Paris detail.  Could you imagine living in Paris at this time? The cafe culture was alive and even though Hadley and Earnest didn't have much money at the time, it sure seems like their lives were adventurous and full of interesting friends.  Really this is a must read!

 

Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas is a well done memoir about her year spent in Paris writing ad copy for Louis Vuitton.  How could a girl get so lucky!  If you have a hankering for French pastries, you will love this one.  She takes us along for her trials and tribulations in the city of light, but better yet her description of all the sweet treats she discovers is mouth watering!!

 

Last, but certainly not least are two wonderful chick-lit books by author Juliette Sobanet.  I love how she takes us along with her characters strolling the streets of Paris.  In  Sleeping With Paris, her main character Charlotte, after moving to Paris and getting her heart broken decides to write a blog about her dating adventures with french men and ends up falling in love.

Her next book Kissed In Paris is a fun little book.  Chloe, an event planner who just a week before her wedding in the states finds herself in Paris with no money or passport after a suave con man robbed her. She then goes on a wild chase in the streets of Paris with an undercover agent named Julian to retrieve her things.  All this makes her question weather or not her buttoned up life back in the states is really for her.  I am so looking forward to Juliette Sobanet's new book Dancing With Paris coming out this summer!  You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now!

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Some more of my favorite "Paris" books.  I'll keep reading and share with you!  Have you read any good Paris books lately that you'd like to share.  Please leave your suggestions in the comments below!

Reliving My Paris Vacation

It's been awhile since I've posted anything.  The long dark days of winter usually mean lots of time spent hibernating at home with just short trips out.  As a result, I haven't had much to write about lately, basically just trying to lose the 10 pounds I gained during the holidays and spending my Saturdays driving an eager teenager to her beginning gymnastics classes 50 miles away. Yup, pretty uneventful, but as spring is right around the corner things are looking up. In April I have a fun overnighter planned with a very good friend to see Garbage in Madison. Absolutely LOVE seeing live music!  In June I turn the big 5-0!  I'm still trying to decide what to do to celebrate this milestone!

So as the anniversary of my Paris trip comes up, I am longing to relive those days spent in my kinda paradise.  Today I pulled out my pictures, map, and Rick Steves Paris guidebook and went back to that wonderful trip.  This was one of my favorite things from that trip.

It was day three which was a free day for everyone in our tour group.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do....go shopping of course.  My goal was to buy an authentic Longchamp handbag in Paris.  I wanted to go to a Monoprix for some french cosmetics and a few clothing items and I wanted to go to Bon Marche and  La Grande Epicerie, the gourmet grocer next door.  So armed with my trusty guidebook and my Michelin Paris map off I went in the morning after breakfast.  I was pretty confident I would have no trouble finding my way.  I love to read maps and I had studied where I was gonna go.  Since our hotel was by the Eiffel Tower I found my way to Boulevard de Grenelle and set off on foot toward La Bon Marche.  I found a nice sized Monoprix on this street right across from a Mc Donald's.  I spent lots of time here
 scanning the aisles of cosmetics and skin care items.  This was heaven to me.  So much to chose from it was making me dizzy.  I ended up buying some Boujous mineral makeup and lip-gloss and a tube of Bioderma matte primer.  I couln't leave without some cute funky jewery and some inexpensive tops. I also loaded up on some chocolates to take home. I went to check out and had a little trouble using my credit card, of course the clerk was speaking rapid fire french to me that I could not understand.  I just pulled out another card and thank goodness this one worked!!

So off I was back on Boulevard de Grenelle, then to Boulevard Garibaldi and finally Rue de Sevres to my destination.  I arrived first at La Grande Epicerie.  This grocery was unlike anything I have ever seen before.  I mainly wandered around looking at the aisles of sweet treats.  This place is a food lovers paradise! I ended up purchasing more chocolate (a surprise I know!) and some souvenirs.  By this time I had worked up an appetite and went to the pastry counter and decided a pain au chocolate would be the perfect snack.  Next stop La Bon Marche.  Here I was on a mission.  It was afternoon by this time and I wanted to get back to the hotel in time to rest a little before dinner. I easily found the Longchamp department right on the first floor.  Oh how I wished I could explore every floor of this iconic department store!  In the end I came out of there with not one but two Longchamp handbags.  Oh what a happy girl I was.  I did exactly what I set out to do that day.

Back to the hotel I went.  Wait, I had one more thing to do!  There was a pain au chocolate calling my name in one of my bags.  I found a bench on a tree lined street and sat and enjoyed that yummy pastry.  Absolute heaven,  My shopping day was complete!

My 5 Favorite Paris Books

I have debated for some time now just what are my favorite books about Paris and/or France.  There are an abundance of books both fiction and non-fiction about my favorite city.  I have read MANY of them, which is why I have been so indecisive about which are my favorites.  For the sake of keeping my post short, I have come up with 5 that have been a joy to read.  These ended up all being non-fiction, I suppose because I cannot get enough of the Parisian way of life.  I am always hoping some of that will rub off on me.  All of these books I look back at from time to time.  Guess it is part of the attempt to relive visiting Paris.  I have hard copies of all these as a result.

These are in no special order and each has its own purpose.

In preparing for my trip in 2011 I was obsessed with knowing as much about Paris as I could.  I bought Rick Steves Paris 2011.  I didn't realize what a help that book would be to me.  I carried it everywhere.  Even though I was with a tour, I wanted to know what I wanted to see on my free time. Note how I still have all those post it tabs to mark interesting things!  Also it was a god send to have after my trip when I was preparing to make my photo book and fill in my travel journal. It made it easier to recall monuments and other things that I thought I would remember but didn't

Being the committed Francophile that I am these next two taught me much about French culture.  French Or Foe by Polly Pratt explains what makes the French so different from us. From the working culture to family life, this book is a must read for anyone interested in traveling or moving to France.  Say what you want about the French, but their lifestyle makes for some interesting reading!  Along with that,  French Toast by Harriet Welty Rochefort is a wonderful memoir by a woman who grew up in Iowa but had an attraction to France.  I always admire people who can take a leap of faith and follow their dreams.  Even if those dreams take them half way across the world.  She tries to make sense of the Paris lifestyle. Not so easy for someone from Iowa!

To me the king of American expats living on Paris is David Lebovitz.  If you have never read his blog you have to take a look.  His book The Sweet Life In Paris is full of recipes done the French way and funny insights into the city of light.  As a lover of all the food Paris has to offer (especially of the sweet kind!), this book is a perfect match for me.

My last favorite book is Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange.  This book is a step by step guide to create that unique Parisian style. It is full of colorful  illustrations.  Not everyone in Paris shops at Hermes or Louis Vuitton.  There is style to be found at (gasp) your nearest Monoprix.  Buy the best you can afford for the classic pieces and have fun with the rest.

So that does it for my list.  Like I said there are lots of others that I loved (saved for another blog post perhaps).  I am always looking for books about Paris and the French.  You may have some suggestions for me.  Please let me know!