As I ran across the Place Vendome on my way to a Dreyfus Affair tour, I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in a window: Flannel shirt, untucked. Gray jeans. Black sneakers. Grimace. (Or laugh. Or eye roll. I forget…. Read More ›
Life in Paris
In 2017, we decided to settle in Paris for a year. Then two. This is all things Paris. And France.
Should We Stay or Should We Go?
We’ve kicked the can down the road long enough. Next year is coming. We need to decide what we’re going to do. More specifically, where we’re going to live. To a degree, this came to a head in Saint Malo… Read More ›
Please, don’t touch the produce
It was thrilling, and completely unexpected: to meet someone who so obviously hated Pat and liked me. This never happens. Except here in France. With a certain produce vendor. This was years ago, and we were staying on Ile Saint… Read More ›
Happiness is …
Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang sang a song when I was young: Happiness is finding a pencil. Pizza with sausage. Tying your shoes for the very first time. Lately, I’ve thought a lot about happiness. If you are considering… Read More ›
La Rentrée… Home to Paris
My French teacher was explaining the various verbs that translate as ‘to return.’ She told us that retourner constitutes a return to any place: school, the library, a country. But rentrer is reserved for that special place. She placed her… Read More ›
