plantronicsgamingheadsetssave

There are the French and then there are the Parisians . There really is a big difference between the two.* Now of course, I don't (currently) live in Paris, but after spending a considerable amount of time there over the last few years, and especially in the last couple of months, I know that I will never be and probably could never be une vrai Parisienne.  And I'm ok with that. Here are some of the reasons why: 1) I will never be able to master "the pout" properly 2) I don't own the requisite sequined Vanessa Bruno cabas 3) I don't like to lie in the sun 4) I never order  un Perrier menthe 5) I'm (usually) way too punctual 6) I don't smoke 7) I can't find a shade of red lipstick that suits me 8) I'm terrified to ride a bike in Paris 9) I can't get my hair into that messy yet elegant updo (but I wish I could!) 10) I wasn't born there Sometimes when I see young Parisian women walking down the street or sitting in a café, it looks like th...

The train between Bayeux and Paris has become my second third home. I've become so familiar with the route that I know about what time I will lose 3G connection on my phone after leaving the station in Caen, how long it takes to get from the station at Mantes-la-Jolie to Paris and at precisely what time I will see the top of the Eiffel Tower if I glance out the window on the right side of the train. At home I start the day with a big café au lait, cook with a lot of vegetables, avoid weeding the lawn as long as I can, cuddle with my husband and our chihuahua (and try to cuddle with our cat) and probably watch too much TV. In Paris I start my day with a cup of tea or une noisette , eat Thai, Vietnamese and Indian food, snack on cheese and charcuterie, miss my husband, dog and cat and when I'm not trying to be a good house guest, probably spend too much time playing Words With Friends. Eventually, when we find our apartment in Paris, these two worlds will meld together and I wil...

1) The blue hour 2) Summertime 3) Une pause-café 4) Apéro 5) There aren't enough hours in the day

It's funny how these bouts of nostalgia hit. Just a few weeks ago I wrote about moving to France and the point of no return , and yet here I am today after watching a cooking show that took place in southern Louisiana and New Orleans, feeling incredibly homesick. We only lived in New Orleans for a few years, but it definitely got under my skin. I do know what it means to miss New Orleans. I try to return almost every year and while I'm there I eat (best food city in America!) , soak up its rich atmosphere and celebrate. Because that's just what you do. Because almost every day there seems to be some kind of celebration in New Orleans. For music. For crawfish season. For cocktails. For living in a great neighborhood. For holidays and for non holidays. Because it's the weekend. Because it's a Tuesday. It doesn't matter...New Orleans simply celebrates. Everything. So I've decided to take a little trip down memory lane to easy my homesickness until my next visit...

1) Hôtel de Sens 2) Colorful bollards 3) Lazy afternoon at le café 4) Overseeing 5) Intriguing Parisian doors

On Friday I went to the cathedral in Coutances with a friend who is not only an architect, he is currently in charge of all the  momuments historiques in the entire Auvergne region. Spending the day with him is like having a history, art and architecture professor at your disposal and I was more than happy to visit as many cathedrals, churches, abbeys and châteaux as he wanted. We arrived under beautiful blue skies and thanked Mother Nature for giving us the chance to enjoy a day free of the drizzle and gray skies that decided to take their holidays in Normandy this August. We walked around the exterior, snapping photos and admiring the Romanesque/Norman/Gothic facade. In the square in front of the cathedral we came across a series of photographs depicting the bombardment and destruction of Coutances during World War II. Seventy years ago, the exact place where we were standing was a giant pile of destroyed homes, businesses turned to rubble and pieces of the cathedral. It was a s...

1) Sweet summer at the Bayeux market 2) Busy summer in Montmartre 3) Rue Crémieux 4) Incongruous 5) Wood, water and old stones