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PSA: Paris is expensive! (or does that go without saying?) When we were at our place  in the Minervois last autumn, we sat down at one of our favorite cafés in Olonzac  after running some errands and ordered coffees. When we were ready to leave I went inside to pay and the owner, Stephane, said that we owed €2.40. Thinking that he had made a mistake, I said, "no, we had two coffees." He looked at me and smiled and said, "Jennifer, you're not in Paris." Oh, right. Outside of Paris, it appears that the wine, the food, the restaurant prices, the rent, the fuel, the tolls, everything but the electricity, internet and the cost of renewing a 10 year carte de résident , is less expensive. Much less expensive. That isn't to say that life in Paris isn't worth the higher prices. And conveniences. I love the fact that we can have groceries, dry cleaning and meals delivered. I love the accessibility to museums and art galleries. I love that we have Indian, Thai, ...

1) Monti 2) Fontana delle Tartarughe 3) A difficult  choice! 4) Oculus 5) The classic

Our old house in Normandy, which is now a charming rental cottage . We highly recommend this place! For the first 10 years that we lived here, whenever I was visiting the U.S. and met someone new, they would inevitably ask me where I lived. When I would reply that I lived in France, their response, every single time , would be, "so how long have you lived in Paris ?" I always found that pretty funny. It's like telling someone that you live in the U.S. and they respond by asking how long you've lived in New York City. But I get it. Paris represents "France" to most foreigners. However there is much, much more to  l'Hexagone  than Paris! And over the years we've been fortunate enough to live in a few regions and have enjoyed exploring a good chunk of this beautiful country on many of our vacations. I know that once you've chosen where to go, picking where to stay can be daunting. The sheer number of holiday rentals out there is crazy, so I thought ...

1) On the terrace 2) Along rue Montorgueil 3) Aperitivo in Bologna 4) A generous  apéritif dinatoire in Montmartre 5) At our neighborhood café - they could stand to be a bit more generous with the popcorn, non?

Oh, Bologna! What have you done to me? You had me the minute I stepped up to the counter at that busy neighborhood café and ordered an espresso - it was deep, deep brown with notes of bitter chocolate and had the perfect amount of chestnut colored crema on top. I ordered a prosciutto  panino  alongside and once I took a sip and then a bite, I was hooked. Then I asked for the bill. The total came to €2.30. I had to look again. €2.30? Only €2.30? For a perfect espresso and a prosciutto di Parma sandwich? How soon can I move? Then of course, there is the gelato. Have you ever tasted salted pistachio gelato? Not just pistachio, but salted pistachio? It will change your life (kind of like Normandy salt butter , of which I'm sure Italy has its own version). But so will the fresh strawberry gelato (in season). The pine nut and mascarpone. The hazelnut. The sour cherry. The dark chocolate. The Sicilian lemon. Basically, you just want give up every other kind of food and only eat gel...

1) Shopping in the Quadrilatero 2) A quiet street in Florence (not an easy thing to find!) 3) Tortellini - to be eaten "in brodo" 4) Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca , located in the hills above Bologna 5) Fresh rapini

We have friends visiting from the States, so this morning I had the chance to wander around the Île de la Cité while they were inside Notre Dame. I had read about the Place Dauphine for years but had never seen it, so I took the opportunity to sit in one of the cafés along the square, enjoy the quiet, watch a fashion shoot taking place and soak up some sun. I think I've found a new favorite Place in Paris! If you're visiting Paris and would like to stay near Notre Dame,  Paris Attitude  has some beautiful apartments available to rent. And if you're looking for a nice spot to have a coffee or a drink, I enjoyed my morning at Le Bar du Caveau . Please note: Some of my posts may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you) which goes towards maintaining Chez Loulou. Thank you in advance!