My Paris Adventures

Château Gardens, Church of Miracles and Covid Reflections

After a week of sub-zero temperatures, the weather flip-flopped with a sneak preview of spring.  A rare treat in February for Paris! My first thoughts were a walk in nature. With a 6pm curfew, wherever we went, it had to be close to Paris, so as not to be stuck in the habitual bumper-to-bumper late …

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A Surprise Christmas Market Springs Up Overnight Below Me

Well, the Christmas flea market was a surprise, at least to me.  I looked down last Friday evening and saw the telltale white booths lining up on the Avenue! Never saw any banners announcing it, which I find strange.  But Paris is always full of surprises! I am not a huge fan of them in …

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Everyday Scenes In My Lovely Neighborhood

I better get going soon!  The striated sky is slowly turning a deeper shade of steel grey.  That dark cloud coming in seems to be settling lower.  Rain perhaps? Halfway out the door, I realize that I forgot to fill out my attestation(authorization form) needed during our strict confinement.  I duck back in to complete …

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Delivery From Back Pain Misery And Lessons Learned (I Hope)

It happened on Wednesday, October 1.   Suddenly out of the blue.  No warnings, no alerts, just boom!  All it took was one second to throw me into feeling practically disabled. I thought that I was up for the job!  I felt like Superwoman facing the task in the beginning.  After a year and a half …

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When My Special Plans Went Awry, Ordinary Paris Scenes Saved The Day

Sometimes things don’t go the way you want, despite what I thought was careful planning.  T’was the case a Sunday two weeks ago when I stood in line waiting patiently to get into the Institue National d’Histoire de l’Art. Les Journées Patrimoine, (heritage days) is something I look forward to each September.  It is when …

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My Fabulous Birthday Dinner At Pantagruel

As I saw the sun rising over the rooftops, I greeted my birthday with much gratitude.  Another year to behold that would offer seeds of hope and joys to be gathered and shared. Birthdays are more of a challenge to me since I lost my son and with this year, I felt additional rays of …

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Breaking Out Again In Paris

Each time, I prepared “mes sorties”, or outings, during confinement, I would feel this slight anxiety as I went through my mental checklist. Authorization QR code or paper?  Did I fill it out correctly?  Did I bring my French ID card?  Am I going beyond the allotted one kilometer?  My mask? After all, I had …

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Living In Paris, You Have To Sacrifice Space

Anybody who lives in Paris will have to get used to living in small spaces.   Downsizing is essential if you want to live in lilliputian Parisian apartments! When I came here over 20 years ago, the sudden transition to suddenly living in a small place wasn’t really difficult.  After all, I arrived with 3 suitcases …

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Rue Mouffetard, A Medieval Looking Food Street In Paris

Rue Mouffetard has long been one of my favourite foodie streets for several reasons.  Crammed with a jumble of eclectic food stalls, the ambience can easily whisk me back to medieval Paris. Rue Mouffetard has stayed “dans son jus”.  A colourful French way of saying that it has remained unchanged or still basking in “it’s …

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Autumn Reflections in Paris

My very first time to arrive in Paris was  the beginning of autumn many years ago, when I was a young and naive student. Though it was only September the 5th, I well remember the day. As soon as I stepped off the Air France plane, I was ill-prepared for the shock of the very …

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Moulin Rouge Paris 130 Year Anniversary Of French Cancan

The Moulin Rouge just celebrated their 130 year anniversary of the French Cancan!  It was October 6, 1889, when they first opened their doors in Montmartre. To celebrate this anniversary, the Moulin Rouge put on a spectacular Sound and Light show Sunday, complete with their famous Cancan dancers where I braved the crowds in front …

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La Petite Ceinture Of Paris, An Abandoned Old Railway Gets New Life

La Petite Ceinture has regained some its glory and a new life, with a recent celebration, including an amusing Drag Queen Pétanque event! The French value restoring most old buildings and entities of merit, rather than tearing them down.  This includes an abandoned old railway, La Petite Ceinture that once circled  Paris. Deep trenches were …

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