I recently read a short, interesting book by Yanis Varoufakis. He is a former finance minister of Greece and was an all-round thorn in the EU’s side during Greece’s financial collapse a few years ago. The book, Talking to My Daughter About the Economy – A Brief History of Capitalism, is worthwhile. The history behind … More The Greek, The French, and Me
I was waiting at the Batobus* station recently, and struck up a conversation with a gentleman from Cleveland. He and his wife were visiting London, Paris, and Rome over a month. Art and culture were the focus of the trip (not their first here), and the conversation eventually turned to what I was doing in … More The Irony of It All
When you arrive in a new city, especially one as unique and international as Paris, you become hypersensitive to your surroundings. At least I have. Paris is ‘foreign’ to me, in the sense that the natives do not speak English as their first language, and some of their customs and habits are unique. Unique not … More Paris…For Parisians
Aside from the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, there’s probably nothing as quintessentially ‘Parisian’ as the sidewalk cafe. A lot of other cities in the world have cafes, and very good ones: Rome, Vienna, Barcelona, Buenos Aires. But as a unique cultural institution with its own permanent place in our imagination, it’s the cafe in … More The Paris Experience: Cafe Life
At a cafe in the gold-plated first arrondissement, the expatriate writer perched at the corner of the cafe counter. At a right angle from him sat the Parisian. The Parisian and the expatriate had always nodded, but, not unusual for cafe life, had never introduced themselves. The Parisian always looked like he’d slept in his … More Go Day
The nonverbal communications embedded in French culture are a never-ending source of fascination for me here in Paris. Because I’m not fluent enough in French to catch certain subtle, revealing turns of phrase, I miss that part of the ‘delivery’ that might carry double entendres or hidden gems of humor in conversation. I do, however, … More Message in a Buckle
It’s been a year now since my wife and I relocated to Paris. Given our relatively simple life here, I’d be hard pressed to label myself an ‘expert’ in the ‘expat’ experience. Still, I do have some wisdom to share for anyone who’s considering relocating and living here for more than 3 months. Entire books … More Thinking of Living in Paris? Some Things to Consider