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
I was recently asked to comment privately about the pros and cons of living in Europe. My wife and I have lived in Paris for the past five years, and the Inquiring Mind wanted to know about the relative merits of the experience. After sharing the information privately, I thought it might be a good … More Why Live in Paris?
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
After having recently applied with the Les Powers That Be once again to live legally in France for another year, I thought I’d provide an update on the Parisian Life. ‘Reseau’ was a word–and an important concept–that was introduced to me in the first week of living in France. It translates to ‘network’, the group … More Notes on the Parisian Life…Thus Far
It’s been an eventful few weeks here in Paris, so I thought I’d indulge in a Parisian recap of sorts. 1. As many of you are aware, France won the World Cup. Soccer (football) fans around the city were glued to cafe televisions during the process, with crowds spilling onto sidewalks and streets when the … More Dispatches from Paris
To continue my thought from the previous blog post… So you’ve made your budget, done a reconnaissance trip to Paris to locate an apartment, purchased your travel insurance (World Nomads has been great for us) and locked your visa from the French consulate. You arrive in Paris, are given the keys to your new place, … More Living in Paris…Part 2
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