1. Sell Classeurs The most prevalent fixture in every French home isn’t the gleaming shelf of copper cookware, the bottles of medicaments crammed into every nook in the john, or their collection of books, which the French hold in the same reverence as Americans do their flat-screen televisions and their iPhones. No, it’s the shelf of classeurs, the sturdy, colorful cardboard folders to hold the…
Even though I live in a small apartment, I’m not especially good at keeping it tidy. I’m fairly neat and organized, which is essential when living and working in the same space. But I’d rather spend my time baking brownies than scrubbing sinks, if you can believe it. Jeanne is my housecleaner and she comes every other week. (Except during her eleven-week summer vacation.) The…
Because of all the changes in the Paris coffee scene, I’ve been updating this post regularly as a good number of places have opened in the last few years in Paris, that focus on well-crafted, artisan coffees. It’s been a wonderful revolution taking place, as many people – some French, others from Australia and the United States, have been conscientiously been upgrading the quality of…
Clotilde Dusoulier is the ultimate Parisian insider, one who shares her tasty tales of life in Paris on her blog, Chocolate and Zucchini. In this very handy guide, a native Parisian happily leads us around Paris, taking us from little-known specialty food shops and classic bistros to authentic Japanese noodle bars and venues for wine tastings. One of my favorite parts of Clotilde’s Edible Adventures…
I can’t remember the last time I saw a real, live squirrel. Yes, yes, I know. I live a city. But when I go out into the French countryside I just don’t see them there either. I never realized how much I missed the little rascals until I was back for a visit to the states and there were hoards of squirrels going about their…
Whether you’re coming to Paris to live, or even on vacation, there are plenty of French classes for everyone from débutants (beginners), to those looking to master the complexities of those elusive French verbs. While I don’t personally make any recommendations, you can visit their sites to check for class times, size, and prices. Some schools do offer housing for longer programs and you can even get…
Today I had what I call a “Welcome To France” day. That expression came about a couple of years ago, when a friend who lives in Switzerland came to run in the Paris marathon. Except when he went to register, they told him he wasn’t registered even though he had a letter from them saying that he had indeed registered. And he wasn’t alone; there…
I’m a little confused. I just watched House Calls on CNN. Everyone agrees there’s a crisis in America, part of it being that 15% of the population is uninsured. But people keep saying they don’t want a system like in France because they didn’t want the government making decisions about their health care. Except in France, the government doesn’t make decisions about health care; your…
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