by Julia Willard | Nov 6, 2014 | Paris |
My first trip to Paris took place in 1999. I was with my high school group who had opted to join one of the French teachers on a quick tour of Paris followed by a two-week home stay in Provence. We had a mere five days in Paris, but Madame Miller was determined to show us ever major monument and any other pertinent site that we had no doubt already discussed in French class. Since that trip, my time in Paris has gone from that of a student to a tourist to a resident to a tourist to a studier of all things Paris to a photographer to a resident, and everything in between. My relationship with Paris is changing, and that is taking some adjustment. The physical adjustment, of course, is happening naturally, but this place that I once could not get enough of is not meeting all of my needs at the moment, and it’s proving mentally challenging to come to grips with that. I certainly never thought my feelings about Paris would change. As I decide what role I want Paris to play in my life, I enjoy reminiscing about the dynamics of our “relationship” over the years. This past month of October, I was tourist and photographer again, and the City was the backdrop for so many exciting things for me. One thing is for sure: whether it has a leading or a supporting role in my life, I am so thankful for all it has provided for me over the years in inspiration and as a...
by Margot Nightingale | Oct 22, 2014 | Paris |
It’s late October and la grisaille de Paris has announced itself. The gun metal grey atmosphere of the season has settled in in all its mind-numbing glory. Time to start popping the Vitamin D. Time to stock up on extra wine in the cupboard. Buckle up, Jacques, the ride’s going to get bumpy… winter’s coming. Thankfully, there’s a little gift the blessed French have given us gratis… a little Christmas in October. It’s called Toussaint and it’s a two-week vacation… pause… for school children. Growing up in the States, the only “vacation” we had before Christmas was Columbus Day, now basically obliterated due to retroactive disowning of Christopher Columbus’s hero-status, and the obligatory day and a half off at Thanksgiving, creating the long weekend that truthfully felt like heaven on earth. (I can smell the turkey cooking in the oven now.) So today, here in Paris, you’d think I never lived a day in my life without the generous two-week October break. How, I ask myself, did I survive the puny days-off given in the United States? Now, under the grey skies of Paris – oops, now it’s raining, everyone in the house suddenly gets agita around the middle of the month of Toussaint break, and we each act like a horse in full gallop back to the coral as the holiday approaches. Hey, can you go any faster buddy? Out of my way! I need les vacances now or I’m going to drop dead right here! I can’t open another page of my French grammar book! No more maths problems! Can’t take one more walk to school in the...
by Rebecca Earley | Oct 15, 2014 | Paris, Paris tips |
Itʼs the the start of fall. The air is just starting to turn crisp, there seems to be a little more color around, and you feel a fresh wave of “new” in the breeze. Somehow even though we are approaching the end of the year, it feels like a fresh start. Maybe itʼs because fall typically marks the beginning of a new school year, “la rentrée,” for the French. Or maybe because itʼs the beginning of months of celebration with family and friends. Either way, something about the start of fall feels new. Last weekend was the first weekend of fall in Paris. Even though it did not quite feel like fall yet, my friends and I managed to have, accidentally, the perfect first autumn weekend. So, in the spirit of starting the season of sharing, I would like to share my perfect autumn weekend in Paris with you. Friday night: Itʼs the end of the work week, and Iʼm actually able to leave at a normal hour. I catch the metro on the Champs Elysées to meet my good friend in Montparnasse for crêpes. We meet in front of Crêperie Josselin, the most famous crêperie in Paris, where the mounds of butter are bigger than your head. We stuff ourselves with our usual orders, the Maraîchère, a spinach, crème fraîche, filled crêpe, topped with a fried egg and 3 enormous slabs of bacon, followed by the Caramel au Beurre Salé crêpe, covered in the restaurantʼs homemade salted butter caramel sauce. After finishing our cider and wheel-barreling ourselves out the door, we part ways until our next gluttonous feast....
by Julia Willard | Aug 27, 2014 | Inspiration, Paris |
Note: The embedded video below may only be viewable in some browsers. Access the video here: GeoBeats Booksellers by the Seine. Paris is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring places on the planet. Of course, what is inspiring is determined by the beholder, yet the numbers speak for themselves; Paris brings in tourists in droves, whether it is through its inspiring cuisine, architecture, or that lovey dovey atmosphere. I’ve been enjoying the Geobeats videos for a few years, especially in my stints away from Paris. When I saw this one recently, it reminded me of our journeys as authors and made me wonder what the journey of our book will be… How many people will it inspire? Will it inspire a wave of more books of its kind? Will it be the inspiration for a film one day? Or will it end up in one of those green boxes along the Seine crowded between Voltaire and Proust, obscured by hanging gravures and sought after by young students? Just like in the life of a book, our own life paths are uncertain. The lesson is to trust that we will end up in the company of the right people at the right time. I suspect it’s no different for our very own bouquin. Hint: Come next month (September 2014), there will be at least one of our books to be found among the green boxes lining the River Seine. Something special will be inside. Will you find...
by Julia Willard | Jun 21, 2014 | Paris |
It’s the Summer Solstice and I’m finding myself inspired to write about seasons again. This time we’re beginning the season of late sunsets and endless activities offered by the Mairie. Last year more than ever before, I really noticed how much the Mairie does to keep people entertained during the summer – from outdoor movies at parks to Paris Plages to the Tour de France finale to all they do along the Berges de Seine; there really is something for everyone. One of my favorite things to do during the summer, in fact, is to wander along the Seine both early in the morning and late in the evening. The truth is, summer days in Paris feel like they’ll never end. When the sun doesn’t say adieu until nearly 11pm, you feel like you can stay up forever taking in all the sights and sounds. Parisians are notorious for their mass exodus in summer, but I find these long days to be best spent in Paris along the Seine taking photos and enjoying the low sun. If your summer plans bring you to Paris, be sure to allow some space in your agenda for some impromptu wanderings along the Seine for views like this....
by Petronela Zainuddin | May 5, 2014 | Inspiration, Paris |
Paris is for me one of the most inspiring cities in the world. This capital of creativity entirely transformed me. And this is one of the reasons why I joined this amazing project – My Paris Story. I wish to share with you how Paris became my creative playground and show you how this magical city can unlock your own creative genius. It happened on a sunny day. I was going to cinema with my husband and suddenly I saw him! A homeless man was sitting in front of the cinema close to Opera. He was “fishing for cash”. He made a fishing rod, hang an empty cup and waited for people passing by to give him few coins. “This is so creative!” I said. Seconds later I was doodling the picture of fishing homeless man in my small notebook with a small note #TIWI (Today I Was Inspired). Since that day, I always carry my TIWI notebook when walking around Paris. Because this is the city where… – you can walk by the river Seine and buy old French posters and books – you can meet a famous artist sitting in the café and talk to him – you can get lost in Louvre for few hours and join students drawing statues – you can visit boutique shops with creative objects from French designers – you can admire Pixar’s storyboards in the Musée Art Ludique – you can sit on the sunny terrace and observe fashionistas walking around – you can join evening course on creative cooking, sewing, writing, etc. In Paris, you can discover your inner creativity and have...
