by Jennifer Manson | Apr 29, 2014 | Paris |
When Dawn Bournand approached me and asked if I would like to be part of the “My Paris Story” book, I jumped at the chance. To be part of such an amazing group of people and such an inspiring project was something that grabbed my enthusiasm right away. It also gave me an opportunity to rave about the city I love best to spend time in: Paris. I have loved it since I came here first, as a teenager, a long way from my quiet home in New Zealand, right through till I was there last week with one of my closest friends for a totally magical day. Strolling by the river; sitting captivated by a stunning work of art – but for more of the spirit of Paris herself, the stories in the book are the place to go. What I want to talk about here is the journey to getting the book into print. I had the privilege, in my role as The Flow Writer, of editing the stories before the book was put together. In fact, with her excellent editing and writing skills, Dawn left me very little to do. Still, it was a privilege to read all the stories and offer whatever advice might be useful – to take the beautiful, heartfelt pieces and add any polish required to dress them up in their Sunday best, ready for the wider public to share. The most magical part of the project for me has been getting to know the other women involved. Days spent planning, talking, throwing ideas around and enjoying the warmth and hospitality of so many talented women,...
by Margot Nightingale | Apr 29, 2014 | Paris |
A friend in New York sent me an e-mail recently confessing a petite melt-down she had recently. We had made tentative plans for her to visit in April and for all the typical reasons – money for airfare – the visit didn’t pan out. No big deal, we extended the plan for 2015. Hope springs eternal for improved financial status “next year.” Her story told of an encounter with another mom the first day back at her son’s school after Spring Break. The mom had taken her children to Paris and did not hold back waxing poetic about the amazing time they had experienced in the City of Light. Indeed the weather had been springtastic! the week they visited. (There are precious few earthly gifts more intoxicating than spending a lazy afternoon in one of the jewel-box jardins de Paris when spring finally blows into town with all her poetic force.) So after smiling and nodding along to the enthusiastic re-cap of perfect Paris recounted by the mom, my friend walked away in a fog of mixed emotions. First, that bit of shock at the news that someone else has stolen your perfect idea to visit Paris over Spring Break. Second, an overall aching envy for travel. Third, having to play delighted audience at every juicy detail of someone else’s adventure. When she arrived back home she surprised herself further by bursting into tears. Sometimes, we all revert to tender reactions when it comes to broken dreams or frustrated travel plans to Paris. As she wiped the tears from her face, she could almost smell the lingering perfume of...
by Julia Willard | Apr 29, 2014 | Paris |
Well, we are officially under a week until our big launch date. The date that the book would be available, and the coinciding party to celebrate it, were booked (no pun intended) and changed and rebooked and eventually settled upon. How appropriate that My Paris Story is coming out in the season Paris is best known for: Spring. If you haven’t seen it in person, you have likely seen it in photos. It starts with a few crocuses around town (I think I spotted my first ones this year in Parc Monceau), then the magnolias start popping open (my favorite being the one along Quai Saint-Bernard next to the unfortunate orange “art” structure. The crowning glory, however, is when the cherry blossoms open. There is this feeling of the heavens opening up above and leaving beautiful pink and white pillowy clouds hanging above. You pop into squares and parks you usually pay little attention because… is that a blossoming branch you see just over there?! You suddenly feel like taking up flower pressing as a hobby because you want to keep that beautiful delicate flower for all posterity. You even feel drawn to sit on that filthy looking bench just because it has an extraordinary view of a Haussmanian building framed in pink blo oms. Then anxiety and dread set in. The beauty of the city will remain, but you’re reminded that the fluffy dangling ornaments will not last forever. How do you reconcile the situation? You do what I do and shoot cherry blossoms and any other bud or flower for a month straight or until the last sign...
