Heeelllooo everyone!
First of all, let me direct you to my newly-published feature on Our Paris Stories here.
Photo: Leah Chernick/Our Paris Stories
Some of you out there may remember my very first Paris story (hey, fam!). It was the story where I got lost over and over and over again, tripping over cobblestones and making too many mistakes at the boulangerie. The story that was more stream-of-consciousness than anything else, probably more melodramatic than it needed to be, and well before I had a nice camera or an iPhone.
I’ve always wanted to live in the Paris of the past, I just never realized it would be my past.
I was looking back over those memories as I wrote my feature for Our Paris Stories, a new blog that inspires Americans to move abroad through real life examples (that’s me!). It feels forever far away ago that I first landed at Charles de Gaulle alone at 6 a.m. asking a cab driver to take me to rue Canabis (oops), trying not to get Taken. It was almost six years ago, but I still remember exactly how I felt in those moments at times as I walk through Paris now. The smell on line six is the same, the bathroom at Shywawa still as glam as the night I turned 21, the Eiffel Tower sparkles as brightly as it did when Katie and I stood underneath it.
I’ve always wanted to live in the Paris of the past, I just never realized it would be my past.
Me and my Paris, round one. (Photo thanks to my mama)
The funny part about this is that as I was writing out my favorite parts of living in France, the first time around I completely forgot about the food. The food I write about, work around, study, and most obviously, eat. I went back in and added it, though probably not as prominently as it should be. After all, no country had ever taught me how to taste before.
I met one of the founders of Our Paris Stories, Melissa, at a macaron making class a few weeks ago, and had so much fun with her and fellow Parisians-for-now-or-forever during the photo shoot to illustrate our articles. We walked through Montmartre for my shoot, avoiding the crowds of La Fête des Vendanges, then went over to the Père Lachaise cemetery, where fall is lusciously in full swing.
Père Lachaise, I think, is best visited in fall.
My Paris story has now seen all the seasons, some twice, some three times, and some very thankfully only once (looking at you, miserable summer). It’s nice to have all those warm memories, though—we’ve already missed the spring. ♦
Do you have a Paris story of your own? Tell me! Or tell Our Paris Stories, where they are accepting submissions 🙂
Anne! This is just lovely! Can’t wait to create my own Paris story. I’ll be there for two weeks by myself at Christmas and plan to do just that. (also probably going to take the Macaron class you suggested….) Hooray!
Aw, thanks Irene! Have fun during your trip! Paris is beautiful at Christmastime—I will have to make a list of all my favorite spots around the holidays 😉
Let me know if you do take it! I’m sure you’ll enjoy.
I blog at My Paris Story. Just thought I’d share that here given the topic. Am enjoying reading your blog very much:) How wonderful to study and live the n Paris.
Thank you Bernadette! I will check your blog out! 🙂