You know you’re back in Paris when…
You know you're back in Paris when... Here are 10 signs that I'm back in Paris after 6 weeks in the U.S.
On the Lecture Circuit: My Mother Is French
I normally speak to groups that invite me because they're interested in the subject of my talk, whether some aspect of travel, wine, culture, writing or travel journalism. But at this recent event the group didn’t have any prior interest in France as far as I could tell, so I was unsure about the best approach to speak to them about the country where I live.
Dear Notre-Dame: A Letter for Pentecost Time
Dear Notre-Dame. On the occasion of Pentecost, rest assured that I am not mocking you—certainly not in the way that someone has recently ridiculed poor Corneille up on the hill near the scant relics of your beloved St. Geneviève.
Teach a man to print stamps and he’ll communicate with the world
Service at my local post office has improved over the years, but as this recent experience shows modernizing and privatizing a French post office doesn't necessarily modernize and humanize the employees.
The Charlie Hebdo Survivor Issue and the Sabbath Candles
The week after terror attacks that targeted journalists at Charlie Hebdo and Jews at the kosher grocery millions of people bought the survivor edition of Charlie Hebdo out of solidarity with the victims and what they represented. But did any think of buying kosher food?
Teach a man to order a brownie and he’ll save you two steps?
A Dane and an American walk into a bakery in Paris, one orders a pistachio crumble, the other a brownie. The baker says... Read this sad tale of French service in which the author is berated for ordering a brownie inefficiently.
To Those (Re)Considering coming to Paris
The terrorist attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis on November 13 killed 130 people and left hundreds more wounded. The immediate target was joie de vivre in the City of Light: the pleasure of sharing a drink or a meal with friends, of listening to music, of strolling down the street, of kissing on the sidewalk, of men and women mingling and dressing freely, of gathering comfortably with strangers, of being young in years or young at heart, of openly celebrating life.
Those are all things that you, the visitor and the return traveler, look forward to when you imagine (re)visiting Paris.
An official kiss from the French ambassador to the United States seals the deal
Joanne Silver received from France's Ambassador to the US Pierre Vimont the decoration of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques, the most prestigious honor a scholar or academician can receive from the French Government.
Three Paris Vignettes: A Suit, Blue T-Shirts and Some Change
A vignette is a short text that focuses on a moment, a mood, a scene, a character, an encounter, an idea or a place. Here are three Paris vignettes that involve shopping, gift-giving and biking.