Notre Dame

I spent lunchtime sitting by Notre Dame soaking in the beauty of what remains. It’s surreal to see it up close. Here are some photos I took today.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

It has been over a year since my last post (je suis vraiment désolée, cette année a été occupée). However, I felt the need for a blog post today as it was a tragic day for Paris yesterday watching the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris burn. We were enjoying dinner when my sister texted to tell me the news and we turned around to see the smoke rising in the distance. Notre Dame is and always has been a beautiful symbol of this city. The feeling across Paris right now is certainly shock and sadness. Here are some photos from my last trip up to the top of Cathédrale Notre-Dame.

Kiev, Ukraine

I know it’s been a while since I posted, but don’t fear, les voyages et la vie à Paris continuent.

This week of work travels brings me to Kiev, Ukraine, a city that I had no idea what to expect, but have quickly taken to. I had to attend a security briefing for work before the trip, which made me a bit nervous, but the city and people have been nothing but warm and welcoming (despite the cold temperatures).

Outside of work meetings, I explored the city a bit and saw Independence Square, and learned about the 2014 revolution firsthand from colleagues. My colleagues also took me to some of their favorite restaurants, so I got to taste a bit of what Kiev has to offer (beyond Chicken Kiev!). We went to a restaurant called the Last Barricade dedicated to the history of revolutions in Ukraine and also got to experience Georgian cuisine (including amazing cheese pie) and I consumed an inordinate amount of dumplings and pickles vegetables (my favorites).

Here are some photos from around the city center, including Saint Michael’s Monastery, where I was lucky enough to experience a Ukrainian Orthodox morning mass while visiting.

August in Paris

My favorite time of year in Paris is the month of August. The city is a bit of a ghost town (except for tourists areas), many shops are closed and it is très très calm. Aside from the difficulty of finding a boulangerie open to purchase your daily baguette, it’s ideal. A staycation away from all the noise, cigarette smoke, crowded metro lines, traffic and fast paced city life. Another wonderful aspect of Paris in August is the thunder storms. Paris is known for being beautiful in the rain, but a thunderstorm is just tellement incroyable.

Stormy Weather

The weather in Paris has been a bit bizarre over the course of the summer but it makes for great photos.

Les vacances en Provence

We finally decided to do as the Parisians do and headed to the South of France for vacation in August. In an effort to avoid the crowds of the Côte d’Azur we selected a spot further north in the Vaucluse region of France, known for its tiny picturesque villages, open air markets and rolling hillsides spotted with vineyards, olive trees and lavender. We rented a home in the small village of Beaumes-de-Venice, in the Côtés du Rhône, known for its muscat white, delicious Côtes-de-Provence rosé and hearty red wines. The village was charming and quiet without a lot of tourists, but located within a short drive of many of the popular Provençal tourist destinations (Mt. Ventoux, Avignon, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, etc.).  It was restful, the views were breathtaking and the food and wine were out of this world.   Counting down the days until we go back there. À la prochaine. 

Here are a few photos from our trip.  

Island in the Seine

I finally took a stroll on the Ile aux Cygnes (island of the swans) and it’s officially one of my new favorite spots in Paris. The tiny tree lined island is between the 15th and 16th arrondissements and has an excellent view of the banks of the Seine as well as the Eiffel Tower. It has a quarter scale replica of the Statue of Liberty at one end and the beautiful bridge Pont de Bir-Hakeim at the other end (also known as the bridge from the film Inception). 

Women’s March Paris

Yesterday was a beautiful winter day in Paris and a perfect day for a women’s march. Like in many other cities around the world, women (and men) came together to march to let the new US administration know that we will be heard and that women’s rights and human rights cannot be ignored. It was incredibly uplifting and gave me hope. There were some really creative signs en français and in English. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day. 

“A woman’s place is in the resistance” 

Bonne fête nationale!

Côte d’Azur

All these years in France and we haven’t visited the Côte d’Azur once since becoming French residents. It’s in part due to the warnings from all my French friends and colleagues about the summer crowds (they would always say it’s so crowded that you cannot find a spot on the beach big enough for your derrière, never mind your towel). It’s also in part due to the fact that there are just so many other beautiful places to visit in France.  Well, work has finally brought me here and boy do I love it. We will definitely have to plan a proper vacation back here (dogs included), but perhaps in the off-peak warmer months, such as June or September, to avoid sharing the beaches with all of the Parisians who migrate here in the summer.