The Paris Traveler

 Last week, friends of my parents called to ask me where they could find good jazz in Paris.  I was able to direct them to one place I had been and was certain they could be recommended to others once they visited my selection.  They reported back, that yes, indeed they had a great time at my tiny venue on Ile Saint Louis and made it to several other spots during their stay. For those of you in Paris from the end of June through July, it’s a whole different ball game.

 The Paris Jazz Festival gets started on June 7th and offers …read more

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 Today, I am doing a total about face and taking you to a chapel, a bit different from all the “cocktail-ing” we did the other day.  But being flexible and open to ALL sorts of experiences makes one a better traveler and introduces one to so much more while they are traveling.  That’s my little personal lesson for the day. 
Now for the matter at hand…..Sainte Chapelle, a tiny jewel box of Gothic inspiration on the Île de la Cité.  It is tucked within the confines of the Palais de Justice–home to several French courts, making it heavily guarded and hard …read more

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I’m in the process of weeding things from my surroundings as our family gets ready to pack up the last 12 years of our life and come July, all splitting off in different directions as we go through a monumental shift in how and where we live our lives.  As a result, I have been going through things and of course, get caught up and side-tracked in old photographs, magazines, the dilemmas of, “Do I keep this Mother’s Day card from 1987 and where do I pack it if I do?”  All things that take me totally off track from …read more

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My family decided that I needed to be brought up to speed as far as gadgets go and gave me this cute little unit for Christmas.
 
 It was meant to replace the outdated dinosaur I have been using that no longer is recognized by current technology.  Today, I (we, being my daughters and I) decided it was ipod update day and we spent the better part of the afternoon making the big switch. While we were at it, we realized that all of us had a lot of French music that we enjoyed and I thought…….great blog topic!!!  Good French music …read more

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What’s nice about having your own blog is being able to write what you want and I want to say that I am so proud of Geraldine! She has an amazing voice and her take on the hit song The Show Must Go On by the English rock band Queen is fantastic! Who would have thought that when she was a kid playing outside my apartment window in the Cour Saint-Pierre that she would one day be performing on stage and screen and giving rock concerts?! I did!
Why not! Afterall, her father was a world famous magician from Argentina, and considered one of the best; …read more

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A great festival every year since 1934 is the annual Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre (the Grape Harvest Festival of Montmartre). The festival takes place next week-end from the 12th to the 14th of October which celebrates the wine from the local vineyards. Each year the festival honors a celebrity with the previous year’s vintage; this year French singer Georges Brassens is the honoree and the bottles will bear his name.
In case you don’t know, Montmartre has been producing wine since the Middle Ages! The vineyards are on roughly 1555 square metres and is comprised of 75% gamay, 20% pinot noir …read more

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If you’re thinking of coming to Paris soon, then you’re right in time for this year’s Nuit Blanche which takes place October 6! “Nuit blanche” (white night) is an expression meaning, “staying up all night.” More often than not it’s used in the context of “partying all night.” I mean, come on, we’re in Paris afterall, but it’s for any reason that keeps you awake all night long.
This is the sixth year that Paris is putting on a Nuit Blanche and just like the Fête de la Musique, what began in Paris, has once again taken off and has now …read more

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This year the Fête de l’Humanité takes place the 14, 15, and 16th of September at the Parc de la Courneuve, and like other years has a list of celebrities and activities all lined up for this three day affair! Last year there were more than a half a million people who attended, 550 stands, over 200 authors, concerts, expos, debats, and so much more.
The festivities are organized and sponsered by the newspaper L’Humanité which is partisan to the Communist Party in France. Many of those in attendance, however, are there for the activities, and especially the concerts, and have no particular preference to …read more

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Does this sound like you? You’re in Paris for only a short visit and you want to meet some locals, but you don’t know how to go about doing it. Or perhaps you want to do some networking, or maybe be discovered while you’re in the City of Lights! What about if you’re a poet….? Or a bit short on cash….? Did you know there are a number of cafés that will give you a drink for a poem, or dinner when you buy a drink?!
Well, head over to the Paris Info website where they have a whole list of different cafés that …read more

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The Fête à Neu Neu going on in the Bois de Boulogne is one of the oldest fairs in Paris that was started in 1815 by Napoléon I.  If you love rides and attractions, then this is the place to be.  If you’re a jazz lover, then this is the place to be.  If you don’t want to watch the rugby matches with tens of thousands of people at the Hôtel de Ville, then once again, this is the place to be!  There are five restaurants taking part; one will have a giant screen showing the rugby matches just in case there are …read more

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