In my 25+ years of traveling around Europe, I’ve slept in quite a variety of places. My very first trip back in 1988 provided me with both my most crude and my most refined accommodations; specifically the floor of a ferry crossing the North Sea and the lovely hotel in London where my friends and … Continue reading Sleeping around – France
Category: vacation
Living (too) large
You know how they say "travel is broadening?" Well, when it comes to the size of my ass, I'd definitely have to agree. Seriously, I've taken to referring to my hips as "croissant" and "pain au chocolat." Whatever. I don't regret eating a single slab of pâté or hunk of Camembert. It was vacation. Now that I'm … Continue reading Living (too) large
Bijoux
🎶 I love Paris, that's the song (Ella Fitzgerald version) that has been playing incessantly in my head for nearly the last week. Such a cliché, right? Limiting my love to merely Paris, though, would be unfair to the rest of the country. There's so much to love! In previous visits, I've been smitten by … Continue reading Bijoux
Edith Piaf lives (in cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise
When I was 15, I went through my hardcore Doors' days. Didn't you? Although not their most commercial album, An American Prayer became my definition of poetry. I eagerly awaited my turn to read the dog-eared copy of No One Here Gets Out Alive, a Morrison biography, which was circulating through my town and I … Continue reading Edith Piaf lives (in cimetiere du Pere-Lachaise
Love in Ernest
As an undergraduate, I fell in love with Ernest Hemingway. My major in English trumped my minor in Women's Studies when it came to his mysogynistic ways. After reading a number of biographical works about him I forgave him. He was damaged goods. His writing impressed me and I have repeatedly heard his voice in … Continue reading Love in Ernest
Avoir de la chance
Friday evening I was tempted to leap in the air and shout with excitement "I'm in Paris!" (Kind of Mary Tyler Moore-ish, if you're struggling for the visual.) It was just so remarkable to me that a day that began at 5:00 a.m. Thursday in upstate New York could conclude more than 30 hours later … Continue reading Avoir de la chance
April in Paris
Doesn't April in Paris sound magical? I'm imagining a gentle rain, lots of shades of lavender and soft yellow and frequent bon jours. Happy sigh. As my trip gets closer, I'm spending a little time thinking about what to pack (going with a navy/grey palette) and wondering how much of my high school French will … Continue reading April in Paris