Occupy Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Paris

Right now in my home country an ongoing demonstration is taking place in a private park in the financial district of lower Manhattan. You may have heard of it….Occupy Wall Street. Over the past 28 days the movement has spread across the great US of A, and is also said to be trickling into other…

Topless at the Immigration Office

It is official! I am official! Yep, as of 10am yesterday the French Government declared me healthy and said I am allowed to stay here to continue eating baguettes, wandering the Rues of Paris and spending Euro…they emphasized the spending Euro part J. The visa process here in France has been two fold.  First I…

Experimental Post – One Hour at Fouquet’s

Experimental Post – One Hour at Fouquet’s

I have decided to do something a little different today… as an experiment. I thought instead of sharing a week’s worth of experiences in one sitting, I would instead chose a café in Paris, have a drink, observe and record all that I see in one hour. The joy of life in Paris is really…

My Birthday in Champagne!

In July and August, Parisianers pack their suitcases and head out of the city for the all important vacance.  The metros and rues are now full of Frenchies dragging wheeled suitcases in full anticipation of their beach time in Spain, Corisica or Morocco (and this year more than others people are extra excited to exit Paris since we have…

Bienvenue a 7eme Arrondissement!

In The Toronto Star Weekly on February 4th, 1922, Ernest Hemingway wrote an article about living in Paris on $1,000 a year. In it he celebrates the robust exchange rate of the Canandian and US dollar compared to the franc…12.5 francs = 1 dollar.  His hotel cost 12 francs a day, his breakfast cost 2 francs…

Week One as a French Débutante – Fini!

The French word for “beginner” is débutante….kinda nice, I think…and I suppose it is good that I like the word as I am sure I will be using as a self-descriptive adjective for a while! My first week of French classes fell during a week that France also had a national holiday or un jour férié.  Ascension Day…

Home in the 17e…At least for the next 4 weeks!

Ah! So nice to be in my own space! I officially moved in today around 1:30pm. I should have been here to meet Ignacio at 1pm, but a late taxi delayed me (more and more I am learning customer service is not the strong suite of the French). To enhance your customer service, click here…