What Ana Does

When the Baguettes Are Warm! I'm just going to say it: Paris isn't a foodie destination. I know, CRAZY right?! But after traveling to a few other European cities, I'm struck by how limited the food options are here in Paris and now I can't unsee it. But first ... Yes, you can find French bistros on almost every corner, and some are fantastic and some are so-so (there's honestly no way to tell). So, if you're in the mood for an omelette, a salad or a cheese sandwich ( croque ) -- and have a few hours to tuck into a nice meal, because service will be traditionally slow -- than, you're all set. (Though, you can't sit outside on the sidewalk terrace unless you want to inhale second-hand smoke. Blah!) And YES if you just want a delicious baguette sandwich or a pastry, you are in the right city because they are everywhere, and usually delicious. The baguettes and butter here are the best in the world. No competition. (So, as a tourist, you'...

This week is Semaine du Climat in France ... or a week devoted to learning more about climate change and sustainable development. You know I'm completely on board with this! At the girls school, they're going to be encouraging sustainable practices with a daily theme. In case you're willing to play along, here's the schedule, how they described it and my (snarky) notes: Monday: A day without plastic straws.  They'll "promote reusable metal straws as a substitute to plastic." Or, hey guys, don't use any at all?! It's a straw, humans have been drinking just fine without them for centuries. Tuesday: A day without a plastic bottles. The school will "encourages students and staff to bring a reusable water bottle/flask to school to avoid consuming drinks in plastic bottles." Again, this really should be enforced every day. Wednesday: A day without packaging. They'll "encourages students to bring their own containers when purc...

We had been warned that Paris would be positively empty in August, as most residents take the month off from work and go to the beach or into the mountains. But we were unprepared for how empty the city is. There are only a few cars parked outside my window. The roads are a slow trickle of traffic rather than the normal rush. The grocery store had no lines at the checkout. And several businesses, including the fresh market, is shuttered. Of course the tourist attractions were still busy but our visiting friends said that most bistros are filled with Americans or non-French speakers. And given the lack of air conditioning and the heat wave that hit at the end of July here (thankfully after we had left for Illinois), I don't blame them for the exodus. We're unsure when the masses return. With school starting next week, and August ending, I assume within the next seven days. But you never really know.

What a weekend to be in Paris! On Saturday we celebrated Bastille Day (not called that here, it's formally "la Fête nationale")  by catching a glimpse of the military parade and air show at the Champs Elysees. The weather is glorious, if a little hot and humid, so the whole city was out waving flags. We didn't get a great view, but we loved walking around the city with so many of the roads closed to cars. That night, we braved the crowds and headed to Pont de Grenelle (an easy 15 minute walk from our apartment) where we have a great view of the Eiffel Tower, for the fireworks at 11pm. (We looked in to going up onto our roof, but didn't feel brave enough to knock on the door of the 5th floor neighbor or use the rickety scaffold.) We should have listened to Alice and headed toward the Trocadero, because our view was lousy and the crowds were getting rowdy. We hightailed it out of there before it was over. We saw some video the next day, and it looked lik...

If you were sitting with me right now, your ears would be ringing from the sound of construction on the roof and the hammer drill ripping up tile in the apartment downstairs. (I can now easily identify that awful sound thanks to this summer's fireplace project , when I had to use that machine for a few hours to pull up a small amount of tile from the hearth.) The apartment downstairs is being renovated. We got a peek of it when we had to walk through it to use the servant's entrance to see our gas meter. In the quick tromp through it, I noted the original moldings, the maze of small rooms, a stunning wooden armoire and the cool red and cream square tile on the kitchen floors. All very antique ... and very clear this apartment hasn't been touched in years. Example of red/cream tile that's so common in old French homes (from Manger )** Wires were lying around everywhere, because they're also "installing electricity as part of the renovation." ...

I was here at Round Lake beach in Clifton Park, NY where Alice and I were staying for a week of sightseeing while Leah was at camp in the Berkshires. This was my view when my cell rang and David gave me the news: he got the Paris assignment; we're moving to Paris. Of course I wanted to jump and holler and cartwheel and high-five everyone on the beach, but we decided to keep the news under wraps. Let's not tell the girls yet, either. Even though we'd been talking about it in an abstract, "maybe someday" kind of way since he interviewed for the job in May. But we needed to review the offer and accept first. Wait until it was official before spilling the beans. So instead, I squealed into the phone while Alice was out of earshot. And walked into the lake as far as I could go and told the water: "Hi, I'm going to live in Paris. This has been my dream for years. And now we're going. We're going to live in Paris." Even as the words left my...

No matter how many times I'll go to Paris in my lifetime, I will never get enough of it. It's simply my favorite city to spend time in. We had a fabulous time on our Paris adventure, I won't get into the day-by-day review here, but here are the highlights: We stayed in Montparnasse and really got to know the Metro system -- which is fast and easy and will get you everywhere you want to be. I might have been a little presumptuous that my 9 and 7-year-old would want to marvel at old buildings, like I do. They didn't. They put up with my history lessons but were far more interested in the Paris pigeons and shopping.   They did like the inside of the museums, for a span of about 3 hours -- which is pretty good, I think. And they had a great time in the Louvre. They pretended to be visiting princesses at the Louvre Palace and then took pictures of their favorite rooms. It was pretty awesome.  Chocolate croissants for breakfast every day? What isn't there to love ab...

Goals Accomplished: Eat a crêpe.  We actually ate two. This one was near the Pompidou in the Marais. It's filled with pomme = apples.  Later, we found out our hotel neighborhood, Montparnesse, is known for crepes and we got savory crepes filled with ham, cheese and veggies for dinner one night. Yummy! It's Like Apple Pie! Eat a Macaron. We walked out of our way to get a macaron from Ladurée, which we were told had the best. And, yes, they were pretty sensational. Try That! See Van Gogh. Leah did a school art project about Van Gogh and since is a big fan. She flipped out when she spotted this painting at the Orsay.  A Fan of Vincent's Bedroom Related posts: More from our Paris travels We love traveling with our kids

Huge News!  We're heading back to Paris in just a few short weeks. Holy cow! The backstory: Dave was invited to a week-long meeting in Paris in September. Of course, I can't allow him to travel to my favorite city without me. Not that he'd even want to, we love traveling as a family. And we've been talking about taking the kids back to Paris -- as they were only 2 and 4-years-old the last time we were there. (Lucky I had to foresight to obtain new passports for them this summer.) So, we're heading back. Voila! Eight days in Paris then we're taking the train up to London for the weekend and heading home from there. I can't wait to show the girls the Louvre, the D'Orsay (where I once changed Alice's diapers on the front steps) and to see the Eiffel Tower! And they're going to LOVE the accents in London. And seeing the Tower, London Bridge, Big Ben ... oh, I'm spinning. The Louvre, a Bridge, and the Seine - Ah! Dave and I took a ...

Odd fact of the day .... The French government pays for a mother’s tummy tuck after the birth of her third child (you do have to have at least 3 babies to qualify). Found on this blog about raising kids in Southern France. Yes, I'm day-dreaming again. Related posts: All the fancy quotes My love of France runs deep, people

I was in the mood for some Frenchy soup last weekend -- despite the miserable heat (in September, really?) so I found a recipe for Leek and Potato soup, which sounded incredible Parisian to me. It was also super easy. I even made Crème fraîche for the topping. Because of Dave's lactose issues, I found a cream-less version (he passed on the topping), which is apparently even more Frenchy, on this adorable blog run by a gal living in Paris (Montmartre, to be exact). Just look at her picture! Adorable. (Her cookbook is now on my Holiday Wish List, family members take note.) Oh, and the soup was pretty good, too. A large amount of it went into the freezer for a rainy day. Potatoes Getting Peeled Leeks Sliced and Ready for a Boil Related posts: All the cookbook posts What I learned about menu planning

Pretty Excited to Be Here The evening started with a short bus ride out to the Palace of Versailles  just 20 miles out of the city. We were welcomed into the Palace by 18th century trumpet players and a couple dressed in costume. Then, we got to tour the rooms that are usually packed with tourists but were just open for us, including the magnificent Hall of Mirrors. There were professional photographers standing by to take our picture, but I took a bunch of "selfies" along the way, to prove I was HERE. I had to pinch myself several times. I just couldn't believe where I was standing! My Place Setting Then, we wandered into the "war gallery" for a sit-down dinner with the entire group -- about 600. Several French actors were walking around with large Marie Antoinette hair-dos and fans, flirting and telling stories. They handed out beauty marks and explained what they were for. I couldn't sit still and ended up walking to the bathrooms, just to s...

Audiobook: Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count by Jill Jonnes Read by: Paul Hecht Genre: Historical Nonfiction With an upcoming trip to Paris, I was very excited to see this book at the library. Since my last (and first) trip to Paris, I've been collecting little Eiffel Towers trinkets, so learning more about its origins was enticing. And what a great story! Even though it's a historical account of the 1889 Paris World's Fair and all its principal players, it's written more like a great work fiction. The ambitious vision of Gustave Eiffel and this enormous undertaking -- to build an iron structure at such a miraculous height -- is inspiring. And he was a pretty decent guy, too. Then you have the story of Buffalo Bill Cody and his troupe of cowboys, Indians, horses, buffalo setting up camp on the outskirts of Paris and dazzling European audiences -- especially st...

Bringing Up Bebe Audiobook: Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman Ready by: Abby Craden Genre: Memoir I’ve been curious about the book ever since its release but decided I missed the boat, since my kids were already past toddlerhood. But to satisfy my occasional Francophile itch (my copy of Amalie is MIA) I grabbed the audiobook from the library and popped it in. And I’m happy I did. My conclusion: Parisian mothers don’t have it all worked out (glad to affirm that we’re all floundering) but they view some parenting concepts in much different ways. For instance, they embrace day care – mostly because it’s government subsidized and the care givers are practically pediatricians. They often say “the perfect mother doesn’t exist.” And they don’t believe in over-scheduling children but allowing them freedom to discover, or “awaken.” Independent play is hugely important. Their kids sleep through the night at 3 months (mine did too) and are good eaters – though I suspect...