Paris

After a lovely few days in the French countryside, we arrived in Paris to some very chilly and rainy weather. Despite this unexpected cold front, we soaked in the ambiance of one of my favorite cities. There is something to be said about a city which has bread and pastry shops on every block, an infinite number of cafes, and cheerful flower stores everywhere. Good crusty bread, rich coffee (un cafe creme si vous plait) plus fresh flowers equals a happy day!

One of my favorite episodes of Anthony Boudain’s No Reservations is his Paris episode in Season One. He describes the French appreciation of good food, and their ability to enjoy simple pleasures. As I sat at a cafe on one of our only sunny days, I thought about his episode. We watched people go along with their daily errands, make phone calls, buy the daily paper, and I was thrilled to soak it all in. Paris is a city with endless things to see, and yet lingering at a cafe is particularly satisfying.

For those planning a trip to Paris, I found this book, Paris by Pastry when I returned. I wish I had had this book handy while in Paris as it would have been fun to search out the best pastries in the city!