I Love My Adopted Country, but…
It is a matter of public record that I adore living in France in general and Paris in particular. So much so, in fact, that when a French friend asked me the other day if there was anything I … Read More
Tales of la Ville
Underneath the Attitude
Nick Woods (right) gets a friendly handshake from the counterman. “France would be great without the French,” was the hackneyed expression I used to hear often back in Britain. Now that I live in Paris, I hear: “How are you … Read More
Bonjour, madame, monsieur
A small argument broke out as I was sitting at the back of the number 26 bus from the Gare du Nord recently. A well-dressed, middle-aged lady was upset at a young man sitting next to her after he … … Read More
Favorite Paris Scams
Favorite Paris Scams To hear the fraudsters tell it, the streets of Paris really are paved with gold. One of the great things about living in a city is being able to watch charlatans at work. I grew up in … Read More
Bad Air, Bad Hair
Bad Air, Bad Hair The pollution police on the Place de la République, stopping cars to check their emission levels. “What’s that in your hair, Nick?” asked a friend during a recent, over-priced macrobiotic meal in the fifth arrondissement. “Dunno. … Read More
Vive la France or Leave la France?
Vive la France or Leave la France ? What’s the world coming to if you can’t get a coffee in a Paris café? While flat-hunting in the capital city of my dreams last summer, a French friend asked why on … Read More
Hanging the Pot Hanger
Hanging the Pot Hanger The crémaillère in full swing. The full report next month… “Alors, c’est quand ta crémaillère, Nickolas?” asked a wrinkly-before-her-time friend of mine through an exhalation of strong French cigarette smoke as we sat outside at a … Read More
Welcome to France
Welcome to France Be careful what you put on your toothbrush. For years the same dream: driving over a gigantic cross-Channel bridge and landing in a stylish, open air café in a square in Montmartre. After years of stalling, British-born … Read More
Les Bloggeurs de Paris
Les Bloggeurs de Paris Little Shiva in disguise. Photo: Richard Nahem Who knew that Paris had so many English-language bloggers? A bevy of them recently tore themselves away from their computers to socialize (and network, of course) at a cocktail … Read More