People and Paris

I seem to spend a lot of time trying to define my blog. Who is my target audience? (OK Google Analytics can help with that one) What will keep readers coming back? What is my niche? How can I attract more readers? Does my personality come across enough?

Well, I've decided to let all that go. Maybe I don't have a speciality. Maybe I'm just writing about my life, which twists and turns and can change from week to week in terms of what's going on. There's still so much to see and to learn about, which will continue to shape my character and hone my opinions on all sorts of things.

One song that I'm listening to a lot at the moment is "Let it go for tonight" by Foxes. (New musical discovery and she has been added to my running playlist.) I think an important life lesson for me is to let go of things that I don't need to hold onto, and get on with enjoying my life and giving out the good energy that I receive from the people I choose to surround myself with. Who's with me?

I know that something I really get a lot of pleasure from is reaching out to people and connecting with them. For me, it's about creating all these different moments which form this wonderful kaleidoscope that I like to call my perspective. I think it's something I may actually be good at (some French confidence that I've picked up) - or at least it is a skill that I would like to develop (I'm a Brit at heart, come on what did you expect?)

Last night I went for drinks with Claire, who I reached out to after admiring her blog for a little while. Originally from Australia, working in journalism and photography, Claire takes beautiful photos of places and people. Exhibit A. With her fiancé, she decided to move to France for a year, just because. Isn't that a great attitude? I can never tell how these things will go, mostly because I'm not a mind-reader, and it is a little nerve-wracking because of course there's always the chance that there won't be a connection. I appreciate when people are open to sharing their stories with me and Claire was an absolute gem. I got to hear about the kindness she has experienced in Paris, the poignant story behind her beautiful engagement ring, as well as discovering that if you're going to go skiing then you should really head to Poland.

Discovering the essence of people. Watch this space.

Lou xx

Weleda

One of my birthday presents was a facial at Weleda from some of the Frenchies, so last week Rachel and I headed off to our appointment. The space is so calm and soothing. My masseuse had a very calm presence, and such soft hands. The facial included a neck, shoulder and arm massage, which I feel completely eased all the tension I had been carrying around with me. I need to make yoga everyday a priority, because it keeps me in tune with my body which is so important.

After 45 relaxing minutes, which I never actually wanted to an end, I had a chat with my masseuse about the products she had used on my skin (which is mixed) as well as the tension in my shoulders. I explained my orthodontic treatment and the effect I felt that was having on me, and she suggested I make an appointment with an osteopath which I plan to do sooner rather than later. She advised the wild rose products, which clean deeply as well as hydrating, so I picked up the day cream and a face mask. Rachel, who has sensitive skin and therefore can suffer breakouts if products are too harsh, was advised to use their almond products.

Floating on a cloud, we headed off to Nanashi (just off rue Charlot) for a fresh juice, a healthy meal and good conversation. Then home for tea and bad television. Yes, how glamorous the Parisian life can be : )

If you'd like more information head to weleda.fr where you can discover more about their products and their treatments. I feel lucky to have such kind friends who buy me awesome birthday presents.

Lou xx

Boot café

Today, I'm sitting at my new work desk in my new work office. The only good thing to come out of the whole office move was having last Friday off work, which meant that I got to visit the recently-opened Boot Café in the 3rd. It was a very grey day, with drizzle rain, you know the sort that makes you hair frizz? A café crème and a piece of Emperor Norton cake were just what I needed.  

It was just me and the friendly barista Emelie for a while so we got to have a chat about how we both ended up in Paris. Emelie is from Sweden originally and married to the lovely Chris from Fondation Café. I can't tell you how fascinating I find it to discover people's different "relationships" with Paris and what brought them over here.

It's a very tiny space, with just 3 tables, so you may have to order your coffee to-go, unless you can drop in during the week during its quieter moments to have a chat with Emelie and sample the Emperor Norton baked goods!

Practical information:

19 rue du Pont au Choux, 75003 Paris Monday - Sunday 10am - 6pm

Blackburn Coffee

This Saturday I went for coffee and a catch-up with Lauren at the recently-opened Blackburn. There's a new wave of cafés opening up in Paris, such as Blackburn, Holybelly and Lockwood, which do excellent food, have excellent coffee and understand what good service consists of. And have excellent design. Blackburn is just the type of place I would have loved to frequent as a student: it's stylish, peaceful and the owners, Sofiane and Sarah, are so friendly and easy-going it's like going round to a friend's (super-swish) apartment.

To continue that conversation about good service in Paris...well, to be quite frank with you, good customer service is sparse in Paris. As a Brit, I know how to queue, and I will never understand the French who form the most confusing queues - basically they're just all trying to push to the front! In Paris it is not uncommon for someone, who is being paid to provide a service, to behave as if you are bothering them, such as French waiters. I can never adapt to it, it will never be charming for me, and I even see Parisian friends bothered by this poor service.

Coffee, a fresh juice and this delicious plate, all for EUR 19.

Expectations seem to be changing though. Parisians are travelling abroad, coming back to Paris and opening their own places, combining French charm with good service. I'm not saying that I want the Parisian bistros to disappear. I admire and respect history and tradition, but there is space in Paris to cater to everyone's needs given that it attracts around 27 million tourists per year. Some days I can handle bad service if it comes with excellent food : ) Most days however, I would like my coffee and eggs served with sides of smile and friendly chit-chat.

So go in and say hello to Sofiane and Sarah, they'll be more than happy to have a chat whilst you sample their delicious coffee.

Lou xxx

Between the Sheets...

Mai Tai for two at Maison F.

How did you end up in Paris?

It's a question I am asked, and in return find myself asking, on a regular basis since I moved to Paris.

My personal answer is: "Mostly, for a man." When I have the time, I'm always happy to provide the more detailed answer to that question, but essentially I moved to Paris for a relationship with JB.

We have had our moments. I’m always interested when friends share their observations of our relationship. One of my closest friends told me after a recent trip to see him in the UK that when he said good-bye and watched us get into our taxi, he thought to himself “now there’s a couple that makes sense”. My first reaction was to be incredibly flattered, his opinion means a lot to me and it is nice to know that how I feel about my relationship with JB translates well to other people. But, like any other couple, JB and I have our moments. If a relationship looks good on the outside, I believe in most cases that’s because there’s not just love and respect between the couple, there’s also a strong sense of teamwork going on( because everyone has their own s**t to sort through). Or, you know, they should think about a career in acting.

All this to say I had a lovely time meeting Lorelei this week (at Maison F). We ended up having an enlightening conversation, not only about what brought us to Paris, but also our dating history. She brought my attention to this Telegraph article summarising a poll recently carried out (by OnePoll.com) to identify the world’s worst and best lovers.

If that’s true about German men, what is their excuse? For the record, JB is half German and I can confirm that he showers on a daily basis. For those of you attracted to a man who is not short of body hair, keep your ears open for a Russian accent and your luck may just be in! Apparently for both Lorelei and I, we made the right move coming to Europe and leaving our respective countries, both of which come under the category of “worst lovers”. Thank you Lorelei, for inspiring this blog post.

Bon weekend,
Lou xxx