Drop Coffee, Stockholm

Coffee. Again. There are quite a few aerial shots of latte art to be found on my Instagram feed, guilty as charged. Back in 2009 the Paris coffee scene wasn't moving or shaking much. Nowadays however we are spoilt for choice: Belleville Brûlerie, Cream, Fondation, Telescope and Ten Belles to name but a few. So whenever I'm planning an upcoming trip I look on Instagram, or ask around the Paris expat network, for coffee spots worth visiting.

I came across Drop Coffee whilst doing some research for a recent weekend visit to Stockholm. Already feeling confident that it was a special spot, I knew I was on to a sure winner when Frank sent an IG message telling me to go there for a morning coffee fix. So Ineke and I headed there, and I can confirm that it is a must if you ever find yourself in Stockholm.

The folks at Drop Coffee take their beans very seriously, roasting in small batches to preserve the aroma of the coffee beans, which has won them the Swedish Brewers Cup in both 2013 and 2014. The cafe itself is gorgeous: luminous with high ceilings and free wifi. The ideal spot to get some work done if you're a freelancer. They also deliver their beans worldwide if you want to give them a try. Paris people, I spotted their beans for sale last week at Telescope Cafe...

Did you know that the Swedes have their own version of the British tea-time? It's called "fika": the literal meaning is "to drink coffee" but for the Swedes it signifies the ritual of taking a moment out of their day to relax and enjoy a sweet treat with some coffee. If you're looking for some fika inspiration, look no further - Anna Brones, from the Parisian expat crowd, has written a book featuring over 50 illustrated recipes and charting the history of this Swedish tradition. You can find out more in Lindsey's article for the New York Times T Magazine.

Happy Fika time!

Lou x

The Parisian Kitchen

Last week, Emily and I were invited to spend an afternoon cooking with the lovely Bénédicte in her beautiful apartment. This elegant Parisienne has started The Parisian Kitchen, group cooking classes for visitors in the City of Light who are looking for a glimpse into the life (and kitchen) of a local. Bénédicte takes you on a tour of her local market where you buy your ingredients fresh. You then cook your selected menu in her spacious kitchen before sitting down to sample the fruits of your hard work. All washed down with a selection of champagne and wines, chosen by the host herself.

Emily and I were greeted with a pot of fresh tea and a bowl of chouquettes (choux pastry sprinkled with pearl sugar and sometimes filled with custard or mousse). Bénédicte proved herself to be a complete natural in the kitchen, chatting away to us in her perfect English about her past career in marketing whilst keeping an eye on the meringues in the oven and showing us the quickest (and most painless) way to cut an onion.

We opted for the poultry menu, based on the dessert, but there are in fact four menus to choose from in total: fish, vegetarian, poultry and red meat. The menus are French cuisine with a slight twist, so we sat down to a delicious four course meal consisting of salmon tartare, chicken rolls with bacon and mushroom, a cheese plate featuring French's finest fromage and meringue served with whipped cream and seasonal fruits.

I had a wonderful time getting to know Bénédicte, who is clearly very passionate about cooking, and would highly recommend her cooking class to friends or family visiting Paris. I also think it would be an original idea for a birthday present or a fun mother/daughter activity. You're not expected to be an amazing cook and you're also not racing against the clock à la Masterchef. The Parisian Kitchen simply offers an intimate opportunity to visit a beautiful area of Paris, experience the hustle and bustle of a French farmers market and cook in a traditional Haussmann style apartment, whilst sampling French champagne and wine. A lovely memory to take back home with you, wouldn't you say?

For more information on prices and how to book a class you can visit The Parisian Kitchen website.

Lou xx

Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face

Last Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of being a guest of the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, for a preview showing of their latest production, Singin' in the Rain. This particular musical has a special place in my heart as it featured heavily throughout my childhood and late teenage years (it officially kept me sane during A levels). The title song is instantly recognisable and has the power to turn any frown upside down. I was delighted to discover that Théatre du Châtelet's version of the musical stayed faithful to the MGM film version (released in 1952) whilst also injecting fresh ideas that made for a highly entertaining night out. The story takes place in Hollywood and follows the transition of the movie industry from silent cinema to "talkies". Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are stars of the screen, presented to their adoring public as a loved-up couple when in reality Don cannot stand Lina. We watch them struggle to keep up with the changing industry and see how they overcome their biggest challenge - Lina's grating voice and accent - which are sure to alienate their audience.

The Théâtre du Châtelet is located along the Seine, in the heart of Paris. It's an impressive theatre, featuring an opulent chandelier on the ceiling that your eyes are immediately drawn to and comfy mahogany seats which are very important when you're sat down for two hours or more. Under the direction of Jean-Luc Choplin the theatre has made huge efforts over the past decade to bring the American and English style of musicals to a French audience. And it appears that these efforts have been hugely successful. Highlights include Sweeney Todd (2011), West Side Story (2012) and An American in Paris (2014) which opens on Broadway this coming spring after its world premiere in Paris.

Not only did I have the film to compare the production to but I also had the West End version in mind, which I saw in 2012 with my sister and JB. Dan Burton as Don Lockwood certainly had very big shoes to fill but was suitably charismatic and more than held his own during the famous Singin in the Rain dance sequence. Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown hit the perfect balance of comedy and pathos, whilst Claire Halse, as Kathy Seldon, and Emma Kate Nelson, as Lina Lamont, had the audience riveted with their stellar performances (I was happy to see Lina had the audience in stitches).

The costumes were lavish and a closer representation of the 1920's, the decade in which the musical is set, unlike the film version which was heavily influenced by fashion trends of the 1950's, the decade in which it was filmed. The colour palette stuck to shades of black and white, to tie in with the theme of the black and white movies, with the exception of the modern Broadway melody dance sequence. Don't worry though, there were enough silver and sequins throughout to ensure that the show kept its razzmatazz. I particularly enjoyed the innovative use of the stage - for me it's important that it looks neither too bare nor too busy so I was happy to see props used wisely. The movie premieres were shown to us on a video projector screen which I found to be a particularly creative touch. I also enjoyed how the audience were invited to participate with the performers: we laughed along with Don and Cosmo at Lina, and cheered for our film idols at the movie premieres.

Thank you to the Théatre du Châtelet for inviting me to see this exciting production and providing me with some beautiful photos. As a city-subsidised theatre, I fully applaud their efforts to bring all productions to as wide an audience as possible. Tickets for the show range from 25 to 99 euros and you can find all booking information on their website. Overall I found the production to be fresh and innovative whilst staying true to the heart and soul of Singin in the Rain, and I would definitely go back to see it again with friends and JB.

Meet Emma Tynan, one of my inspirational women

"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights" (Gloria Steinem)

Today is international women's day  so I wanted to do a special post and honour an inspirational lady who I am lucky to know called Emma Tynan. We met in Paris two years ago and let me tell you Emma is a really cool woman with a brilliant attitude and a wicked sense of humour. It's a shame that Paris has to share her with the UK, but I was delighted when she told me she was training to be a holistic health and nutrition coach. Emma is the real deal and I'm happy to have her on the blog today, telling us how we can nourish and empower ourselves to feel fantastic on a daily basis. Who doesn't want to feel like that? Emma has also generously offered a free health consultation to Lou in Paris readers. If you're interested (of course you are) then head over to her website and say hello. Over to you Emma...

Hi Emma, welcome to the blog. Can you tell us how you ended up studying to be an expert holistic health and nutrition coach?

Hi Lou! Firstly, I’m absolutely thrilled to be here, so thanks a million for having me! Well the journey to becoming a holistic health and nutrition coach began with my love of sustainability. While I was living in Paris I was a freelance writer and journalist covering the ethical and sustainable fashion movement. (I adore fashion and worked in the fashion industry in London before moving Paris). However, I noticed a huge disconnect between the sustainable lifestyle movement and the health and wellness movement. When you choose to live sustainably everything you eat, buy, think and do is up for transformation. The reason I started my Holistic Health and Lifestyle Coaching business is to help passionate and purposeful women create a more sustainable life, in every respect. From having more energy and feeling better to creating more time, peace and freedom in their day.

Could you take us through a typical work day?

I’m an early riser and love the energy of the morning. My feet won’t touch the carpet without a spiritual check-in. Gratitude and and positive intention before I start my day.  I tend to leave opening my emails till after 10am. I will work with clients in the morning on coaching calls and then meet my love Jason in the kitchen for lunch at 1pm. We both run location-independent businesses so we have the privilege of working from home. Freedom underpins everything for me and I want to feel free, always. After lunch we take our pugs (who feature heavily on my instagram feed) for a walk. We live in North Norfolk in the UK and are totally blissed out all the time by how beautiful and peaceful it is here. Then back home for some more calls or writing. I like to wrap up at about 7pm then usually go to the gym or a yoga class. I don’t touch anything electronic after 9pm! I really have to unplug and wind down before bed and find this one of the best ways to get good sleep.

What are the main messages you give to your clients, to help them live a better life ?

I help my clients transform their lives by making very small, incremental, sustainable changes over a 3- 6 month period, depending on what length of programme I feel will work best for them. My coaching packages are individually tailored to each woman.  I don’t prescribe any diets or encourage restriction or drastic cleanses (I actually encourage my clients to eat real chocolate and they still lose weight!)  I empower and teach my clients techniques so never need diet again, learn how to manage stress, clear up their skin, have more energy as well as learning how to feel amazing and confident every day! It is truly a transformation for life.

Is it possible to be happy and stress-free when living in a big city such as London or Paris? And if so, how?

Absolutely! ‘Peace’ of mind is an inner journey and one that can be restored with commitment and acts of deep self-care. Of course there will be tumultuous times in life and we get stressed out (I’m planning my wedding and the moment and wow, I was not at all prepared for the stress of that!) but I find the best way to deal with it is following your JOY. Do something that makes you feel good and joyful!  Turn up your favourite song and have a dance party in your kitchen, go have an amazing meal with your girlfriends, laugh, do whatever makes you feel good. Works every time!

We live in a very technological day and age: what negative effect do you think being constantly connected can have on our minds and spirits?

I think distraction is  like a disease because of how plugged in we are. We no longer have that quiet space in our minds where creativity used to flow in so easily. We are constantly being pulled in so many directions throughout the day. You gotta unplug and have time-off. Walks in nature without your phone. Cultivate that peace again.  I run an online business so I’m not going to bad-mouth social media or anything, but I see how comparison silences so many women’s spirits. It really, really saddens me. I meet so many incredible women who live in absolute terror of going after their dreams for the fear of what others will say or because they feel the won’t be as good as so-and-so. This is also something I work on with my clients, I help them find and give voice to their unique gifts and talents so as they can unapologetically bring the full expression of their greatness to the table every day. Helping them to live bigger and better so that they can go out into the world and change it (that is why we’re here after all, isn't it?!)

I met you in Paris and I know you lived in London previously - could you briefly describe your experience of both cities?

Ok. I’ll admit it. I’m in a love triangle with Paris and London. I cant live without either and I don't plan on doing so! London - I cried when I first arrived in London from Ireland. I was standing outside Bond Street tube station, crying on the phone to my sister about how fast, big and tiring it all was. London and I though we came to an understanding. The city taught me so much about survival skills. It made me strong, confident and filled me with the unshakeable knowing that anything is possible in life (provided you have your travel card, some food in the fridge and a best friend who works in fashion to keep you looking amazing!)

Paris, on the other hand taught me about unconditional Love. Sure, she has terrible air pollution, long queues everywhere, paper, bureaucracy, red tape, but with patience and an open heart I fell under her spell. I had worked there a lot while working in the fashion industry in Lonodn, but living in Paris was another experience entirely. The language, the lights, the beauty, the food and wine, the friends I made. Well you know the saying, True love lasts a lifetime. So even when I have to wait ages in a line, cant breath or get a cab, I still love the city. Paris is just my kind of poetry.

Do you tell your clients to stop drinking wine or eating cake?

NEVER!!! It’s all about balance.

One thing on your bucket list?

To go to Tanzania and meet the Maasai people. ( I’m pretty sure it is a past-life thing!)

I know you’re a fellow out and proud feminist - could you share with us a few of your favourite famous feminists?

Mary Wollstonecraft. The eighteenth-century English writer, philosopher, and advocate of women’s rights. She was one of the first feminists. I’m also SO impressed by the work Emma Watson is doing for womens rights and the He for She campaign. She is bringing the feminist movement and women's rights to a whole new generation.

Desert Island questions:

one book (or magazine) you’d choose to take with you; The complete works of Shakespeare.

one luxury item; coconut oil (or my pugs if they are allowed!)

one piece of music. Maria Callas singing Casta Diva from Bellini’s Norma.

Quick fire questions:

Favourite beauty product - Rose water

Favourite go-to recipe - A green quiona salad from Anna Jones’ new book.

Favourite song to get you in a good mood - ooooooohhhhhhh something by Beyonce. (or a show tune!)

Favorite drink  - A nice natural Gamay from the Loire Valley or pinot Champagne!

Favorite inspirational quote: I first read this when I was 16 and it blew my mind!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  ― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"

A HUGE thank you to Emma for taking time out of her schedule and I for one am very excited to see her business go from strength to strength. I wish you a happy International Women's Day - I'm currently in Stockholm with some girlfriends so plan to spend the day chatting, drinking tea and eating cinnamon buns. Let's celebrate the fabulous women in our lives and throughout the world, and try to keep moving forward towards a better future for our daughters and future generations to come.

Lou xx

LouLou meets...Daisy de Plume

I'm delighted to introduce Daisy to you all today because she is such a gem. Passionate about art, history and Paris, Daisy always has a story to tell and she happens to be a great story-teller. I first met her when she invited me to participate in one of her treasure hunts, where I was partnered with Lisa (mentioned during the interview) and we had a lot of fun despite not really knowing what the heck we were doing! It was so much fun in fact that I rallied a few friends to do the Halloween hunt with me last November at the Louvre, which was a pretty magical experience. Daisy's energy is infectious and her enthusiasm is the real deal. I'm looking forward to our future coffee dates in the park with Storsh (her son) and hearing some more of her wonderful stories! Over to you Daisy...

How did the name Daisy de Plume come about? It was actually el Argentino, my husband’s creation. When I knew I wanted to start a company my friend Kasia, who was instrumental with her advice and expat-entrepreneur mentoring, reminded me that I’d need to be comfortable in the public. So to maintain a bit of privacy I played around with all sorts of names. Daisy is my childhood name (what my mother, friends, husband and son know me by) but officially (on paperwork and by current and former office-mates) I’m Charlotte or Charlotte Louise. I guess I’ve always had many names going on, so the de Plume part fell into place quite naturally.

Daisy, could you tell us how you ended up in Paris? It’s a long story which I wrote about quite fully for Misadventures with Andi here but the gist of it is that I took a three month sabbatical from my life / magazine job / identity in New York and never actually returned. That was ten years and a husband, son and several funny jobs ago.

What was your motivation for starting THATLou? There are several factors. My mother was an art historian who always had museum games up her sleeve (to keep me quiet, to allow her to actually visit with her treasures) as I was growing up. Then as I was old enough to go the Met without her, my friends and I saw the museum (and other city’s museums) as a playground. Recently I told Lisa about how my closest childhood friend Abbey  and I used to bring 25 pennies to the Temple of Dendur to skip them across the lovely still pond surrounding the iconic Egyptian temple. Another element – strangely – was having Storsh, my toddler. It was some sort of chemical or biological kick in the butt to do something interesting with my life, to do something that stimulated me. I’m interested in company strategy and business on a theoretical level, and have always been able to talk the talk of being a company man, but my heart is too cynical to believe in it or to care much about climbing someone else’s corporate ladder. Yet I have a need to be devoted to something fully, so starting the company has been a natural next step (with a lot of work, but it all feels right) and we’ll see how far I can take it!

 

The reality of living in any big city, even one as pretty as Paris, is that there will be things which are not so agreeable about it. Could you describe some positive (and negative) aspects of daily Paris life, based on your personal experience of the city?  I think anyone who lives here will agree that a big minus – in Paris or France altogether – is the bureaucracy. It wears one down, from the Titre de Séjour to the Carte Vitale, and I don’t even handle the business side of THATLou which I understand from my clever husband is a headache. I rattled on about it to poor Lindsey here. Positives are abundant though – from food, wine and appreciation for living (‘being’ opposed to ‘doing’) to the aesthetic, which I think the French do better than anyone. Everything’s just so pretty, I don’t think I’ll ever feel numb to it. I hope not, at least!

You have 24 hours left in Paris before you move away. What would you choose to do? I’d be sure to touch on a few parks with Storsh and his trotinette – Square Montholon, Square du Temple, the trampolines of the Tuileries, our precious Jardin du Luxembourg in which he’s spent so much time while my husband and I were building THATRue. I’d have a few hours of alone time at the Louvre to say goodbye to my old friends. I’d love to have a meal at whatever my flavour of the moment would be with el Argentino, perhaps Floyd’s in the 10^th Arrt’s rue d’Enghein with its secret back room. A debauched bottle of Grand Cru Chablis with friends at Benjamin le Caviste. A midnight walk along Canal St Martin that can be so perfectly peaceful. The reality of course would be mad packing and stressing at La Poste ,and fighting at the bank, and not noticing a bit of Paris because I leave all moves to the last minute.

One thing on your Paris bucket list? I am past the point of raving in catacomb-like tunnels below Paname’s surface, but it’s a huge regret that I passed on opportunities to investigate the underbelly of Pourrie Pourrie before I reached my current dotage. It’s not even for the actual parties, it’s just the fact that they exist down there and I haven’t been, which makes me wish I were down there scouting out their labyrinthine street art. Truffaut’s Baisers Volés has a great scene where a very important love letter crosses town to Montmartre via pneumatic tubes across these subterranean streets. A whole world exists down there without me….

Which city would you be prepared to leave Paris for, and why? Buenos Aires / Shanghai / Hong Kong out of personal interest but London or NY are more likely (I’ve already lived in both places). London and NY are where my nose is headed at some point in the 5-year plan before we need to take Storsh’s school seriously.

As I only live on the other side of the Channel, I feel lucky to be able to get home so easily. I know it’s not as simple for other Paris expats. What's the one thing you really miss from home that Paris cannot replace?  The NY minute does boost one’s energy, whereas I’ve always seen my move to Paris as an early (and very welcome) retirement. But I don’t think it’s the pace which I miss. Sadly what I miss about NY no longer exists. I miss the stoops of the West Village, where we’d have yard sales, sell lemonade and have snow ball fights as children; smoke and gossip as teens; as adults we’d share a bottle of wine with silver goblets because we’d broken too many glasses in the past and pissed our families off with shards of glass, and have to hear about it for weeks on end. The village was a tight community and when someone sat on another person’s stoop the proprietor didn’t mind (I know from smoking on every street between Charles and Jane, except my own, as a teen). Now there’s this money money money that has changed the environment and made it commercial (Bleecker street being key in the Village’s corruption) and hardened its residents into an un-welcome-ness that breaks my heart when I think about it. I guess I’m nostalgic for a NY that no longer exists, but I should instead be celebrating this. After all NY is - and has always been - about the future and money and ambition, and it is that certainty that keeps it as it is. If the average joe (which is all the Village consisted of growing up) are pushed out to the outer boroughs or even the suburbs, then so be it.  The disparity between those who have and haven’t is supreme. Perhaps it was this way when I was a child, too, and I see my past with rose-glasses, who knows.  But I miss the sense of community that I was raised in.

I’ve been listening to the BBC4 Desert Island Disc podcasts recently. So, in the very unlikely scenario of you being sent to a desert island, please tell us: 

- one book (or magazine) you’d choose to take with you Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness or TS Eliot’s 4 Quartets

- one luxury item Hermès un Jardin sur le Nil perfume

- one piece of music Beethoven’s 9^th or Handel’s Messiah

- one social media application you’d like to keep Instagram

Quick Fire questions

Favourite patisserie? Paris Brest / Boulangerie Louvard at 43, rue Miromesnil in the 8^th (they repeatedly win best baguette year after year).

Favourite metro line? Line 5, crossing the Seine.

Rive Gauche ou Rive Droite?  Droite.

Red, white or rosé? White (Chablis).

Favourite Parisian café?  Epicerie de la Cour or Ferme de Charles – mainly because the tree-lined Cour des Petites-Ecuries allow for Storsh to trotinnette to his heart’s content.

Favourite French film?  Truffaut’s Baisers Volés.

Favourite Paris museum? Would you like to hazard a guess?

A huge thanks to Daisy for sparing me her time (I know she is always very busy doing something) and sharing some of her lovely Paris photos for the post. Why don't you say hello to her: she's on Instagram and Twitter.