We are in the final days of the Paris trip, and we made sure we addressed some of the basics today, before it is too late. Several hours in Parc Monceau, watching the bourgeoisie run and play … a trip over to our favorite Paris restaurant … a walk under the Eiffel Tower … […]

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Two of the best barbecues I have enjoyed, in the past three years, have been in a leafy suburb of Paris. Didn’t see that coming. We Yanks don’t normally associate Paris with grilling large amounts of meat over a pile of glowing coals. A good reason for that: It’s apparently illegal to barbecue inside the […]

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Two goals for this trip: 1) Eat a lot of French food; 2) don’t break the bank doing so. A cafe/brasserie just up the street from where we are staying, in the 17th arrondissement, has contributed greatly to making this happen. Le Royal Pereire. We may have just been lucky this time around, given that […]

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On a macro level, I am fascinated by World War I. On the micro level, I am horrified by it. This was one of the most lethal wars in history. Far more French and British soldiers died in World War I than died in World War II — which is the last war most modern […]

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Wide tracts of Paris are less than green. A large park is never far off … but often it isn’t nearby, either. I’m thinking of the Marais, and much of the rest of the right bank of the city. Lots of stone and cement. It’s not as if Paris is Hong Kong, where you can […]

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I am getting some help here. I don’t necessarily notice much of this. Maybe length of skirts … but that’s about it. So, what is going on here, in the capital of fashion?

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Over the past two decades-plus, I have spent close to a year in Paris. I prefer to believe that puts me somewhere beyond “tourist” status … but I suppose it does not. Especially in the eyes of the full-time locals. A serial tourist, perhaps. But it is more than enough time to have brought me […]

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Not sure I ever have been in Paris in May. If I had, wouldn’t I have gone to the French Open at least once? The 2012 edition begins Sunday, but the event already is under way. Sort of. With qualifying on both the men’s and women’s side, the backdoor entry for those ranked up in […]

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  I am astounded by the number of people in Paris who smoke. Is it a big number? Higher than normal in the western world? Seems to be. (OK. Yes. It is. Despite smoking being banned, in public areas in 2005 and in restaurants in 2008, the number of French who smoke regularly has risen […]

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Your own Paris apartment! This has to rank high on any International Traveler fantasy list. A Paris pied a terre! Visit when you want! Entertain in your own place! Or close the door and go out to the street to find your favorite bistro. Decorate the place. Rent it part of the year. Sure. Not […]

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