Six years ago Guillaume and I moved to Pittsburgh from Paris ready for a
new adventure. I fell in love with Pittsburgh in a way I never had with Paris.
That is, until I went back as a tourist. Take away the rush hour sardine-can
metro rides and the waiting in ad agency lobbies for students who never show
up, throw in a pinch of nostalgia and afternoon-long reunions with old friends,
et voilà: I lurrve Paris!
We drove from the Touraine to Paris on a
Sunday afternoon and dropped Antonia at her grandparents’ apartment outside of
Paris where she stayed until Tuesday night. It was the first time I had left
her overnight with someone other than her papa, so it was a bit of a
heartbreaking experience for me. I had booked a hotel in Paris but then ended
up staying at a friend of a friend’s apartment for free! It was a gorgeous
little studio in the 10th arrondissement, near the metro Louis
Blanc. When Guillaume and I lived in Paris we lived not far from this area so
it was a familiar and nostalgic setting. Guillaume left for Luxembourg where he was going to be working for the week, leaving me by my lonesome.
The next morning I strolled down to the Marais to meet up with my good friends from Australia, who were just finishing up a four-week holiday around France. The last time I saw them was in August 2012 when we went to visit them in Sydney. I hadn't seen Anna since our college days (oh how old I sound) at McGill, six years prior. Imagine how excited I was to see Anna and Andy twice in one year!! And multiply that excitement by a million because I also got to meet their little Scarlett (9 months old), who was only a bun in the oven last August. We spent the week strolling around Paris as though we both lived there, eating delicious food, and taking every opportunity to celebrate the reunion and mini-adventure.
Forgive me as a give a little backstory and go down memory lane. Anna, Catherine, Anita, and I became fast friends at McGill. We shared a crazy Czech 75-year-old violin teacher (Mme Jelinkova), and a love of food, hiking, and adventure. Since graduating we have spread across the globe--Anita went to work on a farm in Scotland, met a charming Scotsman and moved to Eastern Canada to homestead. Anna moved back to her native Sydney, and Catherine (after numerous other adventures traveling and in her native Montreal) also landed in Sydney, where she lives now with her Italian boyfriend Stefano.
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| On a fall hike outside Montreal circa 2001? |
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| In Yellowstone National Park August 2004 |
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| Skiing on Mount Royal c. 2003 |
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| Anna visited us in Paris after we moved there in 2004. |
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| The next time Anna came back, she brought Catherine and Anita with her! Summer of fun and adventure 2005. |
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| Looking out of our apartment on Ave Simon Bolivar |
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| Hiking in the Alps |
Fast forward to August 2012: Sydney Australia. With Antonia (19 months) and Scarlett in the oven. First time meeting Stefano and Andy.
And here we are back in Paris. When you live far away from the people who are most important to you, it's essential to make the most of it (champagne and laughter).
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| Confit de canard. |
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| Bistrot des Oies near Canal St. Martin |
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| Quai de Jemmapes |
When I wasn't with Anna and Andy, I made the most of my time as a childless mama and headed to Spoken Word Paris. Though it was started by my friend David Barnes, he wasn't in attendance. He was in Pittsburgh of all places, starting up the Spoken Word scene here!
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| Late night dubbed movie watching. |
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| When I got Antonia back, we headed to visit my side of the family. These adorable creatures are my 2nd cousins. Callixte, Sibylle, Anne-Zoé. Antonia was very excited to brush her teeth with the big kids. |
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| Typical. Just typical. |
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| Beaubourg |
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| Ice cream and rosé with my friend Catherine, who worked at Speechmark with me (a language school specialized in advertising and communications) |
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| A new random friend |
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| Pizza in the Marais |
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| Playing with pigeons by the Louvre |
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| Photobombing a wedding at Notre Dame |
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| What a good little tourist. |
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| Metroriding is more fun without a stroller. |
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| My friend Joa, also a former colleague at Speechmark. |
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| Sea bass dinner at Bistrot La Bulle. One of the best meals I've ever had. |
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| Antonia being an adventurous eater (I'm so proud) soft boiled egg over caviar d'aubergine, smoked bacon foam and fresh spinach. Yum! |
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| My good friend Paulo, whose friend let us stay in his apartment. |
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| Chez Prune for foamed milk. |
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| Thelebration |
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| Guillaume freshly back from Luxembourg. |
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| We got a babysitter for Antonia and Scarlett and hit the town. |
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| On the roof of the Centre Pompidou for a farewell meal. |
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| Next morning headed to the park Les Buttes Chaumont to meet more old friends for lunch! |
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| Zoé and Antonia hit it off right away. |
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| Kid's meal: fresh pasta and salmon. I am in constant awe of how great kids' meals can be in France! |
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| Adult meal. |
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| Sébastien, aka Beuss |
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| Café gourmand, a wonderful invention. For those not feeling a whole dessert, this is an espresso with some gourmet goodies to leave you with a sweet taste in your mouth after the meal. |
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| Antonia, Éléo, Zoé |
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| Carole et Raphaëlle aka Pitchoune |
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| Our last night in Paris was spent with OTHER old friends who we hadn't seen in 6 years! Jocelyn and Anne-Isabelle now have two gorgeous children, Octavie (2.5 yo) and Séverin (2 months old). |
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| View from their rooftop terrace at twinkle hour. |
The next morning papa drove us to the airport and we headed back home to Pittsburgh, where Figonewt and Looleeminh were waiting for us. It was a wonderful trip full of reunions and good food. Just what life is all about.
