This Week in Paris

Summer in the City

Lac Daumensil - a stunning greenspace minutes from my flat

Hi Friends,

This last week in Paris has been like a wave - rolling and up and down. 

Since Pied À Terre Life is all about sharing the full experience I think it’s important to be candid about the ups and downs of life that will keep occurring no matter where you travel. 

Full disclosure, since I write for everyone who likes my topics and writing style,  but I have a keen interest in ladies over 45,  I want to share that I  have been going through some health things (you can see here) this year that seem to be directly attributed to the menopause. I’ve learned so much about menopause in the last 6 months mostly because I didn’t know anything before then. I never really had any symptoms that bothered me except for a few hot flashes waking me up at night until late December ’23. Suddenly in December a laundry list of symptoms came roaring in and caused what I will say is turmoil and distress on their worst days. 

Since December, I’ve met with doctors while traveling and have been trying some different modalities and have been “good” for a couple of months until suddenly last week it all came crashing down like a freight train on me. Whew - lots of emotions because I’m in Paris! And I want to enjoy myself! But this is life and I was having some seriously debilitating symptoms like lightheadedness and anxiety along with not feeling good in my body. I’ve never suffered from anxiety in my life until December ’23 and it didn’t creep in, it came roaring in like a lion. To say that it’s knocked me down a bit is likely an understatement. I am used to my autonomy and these emotional states don’t make me feel confident. Not a great headspace. 

One thing that works well for me though is acupuncture. I had an amazing acupuncturist in Melbourne and also in Edinburgh, Scotland. You can read about them both in the links under the cities. Acupuncture seems to redistribute my energy which keeps getting stuck with these menopause hormonal fluctuations. I just found an acupuncturist I am excited to meet with in Paris and I will see them this week. Stay tuned. 

In the meantime, I’ve cut out coffee (which makes me cry a little bit) and wine and have taken long walks in the park near my house, Lac Deaumail, which is such a gift. Being in nature also calms and uplifts me in the best ways. This park is so gorgeous and Parisians definitely enjoy the outdoors. So, as I walk, I am surrounded by beauty and people and lots of dogs and birds - a great place for me to be. 

the perfect park by my flat

Even though this health thing has been going on I’ve still gone out and about. I went to the Sunday market armed with my French - I’ve been practicing - and was able to order most of my items in French and be understood. A win!!

On Monday it was a stunningly beautiful morning and I took the metro to the neighborhood of Place des Vosges - which has been on my list since Jodi at Fifty Beautiful Things wrote about it being the prettiest park/square to have coffee in. She was absolutely correct - it’s enchanting. I did decide to have a coffee and wandered into this excellent bakery/coffee spot, Brigat’, where I ended up in a long conversation with a gentleman who is Italian/South African, living in Paris, but also has lived in London and we talked travel, Italy, trying to speak French vs Italian, great bakeries and more. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy these kind of encounters. When he mentioned he visits VINCENZA as his father is from there I knew it was meant that we met! If you haven’t read my post on trends for 2024 (see HERE) Vincenza is specifically name-checked as a place I want to go stay. These kinds of meetings are exactly why I love living/traveling this way. 

Place des Vosges

Another excellent thing from this week is that a friend that I met in Florence (I meet the BEST people in Florence) in January 2023 that I keep in touch with on Instagram is going to be in Paris this month and we have decided to go to Champagne together! I was attracted to this force of nature, who is so delightful, the minute I saw her in the SM Novella train station and wondered if she was a part of the group I was meeting up with that day. She was. Now, in 2024, us being in Paris at the same time is such a blessing. I’m so excited for us to be able to do some eating and drinking and exploring together here in France, especially as we are constantly sharing delicious things over Instagram.

So, that’s this last week in Paris. 

A few people have asked how I’m finding places and I want to share here some of my top accounts who inspire me and help me create the very, very long list of places I am hoping to visit while I’m here. Send some good vibes my way so that this health issue doesn’t continue to be a pain…MERCI. 

PARIS PEOPLE TO FOLLOW ONLINE 

Paris Is My Kitchen @parisismykitchen: Wendy Lyn - I discovered Wendy Lyn through a mutual friend from Portland back in 2021. Wendy is a force in the restaurant, food, and wine industries worldwide but Paris is literally her kitchen. She has the best lists and I’m constantly bookmarking her recommendations for any city. I have so many places that Wendy has shared on my list to eat drink and be merry. I highly recommend giving her a follow. 

One of the very cool things Wendy does is a PSA of sorts to help (ahem, entitled?) Americans (and other people but I am picking on Americans deliberately) manage expectations. Things in Paris don’t run the same as the US! What is the point of traveling if you expect everything to be the same? Things such as reservations/holidays/walk-ins/finding places that are open on Sundays/etc…things that are different here - she has created resources to help you plan accordingly and manage your expectations.  

Anne Stark Ditmeyer @pretavoyager

I started following Anne years ago. She is a creative coach and workshop facilitator originally from the US and now a French citizen. I’ve always loved all of her content and her posts about Paris inspire me. I just bookmarked one of her posts this week for an art installation and a shop I want to visit. 

Preeti Gill @preetigill - Paris food & travel

A more recent follow for me, Preeti was key in my bookmarking the Bastille Market where I went my very first Sunday here (it was epic!). She also provided me with the intel on who won the “best baguette” in Paris this year and I will definitely be paying them a visit. Preeti travels and shares her recommendations for other destinations as well. Originally from California, she’s been in Paris for 10 years. 

Jodi Fifty Beautiful Things - substack.com/@fiftybeautifulthings 

As mentioned above, Jodi’s post about Place des Vosges had me at “the prettiest square to sit and have coffee”. So. True! I loved it so much and the whole neighborhood is fantastic. I can’t wait to go back and have a long lunch at a sidewalk cafe in the neighborhood. 

Jodi’s substack is quite good - I highly recommend checking it out. 

Carrie Anne James frenchisbeautiful on Instagram

I have followed Carrie Anne for almost a decade. I even had a very lovely conversation with her about her life in Paris and her wonderful language program - French Is Beautiful - back in 2016. She is beauty and grace and just lovely. I wish I spoke French like she does (or at all!) but her page inspires me to keep trying. Definitely give her a follow and if you are considering learning French, check out her programs at her website French Is Beautiful.

Thanks for reading this week in Paris, Mes Amis.

Merci for letting me be completely transparent about life while traveling. I still wouldn’t trade it. It is currently très magnifique in all its iterations.

Au revoir!