Le Ski - Day 1

I awoke this morning at 6.00am, a time I am not usually accustomed to seeing that much, but this morning being one of the first people on the streets was a rare joy. Usually I find the winter morning darkness and abandoned streets eerily lonely and bleak, and walk the metro cursing my alarm and the cold wind for waking me from my sleepy-state. A fresh white blanket of pure white, marshmallow snow covered the ground and dragging my suitcase creating tracks through the snow was a delight. I stopped to take a few snaps of early morning Paris in the snow. 

After my horrendously early start I was more than happy to curl up on the TGV until I arrived in Geneve and I woke up just in time to see spectacular views of the French alps. The mountain air and beautiful scenery is the perfect remedy to the hustle and bustle of busy city life. Nothing relaxes me more than being back in my second home in the beautiful village of Samoens. Definitely worth a visit, trust me on this one. The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing for what promises to be a fantastic days skiing tomorrow, fresh powder, empty pistes and hopefully a bit of sunshine! Bring on le ski but most importantly, bring on the apres. 

(Of course, I also managed to find some gorgeous rustic Savoie bread and pastries) 

Mood- Ready, so ready! 

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Toasty warm

One of the benefits of living abroad is being able to feel incredibly smug reading and listening to complaints about the miserable weather back in England. I know that Paris is not the same as being somewhere warm and sunny, however, the mere fact that Paris is a few degrees warmer than London has given me great satisfaction. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the snow, for me it usually means a day or two sledging with friends and then snuggling down with Bailey's hot chocolate. It's all the problems that a few centimetres of snow brings with it; no trains, no planes, panic buying and obsessive amounts of disgruntled tweeting and updating. I am revelling in enjoying pictures of cute puppies rolling in the snow and children building snowmen, whilst secretly praising the fact that this year the snow will NOT get me! 

The thing is, tomorrow I leave for a ski holiday with family and friends. For once it is a joy knowing that I will not have any snow-induced travel problems as I am getting a TGV straight from Paris. Bethany 1- Snow 0. Sadly though its beginning to look like the others will not make it, as Heathrow has been shut. Snow 1 - Bethany 1.

Even being in another country snow fury is beginning to set in! There is only one solution..... i'm going for a chocolat chaud viennois with extra marshmallows before all this snow talk really dampens my spirits. 

Wrap up warm mes cheries! 

Mood- Chilly brrrrrr 

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Paris, The City of Light

A beautiful little video that I found, directed by Benjamin Trancart, designed to highlight that during the eighteenth century Paris was the city of illuminating ideas and innovation in science, art and philosophy.  

Mood- Bright

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New Year - New Start

2013, I feel this year will be a great one, it will, however, take a lot to top 2012. Last year was my year. I met some incredible people, formed some incredible friendships, achieved things I never believed I could and to top it all of, I moved to Paris. So if 2012 was the year for moving to Paris, 2013 is definitely the year for making this city my own. I am a great believer in new year's resolutions, even if they are made to be broken. This year I have three:

1) Be healthier and lose the incredible EIGHT POUNDS that I have put on in Paris! I know its a golden rule that if you move to France you must put on weight; people take it as a sign you are enjoying yourself. However, the novelty MUST wear off, or by the end of the year, according to these dangerous statistics I will have put on 24 POUNDS.....thats nearly TWO WHOLE STONE! The time has come for drastic action. From now on I shall only consume patisseries on Mondays, Wednesdays and  Fridays. Deal.

2) (Courtesy of Owen) I have promised to stop nagging and getting stressed so easily. Pretty explanatory really, all I can say is.....I will keep trying!

3) (Courtesy of Jess) I will empty the bins before they overflow. Jess has lived with me for half a year now, I must accept her suggestion.

So new year and a whole new me. Maybe? One thing is for sure though, this year is the year to discover Paris and to make this city my home. This is one resolution I am sure to keep!

Mood- Optimistic

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Dreaming of summer days

Wandering along the Seine wrapped up in a fur coat and mittens munching on a warm pain-au-chocolat should be romantic and beautifully elegant, as portrayed in films, however I find that winter brings runny noses, freezing fingers and horrific windswept hairstyles. Paris is beautiful in the winter but I have come to realise that it is much better to experience this from inside a warm roof-top apartment or huddled in a cafe repeatedly ordering chocolat chaud. I therefore have decided to remember warmer summer days whilst refusing to acknowledged the rain storm and blizzard going on behind me. It's all very well coming to Paris and viewing the Tour Eiffel and the Arch the Triomphe but as far as seeing the real Paris I find that it is by joining in French celebrations and exploring the city's traditions that I begin to feel like Paris has become my home. My first experience of this was La Nuit Blanche 2012, an annual, all-night art festival during which museums, galleries and cinemas open their doors all night and special exhibitions and instillations pop-up all over the city. My friends and I started outside the Hotel de Ville and wandered to the Centre Pompidou where there was an electro-band playing from the roof, turning the square below into a dance floor. Following the course of the Seine we came across street Jazz bands, huge screens projecting films and an outdoor cinema with deck chairs for seats. The most exciting things about La Nuit Blanche is feeling that for one night everywhere is Paris is open, areas that are usually dead become party squares and locked buildings allow you unprecedented access. At about 2am we found ourselves sitting in a basement of a building in the centre of Paris watching an artistic film on a gigantic screen. However,  the highlight of my night was finding a tiny little installation under the Pont Alexandre III by following some dubious looking arrows into a cave under the depths of the Seine. Wandering around this beautiful city, without bumping into map-checking tourists and seeing the buildings and streets come alive with music and activity really highlighted Paris at its most exciting and I feel very lucky to have been part of La Nuit Blanche 2012!

Mood- Cultured 

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Les fleurs les plus belles du monde (Edmond Rostard)

Despite this blog post being two months into my time in Paris, it is about a shop that I came across on my first day in the city. Moving house is a stressful experience, however moving cities is exciting. The blank slate is intriguing, ready to be decorated with alluring places and discoveries. I started this process  from the get go and like to think of it as my alternative map of Paris. Forget the metro map, tourist boards and guide books, I decided to view Paris as a print of my favourite places, beautiful views, exquisite shops and intriguing sites. Therefore, I consider "Julian" on Boulevard Le Tour Malbourg as the first illustration on my personal Parisian map. It sounds ridiculous but spotting this shop on my first walk around my new arrondissement was the first indication that I had that Paris would become my home, a place where I felt welcomed and settled. Its hard not to fall in love with such a beautiful place. Julian was opened four generations ago and has continued to be a thriving family business in the heart of Paris, a rare find in most cities that are overcome with department stores, chains and franchises. This city really cherishes it independent boutiques and it fills me with love that Parisians still support their local businesses by purchasing their food from artisan and specialist food shops, bread from patisseries, clothes from boutiques, perfume from parfumeries etc etc etc. In fact, in French there is a word for just about every type of trade and trader and the word "magasin," inferring one shop for all, is almost treated like a dirty word. Except of course when talking about Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, in which case you are excused. It is not difficult to embrace this love of the independent for the idea contains in itself a love for the special and unique, with each purchase warming your heart slightly.

Mood - in the mood to visit the patisserie!

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These are a few of my favourite things

So recently a wave of happiness has overcome me, not that i'm usually unhappy, but little moments have recently warmed my heart triggered a little smile. 

There really is nothing better than catching up with old, and new friends, over a steaming hot chocolate in a warm cafe with steaming windows while it is raining outside. I believe nothing could make me happier.....until we progressed onto wine. 

Buskers on the metro are a common sight in Paris, however what is not common is people appreciating the music and taking time out of their rushing and dashing to actually listen and not just hear the music. I smiled a little smile today when I rushed past a violinist coming off the metro and noticed a man sat on the steps watching and listening intently, enjoying and appreciating the music. I, in turn, appreciated how special this little moment of unusualness amongst the ordinary touched my heart and re-instilled my faith in art and humanity. 

The view from my window never fails to make me smile, bathed in a warm red light from the restaurant opposite and accompanied by the background blur of the street's evening noise there really is nothing pleasanter than throwing open the shutters and absorbing the pace of the city at night. 

Mood- Warmed

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