Never Taking Paris for Granted
Living in the City of Light isn’t all it’s cracked up to be…that is, unless you can stay a tourist the rest of your life. It’s just that at this time of year, when Paris becomes a cultural Mecca, those of us who can’t take advantage of the 35-hour work week (most self-employed or workaholic Americans) can get awfully depressed thinking about all there is going on culturally that we might be missing.
It’s the reason we moved here in the first place. Then not long after we settled in, we moved on to more normal lives, doing what we do every day to earn our livings and/or raise our kids…and we find ourselves without the time to really enjoy the city’s many museums, exhibits, fairs, etc. (although, let’s face it, just a stroll across Paris can be satisfying enough!).
If you work hard in Paris, prepare to play hard. If you’re not making dinner reservations, you’ll be making a dinner party. If you’re not getting tickets to the latest opera, you’ll be getting tickets to the Métro. If you’re not shopping for sexy lingerie, you’ll be shopping for hardware in the basement of the BHV. No matter what, you won’t have a moment to spare, but you won’t care. You’re in Paris.
Many years ago walking long-side a man crossing the Champs de Mars in front of Ecole Militaire, with the Eiffel Tower silhouetted against a bright pink sky, not one time did this man glance over to take in the beauty of the scene. I thought to myself, may this never happen to me — may I never be so jaded as to take this magnificence for granted. Now I find myself talking on the cell phone and not paying attention to much of anything while walking the streets (classic, huh?) for lack of time in the office or at home to make the calls.
HELP! Do we really become so oblivious to all around us once it becomes the norm rather than the new? Practice what I preach. To all of you who have been living in Paris more than a year or two…to all of you who dream of living here full time like the 100,000 plus North Americans (of which only less than one-quarter are registered or bona fide residents), don’t ever let your eyes blur to the fortune we have to be one of the 2.25 million inhabitants who get to finely dine out or dine in, take a velvet seat at the Opera or a hard seat on the Métro, hook on a French lace bra or hook up a new “lave-linge.”
STOP. Read today’s calendar (online late Wednesday evenings, Paris time). Thanks to http://www.paris-update.com, the Insider’s Weekly Guide to the City of Light, not only can you find all there is to do in Paris on the subjects of art, film, music, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, outings, hot topics and favorites…but now you’ll find the Parler Paris Weekly Community Calendar for English-Speaking Paris there, too!
A few of the things I refuse to miss this weekend are:
For all contemporary art lovers…
FIAC 2006 33Rd Edition
Grand Palais & Cour Carrée Du Louvre
October 26th – October 30th 2006
http://www.fiacparis.com/
For all chocolate lovers…
Le Salon du Chocolat
October 28th – November 1st
http://www.chocoland.com/uk/
For all portrait lovers…
“Portraits Publics, Portraits Privés: 1770-1830”
October 4th – January 8th
The Grand Palais
http://www.rmn.fr/
For all photography lovers…
Lee Friedlander
September 19th – December 31st
Jeu de Paume
http://www.jeudepaume.org/
and
Mois de la Photo
November 2006
http://www.moisdelaphoto-off.org/
Check them out today. Click to /parlerparis/calendar.html to see some of our favorite events…then scroll down to click on the calendar in its entirety housed at http://www.paris-update.com
Now you’re ready to play hard and play smart…
A la prochaine…
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
Email [email protected]
P.S. Parler Parlor is closed November 1st for Toussaint (All Saints Day), but we’ll be open Tuesday evening in spite of Halloween! See http://www.parlerparlor.com for more details.
P.P.S. French Property Insider special offer…Get a free report when you subscribe for two years. Offer expires October 31st. Scroll down for more information or visit /frenchproperty/insider/subscribetofpi.html
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