Windy night with nightlight #paris #letoureiffel #eiffeltower #8eme #light #lettherebelight #thereluctantparisian
I’ve walked through the gardens bordering Champs Elysees hundreds of times & have never noticed this little guy with a bow & arrow before:) Sometimes you just have to look up #paris #cupid #parks #jardin #bluesky #champselysees #thereluctantparisian
Blue bag, blue jeans, blue door #paris #bleu #blue #colors #streetstyle #parisstreetstyle #parisblue #frenchblue #maskup #thereluctantparisian #colour
A pretty street in Dourdan, France, an easy one-hour drive from Paris #dourdan #escapefromparis #daytrip #france #travel #thereluctantparisian
Drawing man at Musee Picasso in the Marais, Paris #museepicasso #art #artistsoninstagram #picasso #thereluctantparisian
This too is Paris #realparis #champselysees #paris #thereluctantparisian
Pups & their people in Jardin des Champs #jardindeschampselysees #paris #champselysees #dogs #chien #thereluctantparisian
Parc Monceau today. #paris #parcmonceau #france #thereluctantparisian #gardensofinstagram
How 30% of Parisians wear masks: under the chin, so they can smoke. Parisians are good about wearing masks, but there seems to be a French loophole that allows anyone to go maskless on a crowded street as long as they’re smoking. Even the pony is giving the side-eye. #Paris #mask #maskup #smoking #covid19fr #coronavirusparis #coronavirus @visitparisregion @parisfranceofficial #ministeredessolidaritesetdelasante #thereluctantparisian
Parc Monceau #parcmonceau #paris #gardensofinstagram #gardens #thereluctantparisian
Back in the Tuileries #paris #tuileriesgarden #septembre #jardindestuileries #gardensofinstagram #gardens #travel #france #tuileries #thereluctantparisian
I just went to a movie theatre for the first time in 6 months & watched a disaster flick, & it was strangely cathartic. (yes, the front row seats are higher than the other rows, because: Paris). #lostintranslation #champselysees #paris #greenland #movies #cinema #thereluctantparisian #deconfinement
Parc Monceau #paris #garden #gardensofinstagram #gardens #france #travel #deconfinement #thereluctantparisian
1) Eiffel Tower, seen from Place Joffre through the columns of the Wall of Peace 2) walking through Champs du Mars, 3) flowers in front of the Paris Military School, 4) Life resumes at Trocadero, 5)Thoughts on the joys & strangeness of deconfinement #murdelapaix #paris #placejoffre #eiffeltower #thereluctantparisian #wallofpeace #deconfinement
One of the sweetest, humblest artist/writer graves I’ve ever seen, Vincent Van Gogh beside his brother, Theo, in the small hilltop cemetery at Auvers sur Oise. For a glimpse into this fraternal bond & a tender look at the life of a troubled artist, read DEAR THEO, comprised of letters between the brothers. #escapedromparis #vangogh #artists #auverssuroise #thereluctantparisian #parisdaytrip
Man in the rain, Jardin Champs Elysees. I love how green the little urban parks & gardens of Paris get during May. Feels a lot like the American South at this time of year, muggy & warm with storm clouds overhead, intermittent showers. #paris #rain #jardinchampselysees #green #vert #thereluctantparisian
Park benches behind Theatre de la Ville: “But the dream is not the reality.” “We are of the same blood, you snd me.” Park bench reading: walked to Galignani, found this book, walked to park, read this book, walked home. #paris #parisparks #parkbench #pariswalks #walking #thereluctantparisian #green #reading #bookstagram #aliceinwonderland #rudyardkipling
On a church wall on Rue de Seine: A Paris without Penelope is a lost Paris. I don’t know if this is someone’s personal Penelope or a literary reference. #paris #ruedeseine #penelope #thereluctantparisian
These trees are in full bloom all over Paris. When a breeze picks up, the fluff falls from the trees into your hair & eyes. It looks almost like fine snow, but it makes you sneeze & turns your eyes red. The stuff carpets the sidewalks & gravel paths all over the city, & after a light rain, as we had yesterday, it forms a kind of thin gel, making the sidewalks slippery. Last night after walking home from the river along Ave. Montaigne, which is lined with these trees, I came upon a passage in A Moveable Feast in which Hemingway mentions the horse-chestnut trees in bloom. So now I know what these things are : horse-chestnut trees. The video was taken out the window of our apartment. #paris #trees #avenuemontaigne #thereluctantparisian
One man watching the Arc de Triomphe #paris #8eme #confinement #lockdown #pariswalks #thereluctantparisian
Rain! — #paris #confinement #parisoutmywindow #thereluctantparisian #rain #outmywindow
From my morning run, a child’s message in a window on Blvd Haussmann - “Let’s stay positive.” #paris #confinementjour25 #lockdown #covi̇d19 #covıd19france #vivelafrance #haussmann #thereluctantparisian #hope #rainbow
Walking Man with Umbrella on a Very Sunny Day. With so little to look at, every passerby is riveting. #Paris #confinementchallenge #lockdown #lockdownlife #paris #parisfrance #parisianstyle #thereluctantparisian #covid19
A banner hung from a window on Malsherbes—“Thank you to the caregivers” #paris #lockdown #malsherbes #thereluctantparisian #merciauxsoignants #covid19fr #vivelafrance
Sounds of Paris. On my morning run, a hand opening curtains in an upper window caught my eye. I stopped to watch the clouds moving and listen to the wind & the snapping & clanging of the flag. The apartment above the flag is where Marcel Proust lived for many years with his family. #Paris #lockdown #ParisSounds #pariswalks #theReluctantParisian #quiet #VivelaFrance #clouds #citysoundscape
Lockdown walk. We’re allowed to run/walk up to 1 km from our apartment. This is the end of my leash, Arc du Triomphe. All the silence in the world does not prepare you for the silence of Champs Elysees. #paris #lockdown #lockdownexercise #socialdistancing #arcdutriomphe #thereluctantparisian
Learning to love my corner in a shrunken world. Here’s my balcony, just wide enough for a little chair turned sideways. This morning’s brilliant sun gave us these patterns. #parisfrommywindow #lockdown #lockdownfrance #thereluctantparisian #paris #stayhome #stayhealthy #shelterinplace #balcony
One good thing that happened this week: the tree in front of the office complex across the street started to bloom! Lockdown means the tree-trimming crews won’t arrive to wrangle it into submission. #lockdown #paris #parisfrance #covid_19 #covid19fr #covıd19 #vivelafrance #green #thereluctantparisian #frommywindow #parislockdown #parisviews
Returning to simple pleasures. The look on my son’s face when I found a miniature bottle of Coca-Cola in the back of the fridge. #TheLastCoke #lockdown #Paris #socialdistancing #SimplePleasures #TheReluctantParisian @cocacola
6:30 a.m. run. Skipped the run yesterday, took a 10-minute run this morning (as allowed by current rules), was able to stay an entire block’s length from the few others I saw running. For 19 months, Blvd Haussmann has been an unpleasant fact of life, with its constant cacophony of traffic, construction, & pedestrians, and the clouds of cigarette smoke. Completely empty of everything & everyone on this cold Sunday morning. Grateful for the quick run and grateful for the strict measures to flatten the curve. The absence of ambulances this morning gives me hope. #haussmann #parisfrance #thereluctantparisian
My morning walk in Paris. The park was crowded with joggers but l’etoile was empty. Cafes setting up on Champs Elysees for their final day open before the clock strikes midnight. #Paris #champselysees #covid_19 #coronavirus #coronavirusfr #shutdown #isolation #ferme #thereluctantparisian #flowers #sundayvibes
Things they sell in Paris: “vintage” Macs for 1,976 euros ($2,268) Why? #paris #pourquoi #thereluctantparisian #vintage #mac #vintagecomputers #oldstuff
A mural on Rue des Dames Paris #batignolles #ruedesdames #paris #thereluctantparisian #pariswalks #sundaywalks #dimanche #flaneuse #internationalwomensday
The Alcazar of Seville, palace and gardens used by the Moors & later by Charles V & Queen Isabella—who were married & lived here #seville #sevilla #spain #andalucia #andalusia #thereluctantparisian #alcazar #realalcazar
Morning on the Costa del Sol. It only took a few hours for the stress of Paris to melt away. We didn’t arrange a return flight. They’re going to have to drag me back! A scorpio is only ever truly at home by the sea. Shout-out to my name sister @michellerichmond in Kenya, who also loves watery horizons. #andalusia #costadelsol #spain #escapefromparis #soleil #sunrise #beach #TheReluctantParisian
Coffee with a view at Lomi Cafe on the 8th floor of Galleries Lafayette Printemps. Stumbled upon this while searching for coconut oil. Never found the coconut oil, but found the view! Great coffee too, & super friendly, passionate barista. @cafelomi #Paris #CafeLomi #thereluctantparisian #coffeeParis #coffee #noisette #pariscoffeebook
I like Paris on a pre-stormy Sunday, trash & all. Every street reminds you of your 5th grade drawing class, wherein a perennially disappointed art teacher tried to teach you the value of perspective. #Paris #GatheringStorm #perspective #8eme #Rue Murillo #thereluctantparisian #reluctantparisian #blackandwhite
Stumbled upon Parc Louis XVI just a half mile from my apartment while flaneusing. Turns out this was a mass grave for 3,000 victims of the French Revolution. Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI were buried here before supposedly being exhumed years later, but many believe their remains are still beneath this public park—as it would have been difficult to extract their bodies from the mass grave. Read about it here, from another wanderer who came upon it en route to Galleries Lafayette, just as I did: https://www.google.com/amp/s/americangirlsartclubinparis.com/2011/12/18/stumbling-into-history-square-louis-xvi/amp/ #Paris #ParisHistory #FrenchRevolution #TheReluctantParisian #marieantoinette
An unusually quiet passageway at Place des Vosges on a cold winter day #placedesvosges #Paris #silence #thereluctantparisian #marais
“I can’t stop thinking about garbage.” Name the film. Garbage boat on the Seine, as seen from Rosa Bonheur sur Seine, a bar boat where people like me misinterpret the menu & end up with a giant package of salami. Great view of the massive police action along Pont de la Concorde, dozens of riot police vans, the boom of tear gas cannons, the usual Paris protest scene. @rosabonheurofficiel #Paris #RealParis #parisprotest #greve #TheReluctantParisian #poubelle #trashboats
Where I write... It takes a lot of color to get me through a Paris winter! Writers & others: where do you write or do your creative work? P.s.—this os also dining room, family room, etc, so it’s my writing room only during the schoolday😊. You don’t need a dedicated space to write; you just need dedicated hours. #writing #creativity #Paris #whereiwrite #creativespaces #writingspaces #writinginparis #livingroom #colors #amwriting #orange #blue @lostincheeseland @myparisianlife @parisian_mom_life @michellezaffino @parisobviously @apartmenttherapy Tulips from #ruedelevis Comfy blue chair by @roomandboard Table by @article #thereluctantparisian #creativespaces #tulips @posthocpictura Blue skyline art by @pattieleebecker ❤️❤️❤️
I love the light in Paris on winter afternoons, so glowy & soft. #Paris #thereluctantparisian #6eme #light #parislight #samedi
My intention was to snap this in-your-face Alexander McQueen dress, but the side-eye from the suited guard is even better. #windowshopping #Paris #alexandermcqueen #hotpink #robes #hotpinkdress #ruffles #faubourgsthonore #shade #thevault #thereluctantparisian
En route to @theamericanlibraryinparis to hear @elainesciolino speak about her excellent book The Seine. No transit these days so I walked from Parc Monceau over the Seine at Pont d’Alma to get there. Got to chat with Penelope from the fabulous Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore @theredwheelbarrowbookstore. So much depends upon a sad Metro, glazed with rain water beside the bright station 🐓 #Paris #TheSeine #thereluctantparisian #amreading #l #redwheelbarrowbooks
Galignani Bookstore shopping spree. So well curated, I can never get just one. (Herve Chevalier was on the way home so I got a bag that can hold a lot of books. I’m a big fan of these bags—lightweight, roomy, sturdy & affordable, in gorgeous colors. If you’re in Paris, skip the Louis Vuitton tourist trap & get this bag the locals carry!) #bookstagram #books #bookbag #paris #soldes #pablod’ors #jeanrhys #rebeccaschiff @rebeccaschiff #thereluctantparisian
Everything is still sparkly at Place Vendome. One thing I love about Paris is how safe it feels in many parts of the city to walk alone at night. #ParisWalks #placevendome #nightwalks #bonannée #nouvelleannée #Paris #thereluctantparisian #lumine #cityoflights #cityoflight
This graffiti could be more specific. In what way, exactly? & where’s the “s”? But here is Bukowski on writing, & on love: from ON LOVE: a lady will perhaps meet a man because of the way he writes and soon the lady might be suggesting another way of writing. :but if the man loves the lady he will continue to write the way he does and if the man loves the poem he will continue to write the way he must and if the man loves the lady and the poem he knows what love is/ twice as much as any other man I know what love is. this poem is to tell the lady that. ALSO: In a recent issue of THE RED HAND FILES, the best newsletter in the world, Nick Cave @nickcaveofficial lists the things he doesn’t enjoy now that he no longer does drugs, & Bukowski makes the list. #Montmartre #Paris #graffiti a #Bukowski #thereluctantparisian #nickcave #poetry
This guy & I had a funny meta photobombing faceoff in Montmartre today. Somewhere there’s a picture of me taking a picture of him. #Paris #TheReluctantParisian #montmartre
French things I tried to like but couldn’t. #Paris #escargot #thereluctantparisian
Merry Christmas to friends & family back home. We miss you! 1. Our sweet lopsided tree. 2. Citron vert & caramel glace. 3,4,5. Street scenes with random strangers. 6. The nativity at L’eglise de la Madeleine, inexplicably shrouded in paper. #7. More macarons (just because). 🌲🌲🌲❤️❤️❤️ #merrychristmas #happyholidays #paris #bonnoel #madeleine #leglisedelamadeleine #joyeuxnoel #thereluctantparisian
Sunny Batignolles on Christmas Eve, & crepes at our favorite creperie, @brutus_paris #ChristmasEve #Paris #batignolles #thereluctantparisian
All of these glazed pastry-looking things are actually stuffed with meat products. Yes, that’s someone’s hand slicing foie gras. I love the actual pastries in Paris but the glazed meat bombs: I just can’t. This shop on Ave. Wagram had a line out the door. #Paris #ParisEats #christmasCuisine #thereluctantparisian
Took a walk in the rain with my guy on the shortest day of the year to see the light show. #Paris #EiffelTower #Winter #l’hiver #Seine #TheReluctantParisian
Found at Librarie Galignani: the utterly stunning & hard-to-classify FLIGHTS by Olga Tokarczuk @olgatokarczuk_official @riverheadbooks #bookstagram #amreading #books #travel #Paris @librairiegalignani #TheReluctantParisian
Entering L’Etoile on a “light-traffic” day en route to school as the transit strike continues. (Don’t worry, I’m not driving.) It’s a long drive but an even longer walk home in the afternoons for our son, who will be able to tell his kids, “I walked two miles through Paris traffic in the freezing rain to get home from school.” #RealParis #TheReluctantParisian #arcdetriomphe
A Rue de Rivoli morning: the delightful English language section at Galignani, Christmas tree outside Hotel Crillon, coffee & Christmas cake & terrific people watching at the chic & friendly Café Kitsuné @cafekitsune @librairiegalignani #Paris #ruederivoli #pariscoffee #bookstagram #bookstores #librariesofinstagram #galignani #coffee - #thereluctantparisian
The totally terrifying spinning wheel of doom at Tueleries Christmas Carnival. (Turn on the sound to hear what Paris sounds like on an average day) #soundsofparis #Paris #tuileries #jardindestuileries #ruerivoli #thereluctantparisian
Lady with dog and carousel at the Tueleries “She was walking alone...always with the same white dog; no one knew who she was, and every one called her simply ‘the lady with the dog.’” #Chekhov #paris #tuileries #thereluctantparisian #tuileriesgarden #literaryparis
Wherever we live, I often find myself carrying brownies to a party on an unwieldy platter, poorly wrapped in tin foil. Sometimes the backdrop is more dramatic than other times and I get to say “I walked two miles in velvet heels during the transit strikes to bring you these brownies.” #champselysées #paris #thereluctantparisian #nomarthastewart
Thank goodness for @honorcafe in Paris. Without Philz, I am adrift in this town, but the amazing coffee & fabulous baristas at #HonorCafe remind me of San Francisco #homesick #missingsanfrancisco #bayarea - #amwriting #coffee @philzcoffee #thereluctantparisian
Leave it to the Aussies to make an amazing cup of coffee in Paris. #paris #thereluctantparisian @strada_cafe #stradacafe #caffeine #aussiecoffeeisthebest
The many moods of Monceau. #paris #parcmonceau #parisparks #novembre #thereluctantparisian
Big lights, little lights #paris #eiffeltower #lights #thereluctantparisian
Your daily Eiffel. It’s that tiny thing way off in the distance. (This pic is from yesterday. Today I didn’t allow myself to leave the house because somebody has to finish this book and the only way to finish it is to stay inside)! #amwriting #paris #pontgrenelle #thereluctantparisian #lines
Your daily Eiffel, with storm clouds. #paris #letoureiffel #eiffeltower #thereluctantparisian
Parc Monceau, again. My small piece of nature in the urban jungle. #paris #Parcmonceau #thereluctantparisian
Best cinnamon bun of my life at Rost Bakery in Tallinn. Amazing lemon/poppyseed/cardamom roll & @aeropress coffee too. This place locals live was packed. #tallinn #tallinneats @rostpagar #estonia #cinnamonrolls #bakeries #tallinnbakeries #escapefromparis #thereluctantparisian
A very quiet Halloween night in Tallinn, Estonia. #tallinn #estonia #baltic #halloween #thereluctantparisian
Helsinki by night. This beautiful, friendly, quirky, colorful seaside city reminds me a little of San Francisco. Like San Francisco, it has stolen my heart. #helsinki #finland #escapefromparis #myhelsinki #thereluctantparisian