Paris Doors: Silent Observers of History

I imagine the stories these doors could tell... about the aristocrats and artists who once walked through the doorways and the carriages they rode in, the lovers trysts at their landings, the archways that survived revolutions and wars. They stood during the infancy of many countries in the western hemisphere, the past alive in their cracks and debris. Each wears their history with dignity and splendor... surely they can share a story or two.

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Fête de la Musique

This past Saturday, Paris welcomed the summer solstice and its gift of a sunny cloudless 75 degree day. And if the perfect weather wasn't enough to persuade everyone to head outdoors, the annual celebration of the Fête de la Musique was...

Fête de la Musique is a festival held every year on June 21st, encouraging the performance of amateur and professional musicians of any age, genre and background to perform for the public for free. It offers opportunities for up and coming artists to share their talent and fills the streets with a wonderful atmosphere of community and symphony. Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for Culture, the Fête aims to apply the principle of the music everywhere and the concert nowhere. It is now being held in hundreds of little towns, villages, squares, restaurants and cities all the around the world.

In Paris, a program for the Fête was available to plan and schedule your day... instead, my family decided to walk from the Right Bank to the Left, letting our ears lead the way... my boys were pulled from one corner to the next by the blare of electric guitars, and one band did a terrific job with The Cure's Boys Don't Cry. I was enchanted by a large group of women in straw hats singing in sweet harmony to traditional folk music in front of Eglise St-Severin. Our favorite musician, however, was a gentleman (third photo above) who after wishing us a "bonne fête de la musique," pulled out his melodica and played, just for my boys, a beautiful rendition of Beethoven's Für Elise :) 

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Paris via Instagram: Mai & Juin

I used to wonder as a child how the mere name Paris could denote so many different things, 
so many streets and squares, so many gardens, houses, roofs, chimneys, 
and above it all the shifting, insubstantial sky that crowns our city; 
and the more I thought about it, the more astonishing it seemed to me 
that so vast a city could fit into so short a name.  

- Julien Green, Paris

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The Paris Apartment: Vignettes + Details

It's been a little over three months since moving in to the Paris apartment, and my vision of having it fully decorated and completely lived in by now hasn't quite materialized... but even so, I'm humbled each time I walk inside. After all the other apartments we visited - dark and dreary in comparison - this one literally stopped my heart. For me, it truly lacks for nothing.

But alas we needed beds and closets and desks, so to furnish the space, my husband and I decided to go for a mix of classic/modern design (which we agreed complements the 19th century Haussmann classical style really well), but it's been a bit tricky given our more traditional tendencies. We're also opting to get only what we really need to keep the space as open and uncluttered as possible. I'd love to maintain a clean all-white aesthetic, but it's calling for some complementary colors and artwork for the walls...

So until I can give you a grand tour, I hope these vignettes and details will do. We're really so fortunate to have the opportunity to rent this apartment... luckily the folks who visited before us were turned off by the clutter of the family still living here at the time and couldn't see its potential. Living here, as my parents remind me - so far away from family and friends - has helped ease the transition tremendously, and I don't take a bit of it for granted...

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Light + Shadows | Lumière + Ombres

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Jardin du Luxembourg + the Pigeons of Paris

Like me, my sons are enamored with the pigeons of Paris (remember this post at the Louvre). There are roughly 25 pigeons for each city inhabitant! And wherever we go, I suspect my sons search out their lot of 25 ;)

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