Paris

My favorite café gourmand – café crème, honey ice cream, chocolate mousse and crème brulee.

Most restaurants in Paris offer a café gourmand on their menu. It’s a creation that includes an espresso and a few mini-desserts, served on the same plate. The mini-desserts are usually the choice of the Chef, but some of the smaller restaurants will let you choose from a variety of pre-determined Chef selections. On my last day in Paris my waiter at the Café Primrose let me order my two favorite items.

Wikipedia claims that café gourmand began in Paris in 2005, but who knows? The translation for café gourmand is gourmet coffee; or greedy coffee. All I know is it’s a way to have a variety of desserts, in portions that don’t make you feel too guilty!!!

My last café gourmand in Paris – café crème and sweet cheese with raspberry coulis; and a café crème

Someone else’s Café Gourmand

“A Moveable Feast” is a series of short stories about Hemingway’s early years in Paris from 1921 to 1926. The stories highlight the life of a young writer and the development of his writing process. Reading the book after seeing Paris, allowed me to recognize some of the streets, places and people mentioned in the stories and relive my experiences. Once you visit Paris, the book can ignite memories and can bring a smile to your heart and transport you back to Paris in a flash. As Hemingway said, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”

This site represents my moveable feast; the memories of Paris that will never be lost; that I will carry around with me wherever I go. As this site grows I will try to remember to point out to you the streets, places, and the people mentioned in this book so you can truly share my memories and discoveries.

While trying to limit the food posts, this photo of my favorite cup of coffee which also happens to be Hemingway’s favorite . . . café crème . . . could not be avoided. When you go to Paris for the first time and order café, they will bring you an espresso unless you specify café au lait or café crème. So make the waiters happy and be specific about your coffee.

In love with Paris and Hemingway – Some of his quotes and a link to his Key West, Florida home and museum. July 21, 2014 marked the 115th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s birth – remember and celebrate his genius.

Brooks carried me through the streets of Paris, through the metros and trains and up and down the many, many, many stairs. Brooks rested along the Seine and enjoyed the many parks and trips to the Champs de Mar where we held class and enjoyed picnics.

Brooks supported me and helped me make new friends. With a pedometer securely fastened on his front, he kept track of all the steps I took in Paris (at least the steps I took with him) from June 20, 2014 until July 17, 2014. We walked 153,556 steps together; more than 48 miles. He was new when we started this trip and after 28 days, he’s just a little dusty.

Thanks to Brooks, I was able to really experience Paris, to walk through the different Arrondissements, and to see areas that most tourists don’t have an opportunity to see. Walking forces you to slow down, to take a look at your surroundings and appreciate your world. You don’t have to travel to another country to find new and unique sites. There is history all around you. It’s time to make your history.

Welcome to my Paris impressions. Photos and stories from the month I spent studying the Medieval History of Paris. Thanks to Teo Ruiz who taught me how to fully engage with the program, I will forever love Paris and plan to return every year from now on.

Walking along the Seine and enjoying the bridges of Paris you notice all of the locks that visitors have placed on the bridges as symbols of their love. The first locks may have been a real expression of love but you can see how the locks have become commercialized. Before you can walk the bridges, you are approached by vendors with a variety of locks you can purchase. On the bridges there are more vendors encouraging you to purchase a lock.

The locks have taken over the bridges and their weight causes damage to the bridges. The locks block the view and have become real eye sores.

I didn’t really notice how the locks block the view and detract from the overall beauty of Paris until I was examining my photo of a beautiful bride that I happened to catch on the bridge. As I checked the background, I was disappointed to see all of the locks.

Perhaps the bride had come to the bridge for the locks, but more probable, she had come to the bridge to have the Eiffel Tower or some other incredible landmark as background.

When you go to Paris resist the temptation to “show your love” by placing a lock on the bridge or any other structures, like the Flame of Liberty.

Click here for more information about Love Locks or to sign the petition to eliminate love locks and find an alternative way to express your love.

Being able to see the Eiffel Tower everyday is inspiring. It looks a little bit different from every place you view it, and from the various times of day and night. From the top of The Arc de Triumph on a semi-cloudy day you get a feel of just how massive the Eiffel Tower is and how much the Eiffel Tower holds the attention of the entire city.

From the Citadine about midnight, during one of the nightly lightshows, you are treated to a different feeling of the Eiffel Tower. Your eyes and your heart have a chance to twinkle and smile along with the lights from the Tower. Enjoy these images that represent just two of the multiple personalities of the Eiffel Tower and check back soon to see more images of Paris.