It’s Monday, my husband went back to work today (no more confinement, as the French call it), so it’s me and my girls all day. And a to-do list I’ve created that is as long as my arm. But you know what is mostly on my mind? Paris. And how I can feel Parisian everyday, even when I can’t go to the source.
Bringing Paris to me
In my spare moments I have been watching the Instagram stories of my favorite Parisians enjoying their city once more, and it gives me hope that I will indeed be there in late Summer. (Edit: I had no idea how much wishful thinking I was generating. Indeed it is almost a year later and still have no set time for trying to go. Le sigh).
So here is how I am bringing it home and living a French inspired life on this weird Monday, in a weird month, during some truly weird times.
Read "The Sweet Life in Paris," by David Lebovitz
David is one of my (and everyone else’s) favorite expats and authors. Did I mention he cooks and bakes, too? I have many of his books, and this is one of his first I believe, but I am only just now getting around to reading it. It is chock-full of great easy recipes and recommendations for his favorite restaurants, boulangeries, markets, etc. in Paris.
Click to order:
Make a French cocktail
What could make you feel more Parisian than a cocktail?
I promise this post isn’t just a David Lebovitz fan club, but I just received his newest book “Drinking French.” It is a recipe book for France’s most famous café, apéro, and cocktail drinks. I’ve made a few of them, such as the rosemary gimlet, bicyclette and the kir royale. The latter two definitely take me back to my days in France, and all of them have been delicious. Not only that, but Mr. Lebovitz reposted my Instagram post in his stories and commented on my post! STAR STRUCK.
There are many, many delicious looking drinks from Mr. Lebovitz’s book that I am excited to try. It will, however, take some bolstering of my liquor cabinet. Some of the required mixers and liqueurs are not things I commonly keep on hand, but are used for several different recipes in his book. I guess I will need to slowly acquire them.
Want some other francophile book recommendations? Go here!
Transport yourself to Paris through Music
I got word that Ina Garten created a “Trip to Paris Playlist” on Spotify, and have been listening to it at every opportunity. It is so good! I was a fan of Ina already, and I knew that she owned an apartment in Paris and visited frequently (thus living my best life). She is therefore a fellow francophile and I think we should be friends.
Her playlist is absolutely transportive. I have even been playing it outside while my girls play. My 4 year-old is having me translate every song, so it is also great language practice! If you don’t have Spotify, here are a few of my favorites from her playlist:
C’est Si Bon, Eartha Kitt
The Summer Wind, Madeleine Peyroux
Sympathique, Pink Martini (a favorite)
Jardin d’Hiver, Keren Ann
L’ombre et la Lumière, Coralie Clement
Meet You at the Moon, Imelda May
The art of feeling Parisian: shopping
Ok, it’s no secret that social media targets you with ads that you are most likely to click on and make purchases. But boy, do they have my number. It’s been so bad I recently had to go into my settings and tell Facebook to stop sending me certain ads, as I was way too tempted to buy things.
So what happens then? They send me different but related ads from similar brands and the cycle starts again. On my blog’s Instagram account, I am targeted by French brands, bien sûr, and I now feel I need this Sézane sweater. You know, despite the fact that it is in the upper 80’s here in Florida and I wouldn’t wear it for the next six months… How better to feel Parisian everyday than in a Sézane sweater?
You can check out my other Francophile shopping recommendations too, if you’re interested.
Binge a French show on Netflix
I plan to do an entire post on my favorite French films and shows, but I just have to share that I discovered “Bonfire of Destiny” this past week (or, “Le Bazar de la Charité“) on Netflix, and it was excellent.
It centers around a horribly tragic fire that occurred in Paris in 1897. Mostly women were attending the event that took place when the fire happened, and the series follows the lives of three women in the aftermath of the trauma. The series has it all: love, danger, crime, mystery, tout. Not to mention I am a total sucker for period dramas, especially la belle époque.
Others I highly recommend: “Call my Agent!”, “Lupin,” and “Versailles.”
Et toi?
Alors, what do you do to feel Parisian everyday? How do you live a French inspired life? I would love to know so please comment below! Et je vous souhaite une très bonne semaine!
À la prochaine-
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