Thursday, May 30, 2013

The new guard: Paris in Four Months


Last year, while reading my friend Erica’s ever-popular blog,HipParis.com, I noticed some reoccurring names—les filles who were contributing photos and/or stories to the blog. Call me slow on the uptake, but after a couple months I realized, wow, there’s a whole new generation of expat bloggers over there in Paris! Since I’ve been back in New York, life has gone on in Paris and a whole new wave of free-spirited, fun-loving, starry-eyed women are eating it up as I once did. It’s been a bittersweet delight to follow them since: To see their gleeful smiles, to read about their challenges and triumphs, and to see Paris through their-same-but-different eyes. For they’ve all found each other through blogging and overlapping circles, and I can’t help but think of my nearly two years in Paris and the friends I made from blogging. So I wanted to share a little about each of them in the coming weeks. Here’s to the “new guard” of Paris bloggers!



Carin Olsson of Paris in Four Months is a Swedish photographer who has a way with words. She’s also a kindred spirit, with a bona fide weakness for sweets. She’s thoughtful, elegant, and, man does she have a great eye. My favorite thing about Carin’s photos is that they capture exactly how I used to feel, walking around Paris: charmed, awed, seduced, joyful.



Now it’s your turn—meet Carin!



Hometown:

Stockholm, Sweden



Current quatier:

4th arrondissement



How long have you been in Paris?

In total it’s now around 8 ½ months.



What brought you there?

The desire to see something new and different, experience a totally different city than what I was used to, challenge myself and to learn the language. I moved to Paris the first time during four months and after those months were up I decided to come back again. This time because I’d fallen in love with the city.



Your favorite thing about living in Paris:

Could it be “thing(s)”? In that case it would have to be: the pastries, the architecture, the "joie de vivre", the small streets, the many cafés, the outdoor markets, the food, the parks and the wonderful scent the city has during very early spring mornings and evenings.



The coolest thing about being an expat:

I’ve met so many amazing people. The people I've meet here in Paris so far will be dear friends for life.



Your “secret” about Paris:

Forget the idea of all Parisians being rude! If you try your best (meaning: always greet someone with a "bonjour", say "merci" and don’t forget "au revoir" before leaving) you'll most likely get politeness in return.



Your favorite thing to blog about:

Since my blog is mostly based on photographs I’ll read this question as “your favorite thing to photograph” if that’s okay ;) And that has to be the lovely Parisian streets. It seems like I never get tired of running around with my camera, capturing the white, grey and beige buildings and streets in this city. I also love the city a little bit extra during the springtime when everything is starting to bloom! That makes some gorgeous photographs.



Right Bank or Left Bank:

Oh, this is a hard one. I think it has to be the Left Bank in general for me, but I'm absolutely in love with the lively and cozy Marais neighbourhood, all the new restaurants in the 11th and the luxurious shopping in the 1st. So preferably, a mixture of both.  



Café Flore or Deux Magots:

Le Deux Magots. Just because of the service, actually. They've always been very nice to me and unfortunately I’ve had some bad encounters at Café de Flore (although I have to admit that I still love the actual café).



Tuileries or Luxembourg:

The Luxembourg Gardens for sure. It's one of my favourite parks in Paris.



Ladurée or Pierre Hermé:

Ladurée for the pretty boxes but Pierre Hermé for anything eatable.



WH Smith or Gaglinani:

WH Smith



Steak Frites or Salade Chevre Chaud:

Steak Frites



Costes or Crillon:

They're both so gorgeous, but I must say that adore Crillon because of the classic beauty (I can't believe they're remodelling the whole hotel now!), but there's no better place to be than at Costes for Paris fashion week…



Colette or Merci:

Merci. I love Colette but it's almost impossible to get through the doors nowadays, it’s always so packed. At Merci I prefer the downstairs area or the used book café.



Croissant or tartine:

Croissant



Rykel or Roitfeld:

Roitfeld



Café terrace or canal-side picnic:

I know it's not an option but I would say Seine-side picnic if possible?



Camembert or Comté:

Comté

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Portuguese & peanut butter

Paris, My Sweet, translated into Portuguese for Brazil. Topped with a perfect peanut butter cookie from City Bakery, New York.

What's your favorite eat & read pairing?

Monday, May 27, 2013

My Vegan Mondays

I've been working on an article about ice cream sundaes and dining on lots of cheese and wine lately. It was due time for a wee break from dairy.
 
Morning
Coffee and soy milk
Oatmeal

Afternoon
Whole Foods salad bar
The first cherries of the season

Evening
Farro with roasted asparagus and sundried tomatoes
Chocolate
Tea

Friday, May 24, 2013

Is it really summer? 2013?

I looked around my apartment when I got home last night and was disgusted. Admittedly anal under normal circumstances, my apartment was so grubby that I just grossed myself out.



The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, mostly to do with the apartment search. We are (knock on wood) about to sign a contract on a lovely apartment in Prospect Heights, a gorgeous Brooklyn neighborhood. This, after getting screwed over on another Manhattan apartment, and then pulling out of another deal at the last minute, and finding out the original buyers of this apartment got cold feet and we were next in line in the bidding war, all in a matter of two weeks.



Coupled with being gone the past few weekends (Sweetlife!)...





(Girls weekend at Canyon Ranch, Miami!)…



and constant presentation mode at work...



... and I’ve been totally out of touch. Thus the absence in blogging (thanks again, El, for reaching out to make sure I was okay!) and the gross state of my apartment (now rectified).



But I've also slowed down the blogging as it’s been over two years since I returned from Paris. I still think about it and pine for it all the time. But life has changed. I look at blogs of all the expats there now and it makes me smile. It makes me wistful. There’s a whole new era of Paris bloggers who are loving life in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate). I’m going to share a profile of some of them in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out one of them, Carin Olsson of the impossibly gorgeous Paris in Four Months, and enter for your chance to win a copy of Paris, My Sweet.



And don't forget: this weekend marks the unofficial start to summer. Live it up! Love it up! It's going to be brilliant!

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Five things worth waiting in line for

Un pain aux raisins, first thing in the morning
Ou, un croissant amande
Une tranche de quiche—de préférence epinards et saumon

Clafoutis: dense, eggy, brimming with berries
Une demi baguette in the evening, warm, crunchy and doughy

What's your on your list?

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Signs of spring

What else is spring good for other than roaming around the city?
 So much beauty in bloom. (Fare thee well, winter doldrums.)
It's time to take in sights, rarely seen...
 ... and find new ways of looking at the everyday.
It's time for rosé!
And asparagus. (Shaved on a pizza with black truffles and quail eggs.)
And brunch with friends.
How are you celebrating spring?