What do you think of when I say “Notre Dame.” OK, now stop chanting “Rudy” and imagine that I said it in a more dignified air: “NOOOH-truh DAAAAAAHM.” Yup, that one. After several months in PEH-reee, Kristi and I had walked past this stone postcard model numerous times, pausing briefly to take snapshots. This church—arguably the […]
Located in the 8th arrondissement to the north of the Seine, Place de la Concorde is one of the most famous public squares in Paris. Built in 1755 as Place de Louis XV, it was later incorporated by Georges-Eugene Haussmann in the late 19th century as a pivot in a grand avenue that connects Arc […]
I peered outside our apartment window and saw a thick cluster of clouds smothering a blue sky. Today could be the day. I recently decided that it was morally deplorable to live in Paris for six months and not have a picture of the Eiffel Tower at sunset. At 3:30pm, I packed up my camera and tripod […]
Tasting unfamiliar foods, taking wild forms of transportation, or immersing yourself in an incomprehensible language are the types of experiences that drive most to travel. Some are locked away in travel journals, others are fodder at cocktail parties, but it’s those rare experiences that challenge a persons fervent beliefs of what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s […]
My native Seattle has as annual auto show, and it’s a great place to see what will be gracing showroom floors the following year. But such shows aren’t the grand venues where automakers debut new models, display one-off prototypes, and spend millions to persuade attendees that their keychains need a new piece of hardware. The […]
If a way to man’s heart is through his stomach, then perhaps the best way to understand the essence of a city is through its bowels. Or maybe it’s just an interesting way to spend € 4.50. Either way, The Paris Sewer Museum (Musée Égouts de Paris) is just a baguette’s toss from the Eiffel Tower […]
No one comes to Paris for the birds. But because many European travel itineraries loop through the City of Light, birders would be well served to bring their binoculars. After perusing paintings at the Louvre and consuming sweets at the corner patisserie, take a morning and explore one of the locations outlined below. You may […]
Flat stages are a blur of motion and tire hum; mountain stages are slow enough to study each riders face; somewhere in between lies the last, largely ceremonial stage of the Tour de France as the remaining riders roll into Paris. No matter where you watch the Tour, it will always end before you want […]
Learn where to go birdwatching in Paris “You’ll never find birds in Paris.” It was a common response when I told fellow birdwatchers that my wife and I were moving to Paris – after, of course, bubbling adoration for French sweets, sites, and Sancerre. Indeed, a quick scan of a Paris map will furrow a […]
Squish… It is an unmistakable sound. It was just shy of midnight on Thursday night. I was returning to our flat after watching a Euro 2012 football match (England v Sweden) at a pizza joint in the city. It been raining all evening and pools of water had collected on the poorly lit stretch of […]