« J’ai deux amours — mon pays et Paris. Par eux toujours, Mon coeur est ravi. » - Joséphine Baker
This month, more than ever, most (actually, all) of the links that I bookmarked are about travel and Paris. As much as I am so grateful for my health and security at home, I am longing to return to Paris. Today was to be the beginning of “Plan C” — the third iteration of a spring 2020 trip to Paris. Plan A was an extension of the PHS Band Spring Break trip to Prague, Austria, and Venice, followed by a personal long weekend in Paris after the rest of the group returned home on April 9th. Plan B was a solo Spring Break trip to Paris — a glorious week alone to do whatever I’d like. Plan C, when we thought that we might be quarantined for just two weeks, was an extended Memorial Weekend alone in Paris. How true and how ironic to say that hindsight is 20/20 (2020)!
So I remain safely at home with an airline voucher, afflicted only with wanderlust. I know that I will return to my beloved Paris when it is safe to do so. We hope to take our original Spring Break trip over Thanksgiving Break, so I maybe I will be in Paris just in time for Christmas markets and animated department store windows. I may also re-establish my annual February trip. After all, that’s when spring actually begins in Paris. In the meantime, I think it’s time to resurrect my popular French Fridays series that I unceremoniously abandoned exactly one year ago. I’m not sure why I ever stopped, but I, for one, could use a weekly reminder of what I’m missing and what I look forward to experiencing again. What do you think?
Let’s begin with a virtual get-away to Paris via this month’s Links I Love:
There have been so many articles about brining Paris home:
How to Experience Paris From Your Home — apéros, movies, shopping, books and blogs (I have to step up my game!), and planning future trips
How to Pretend You’re in Paris at Home — recipes, playlists (even Parisian street sounds), fashion tips, lifestyle tips (adopting the French pace of the day), virtual museum visits, more apéros, movies, and books
A new way to travel to Paris: Paris in Your Home — still more movies, books, music, and recipes plus flowers and language lessons
From Touring the Louvre to Cooking French Delicacies, Here's How to Take a 'Magnifique' Virtual Trip to France — music, movies, books, and virtual museum tours — by now, you get it! There is a lot of overlap among these articles by “too much of Paris” is not nearly enough.
A Virtual Visit to Paris for the Day — I love the idea of sharing a personally perfect day in Paris and will revisit it in upcoming French Friday posts.
Free Paris Coloring Pages — Who doesn’t like to color? It’s great therapy.
Midnight in Paris Filming Locations in Paris & Beyond — I have been to 15 of the 19 locations, but I still need to visit the Hotel Bristol, Le Grand Véfour and Le Polidor restaurants, the quirky Deyrolle taxidermy shop, and of course, the flea markets of Saint-Ouen.
Photos of Paris During Coronavirus, From Empty Streets to Messages of Hope on the Eiffel Tower
'Christian Dior, Designer of Dreams' at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs — the dresses, the drawings, the architecture…swoon!
The Best Hotel Bars in Paris — I have visited the Ritz four times now. Who can resist a Miss Bond served by the inimitable barman, Colin Fields? Yet, perhaps, next time I should try a new place.
Why Cocktail Hour Is Back — When did it go away?
What to Buy When Starting a French Bar at Home — David Lebovitz’s recommendations
50 Most Beautiful Cities in the World — I have been to 13 of them and I bet you can guess which city is #1 🖤
The Future of Travel: How the industry will change after the pandemic — We shall see…
