Bonjour Katrina

A friend of mine recently reached out about visiting Paris and when I asked where he and his wife were planning to stay, I just couldn't restrain myself and wrote a lengthy e-mail with recommendations of more restaurants and places to visit than one could possibly have time to see in one weekend. You are now the beneficiary of that email. Make sure to put everything in google maps so you can potentially pop in if you're in the area. Most of these are located in the 4th, 5th, and 12th Arrondissements of Paris. Enjoy!

A few days ago I picked up an old journal and read some of my entries from a couple of years ago. After I closed it, I thought, why oh why didn't I write more! Even though the days were seemingly mundane, every entry was so sweet.  I mean how many moms get to write something like, "Today I dropped off my son at school and then walked around Luxembourg garden with my daughter. It was a little chilly, so I decided the next time we go (tomorrow), I will buy her a hot chocolate so she has something to keep her warm while she's admiring the ducks swimming in the Medici Fountain." That wasn't a real journal entry, but it could have been! I can't go back in time and make myself journal, but I've decided I can do my best to recall things and share them with you. You'll get the gist of what it's really like to live in Paris. 

      Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

Apparently the coffee culture in Paris has radically changed in the last 10 years.  Before moving here I read David Lebovitz's book, "The Sweet Life in Paris", and when I came across the chapter on coffee (my favorite chapter--duh), I was shocked to hear that the coffee in France is horrible.  Living in Boston for 6 years had spoiled me with the very best coffees, but at least now I was prepared.  "Ok. I'll just have to switch to tea," I thought.

Since we arrived in September, my husband and I have entertained a number of visitors.  I feel like we’re still tourists in the city we’ve been living in for almost 10 months- having kids makes it difficult to get out and discover things, who knew? But we’ve come up with a Parisian tour, and if it’s your first time coming to Paris, I highly recommend you hit up these spots- even if they are basic.