Dreaming of Paris...Going to Paris!

At home in Paris I take a milk bath two times a week, but here on the road it is more difficult. I miss them.

-Anna Held

I have always had an obsession with Paris, ever since I went there as a 16-year-old high school exchange student. Never mind that I was housed in a dismal suburb with a dysfunctional, anti-semitic girl and her family. I learned all sorts of obscure or embarassing words in French (squirrel, pregnant) and begun to dream in French. I continued my French studies through Freshman year of college and have made many French-American friends with whom to practice my French, and bought scarves a plenty since then. I have always aimed to capture that elusive French style in my own dress and lifestyle. Can you say "coffee in a bowl"?   Not that I have ever taken a milk bath but, Damn, those French just have a way of taking care of their sensual side. Whether it's cooking simple and delicious food seemingly effortlessly or throwing a scarf on without thinking twice about how to tie it, the French just seem to have style in spades.  

I haven't been to Paris in 25 years and I think it's about time. I have been to France several times, when we exchanged our home with a Barcelona couple for a month two summers ago. We went to glorious Provence, and to under appreciated Toulouse, to see the Tour de France. We got "stuck" in Toulouse when our car died and had to wait for repairs. Toulouse is beautiful, the real, un-touristed France. But now it's time for Paris! I am celebrating TEN YEARS cancer free and we are GOING TO PARIS! I am so excited I am jumping out of my skin! We will be staying with dear friends who have moved to Le Marais, an historic and central area known for it's gay bars and orthodox Jews. Perfect! I will be sketching in cafés with my husband, and eating amazing food with our friends who have been scouting out the best créperies and bistros for a year. We'll also drive to Brittany for 3 nights, staying in the beach town of Concarneau and visiting the rustic and traditionally Breton town of Quimper. I'll let you know if I take a milk bath. I will definitely eat crepes! Au revoir!

Seattle Getaway

We spent the weekend in snowy Seattle(!) in the beautiful Lake Washington neighborhood of Madrona. How did we get away with two teens in tow who only wanted to stay home and do, well, teen-things? We exchanged our home with a wonderful family through the really cool home exchange program called Intervac This was our second exchange--the first time we went to Barcelona for 4 weeks and loved every minute of the adventure. Some people can't understand why we would feel comfortable leaving our home, animals and, in the case of the Barcelona trip, our cars, in the care of strangers. Yes, it's totally a trust thing. Usually house exchangers never meet the people with whom they are swapping houses but we have met both of our exchange families, adding to the fun and intimacy of the experience. We were surprised by the 6 inches of snow that fell on our leafy, hilly walking neighborhood and fell in love with Franz, the cat! To address the teen issue we spent the ENTIRE day at EMP (Experience Music Project) which was built in homage to Seattle's own Jimi Hendrix. There were super cool interactive exhibits on Nirvana and the Seattle grunge scene, the history of the electric guitar, the Avatar movie, and a whole area where you could play and record music on electric instruments in little soundproof booths. We scored big with the kids but we were in heaven too!