High expectations for French wine are not always met. It’s hard to believe, but taking visitors out for dinner and drinks in Paris has become something of a potential embarrassment. It isn’t to do with the cost – though I … Read More
It is a matter of public record that I adore living in France in general and Paris in particular. So much so, in fact, that when a French friend asked me the other day if there was anything I … Read More
Nick Woods (right) gets a friendly handshake from the counterman. “France would be great without the French,” was the hackneyed expression I used to hear often back in Britain. Now that I live in Paris, I hear: “How are you … Read More
A small argument broke out as I was sitting at the back of the number 26 bus from the Gare du Nord recently. A well-dressed, middle-aged lady was upset at a young man sitting next to her after he … … Read More
Favorite Paris Scams To hear the fraudsters tell it, the streets of Paris really are paved with gold. One of the great things about living in a city is being able to watch charlatans at work. I grew up in … Read More
Bad Air, Bad Hair The pollution police on the Place de la République, stopping cars to check their emission levels. “What’s that in your hair, Nick?” asked a friend during a recent, over-priced macrobiotic meal in the fifth arrondissement. “Dunno. … Read More
Vive la France or Leave la France ? What’s the world coming to if you can’t get a coffee in a Paris café? While flat-hunting in the capital city of my dreams last summer, a French friend asked why on … Read More
Hanging the Pot Hanger The crémaillère in full swing. The full report next month… “Alors, c’est quand ta crémaillère, Nickolas?” asked a wrinkly-before-her-time friend of mine through an exhalation of strong French cigarette smoke as we sat outside at a … Read More
Les Bloggeurs de Paris Little Shiva in disguise. Photo: Richard Nahem Who knew that Paris had so many English-language bloggers? A bevy of them recently tore themselves away from their computers to socialize (and network, of course) at a cocktail … Read More
Welcome to France Be careful what you put on your toothbrush. For years the same dream: driving over a gigantic cross-Channel bridge and landing in a stylish, open air café in a square in Montmartre. After years of stalling, British-born … Read More
