London en rose

For a while orange was the new black, whereas for Parisians nothing will EVER replace their beloved favourite "colour" black. By my book PiNk has always been my Parisian black... nothing will ever change my fetish colour!

Tickled pink when I come come across pink objects, London is the perfect place for photography en rose... i just wish I had more time to explore it all!

I wish the Parisians would believe in PiNk!

My perfect little tea place

The day I open a store in Paris, the entrance will look like this!

Spectrum: a band of colours, as seen in a rainbow, even if I only spot pink it will do just fine!

My dream sofa

Un petit boudoir en rose

It wouldn't be a BFF day without Victoria's Secret!

The prettiest ladies powder room... EVER!

The mews: formerly a row of stables, usually with carriage houses below and living quarters above, today are hidden gems reflecting London's chic 21st lifestyle! 

Visiting the city of smoke

London is sometimes referred to as "The Smoke". It received this nickname as a result of pollution from coal fires in homes and factories. The smoke from the fires would mix with the fog that is common in London, and would cover the city. Air pollution laws finally corrected this problem, but the nickname remained.

It is a hop and a skip away from Paris and takes little over two hours to reach by train. I think I could get used to a little escapade to London from time to time. The weather might be the same in both cities but the vibes are decidedly different!

Gare du Nord on a Wednesday afternoon 

Arrived just in time for the legendary afternoon tea at The Claridge's

English roses

When the breakfast in your hotel does not inspire you and 

you pop around the corner to enjoy the best French toast ever!

Frida Kahlo's personal belongings shown outside of Mexico for the first time 

at the The Victoria and Albert Museum

A view from the Ceramic floor onto the V&A entrance

Shopping in Oxford Street

John Lewis department store is already selling Christmas decoration at mid-September 

Liberty, a store opened in 1875 selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East.

Today's department store continues its tradition for fashionable and eclectic design in furniture, fabric, clothes and jewellery.

Happy Hour at The Claridge's with its art deco-influenced interior... as one does!

When many paths cross in London

Let's be honest I did plan my trip to London to see Expat Boy but the timing depended entirely on a completely different matter.

It is known that many International school kids from across the globe choose the UK to pursue their University studies, I had discovered that quite a few of my girlfriends' children were embarking onto their new adventure in London which meant they would be there for introduction week.

I planned to meet an old Genevan friend who had moved to Singapore many years ago, I contacted an old Buenos Aires friend who calls Torino home to see if by chance she were in town... she was. I missed an Italian friend who's son used to be Expat boy's friend in Madrid. We lunched and we happy-houred reminiscing over old times and trying to catch up on the years gone by over a cup of tea or a fancy cocktail.

I managed to squeeze in breakfast with a friend from my Sex and the City gang and spent an entire day with my BFF who is also Expat boy's Godmother. Oh yes, I also took my Godmother out for High Tea at the Hotel Claridges... an absolute delight in every way.

My two-day stunt was a whirlwind of emotions with many happy feelings realising that these friendships all carry on where we had left off. And even though it might sound like a cliché, to me it is a sign that true friends are never lost no matter how long you've been out of touch. True friendship does stand the test of time.

A good giggle, some tears, many stories and even more memories make it all worth while... trust and loyalty are hard to come by these days. When we’re together, we feel appreciated, connected and - most of all - we have fun!

As someone once said: " Friendship isn’t a big thing — it’s a million little things".

Expat boy is growing up

Finally I am in London visiting Expat boy who has begun his internship in the city last month. He is missing his pals and his family and working long hours. Even though I do feel sorry for him and it breaks my heart to see him struggling, it is a lesson he needs to learn.

He needs to make his own bed, iron his shirts, make dinner after a long day's work. He does not have his family at an arm's length to support him and no International school network to welcome him with open arms.

The first few weeks were tough but slowly he is finding his feet. He has hung an Argentinean flag on the wall - he is born a Porteño after all - and transported his playstation from Paris to London to distract himself during his free hours and stocked up on Italian beer, cereals and chips.

Honestly, it took me by surprise to see my big boy not his usual radiant, confident self. I figured having spent the last seven years living in Paris the move to London would be a piece of cake... the same rhythm, same noises, same underground, same hectic urban lifestyle... but I had not calculated that he might miss his backbone: his family.

I left him to it the first month not wanting to be the helicopter mum. We connected via WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype but now the time has come to give him a huge big hug and take him out for a good meal...

... and hey, when your boy who all his life craves nothing but pasta and pizza chooses to eat sushi for dinner you know he will be just fine!

The best view of Paris

Sometimes a discovery is so amazing you just need to repeat it over and over... the view from the top of the tower St.Jacques must be one of the most spectacular ones in all of Paris... and I just can't get enough of it... therefore with the excuse of a dear friend visiting from abroad I booked ourselves two tickets and ascended the 300 steps for the third time this year!

It’s not for the short of breath or weak-kneed, but the dizzying 360-degree vista of Paris from the Tour Saint-Jacques is one of the best-kept secrets of the French capital if you ask me, not least because tickets are not easy to find due to the lack of a permanent license to receive public visitors. But, of course, the French have found a way around that minor inconvenience!

After more than a decade of restauration, it reopened to the public for the first time in 2012, during France’s annual Heritage weekend when visitors are invited inside public buildings of cultural and historical significance.

The tower stands alone in the middle of a little garden of the same name. A tower in the flamboyant Gothic style, built between 1509 and 1523 and the only remaining vestige of the Eglise Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie destroyed in 1797. Few know that this sanctuary was the meeting point on the Via Toronensis (Tours route) of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

The million dollar questions is... how does one get tickets? The answers is: des mots et des arts.com

Stepping out onto a glorious view of Paris

The Tour St.Jacques from down below

The 2nd floor is a flashback in history where the ceiling is the actual top of the tower. 

The tower housed a carillon with 12 bells when it was the bell-tower of the church.

A 360 degree view makes the monuments and landmarks of Paris so close and offers unexpected perspectives.

The Seine running along the Notre-Dame cathedral. 

The district of Les Halles with Saint-Eustache church and the hill of Montmartre.

 

A huge anti-pollution manifestation is gathering beneath our eyes.

Famous Parisian roof tops 

The statue of St. Jacques facing the church

View onto the gardens from 54 meters above.

Paris in the fall

"Paris in the Fall" is just as attractive as the fabled "Paris in the Spring". Along the Seine, on the Champs Elysées, along city avenues and in the public gardens, the flush of autumnal colours gives the city a different look.

In addition, once Parisians are back in town, the city's cultural life gets back into full swing. Les Parisiens start filling their agenda with a full programme of cultural events, including concerts, cinema, shows, and dinners entre amis.

I have been swept up in precisely this whirlwind since I returned from summer vacation and rather busy entertaining visiting friends... but the mood is undoubtedly autumnal!

Trocadero early morning

A jog down Champs de Mars 

A bike ride from Les Invalides 

Looking down George Mandel

La Grande Dame de Fer

La Parisienne 2018

Seven years ago I decided to start my Parisian Expat adventure with a bang by signing up for Europe's biggest female race La Parisienne. I dove into my new home city and have been immersing myself into it ever since.

The highlight of the year, however, must be La Parisienne when the city center shuts down for traffic and 30'000 women invade the streets... and all are smiling!!!

This year we were all particularly happy since the organization and coordination at the starting line seems to improve every time, going from 2 1/2 hours three years ago to roughly one this Sunday.

This year's theme was New York and even though we haven't really figured out why or how, having been born in the city that never sleeps I felt I belonged!

La Parisienne stands for a good cause and for many it is a yearly appointment with their girlfriends or lady colleagues. Some run, others walk but we all cross the finishing line after a 7km circuit. We are all cheered on by dads, kids, music bands and tourists. We all arrive exhausted but happy and we all receive a lovely rose along with our medal. Running for research never felt so good!

What a backdrop for a ladies' race?!?

Spot the intruder! 

Lady Liberty at the Champs de Mars

Rallying under the Eiffel tower ready to go

Warming up with a view onto Trocadero 

This view rocks!

A very special weekend

Seeing one friend after the other leave Paris - going into my eighth year - pretty much all of my soul mates have left the city for their next destination. Don't get me wrong I have friends and I love hanging out with them but the bond you create when arriving in a new city at the same time is unique.

The obvious answer is: make new friends which I have but if there is only one thing better than making a new friend, and that is keeping an old one.

There are two solutions: old stories are like old friends, you have to visit them from time to time OR invite them to come visit you.

For the past three years a dear Swedish friend takes on the journey every September to spend the weekend in Paris and run "La Parisienne" with me. It is a time to catch up and spend some time together just the two of us. A bit of sight-seeing, a little shopping, a hint of culture, lots of walking and even more photos and smiles.

Of course, we treat ourselves to a glass of champagne along the way to celebrate our friendship and when on Sunday morning we cross that finishing line hand in hand I think of Albert Camus' words: "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend."

Warming up for La Parisienne by climbing the 300 steps of the St.Jacques tower...

and the view is spectacular.

Les Halles is well worth a visit for its impressive architecture.

A new discovery... Tintin mural in the 2nd arrondissement

Too early for champagne, how about some cidre?

When your son's name is written on the wall!

I wonder what this store used to sell?

Unmistakably ... Galerie Vivienne

Nope, that limo is not waiting for us.

A delicious dinner with only the freshest produce.

Ready, set, go!

A well deserved drink on a beautiful sunny Sunday in Paris!