Paris photo journal - Part 1

Yesterday morning I walked a mile to Starbucks and back, planted flowers, worked in my garden a bit, made a delicious breakfast, cleaned my kitchen, and unpacked four suitcases...all before noon.

Jetlag is a magical thing.

That list may sound unimpressive to a morning person, but for someone who is doing well to be up, caffeinated and bathed by even 11 AM, it’s kind of a miracle.

We just returned from a delightful trip to Paris. We ate, walked, saw all the stuff, ate more, shopped just a tiny bit, and ate.

Walking everywhere really negates the effect of carb/macaron overload. Or so I’m told. 

 

Some French habits I'd happily adopt:

-Walking (or biking) everywhere. I think that's how they stay thin.

-Not snacking much. I think this is also how they stay thin. Instead, they'll often sit down at a café in the afternoon to enjoy a cup of coffee, a cold coke or glass of wine, which brings me to my next point...

-Sitting down to enjoy your cup of coffee rather than drinking it on the run.

-Not being afraid of bread. Embracing bread. (Not literally. Okay, literally if you're me.)

-Eating late dinners. I kind of do this anyway, so I fell right into place eating at approximately 9:30 or 10 every night. 

-Eating outside whenever possible. Nine out of ten cafés have outdoor seating. Even if it's raining, people sit outside under the awning to drink their coffee. I witnessed this occurence at multiple cafés one rainy day and was thoroughly impressed.

-Minding your own business. While people watching is indubitably a favorite pastime in Paris, I don't feel like there is as much judgment passed on others. It's either that or people don't care so much what others think of them. How else do you explain the wide acceptance/prominence of PDA? Maybe it's a cultural thing. But I'm someone who is overly self-conscious of publicly displaying my affection, and I kind of loved the fact that nobody would bat an eye if we stopped on the street for a kiss.