SO so adorable!!!!

Sorry to my English-only readers but I just HAD to share this video of two tiny kids who are "in love." It's totally charming, sweet and really just ADORABLE to hear how they talk about one another and how much they love each other.

Enjoy!

New Music Monday

I'm not ashamed to hide the fact that I was choir nerd in high school. Well, if I'm being honest, elementary school, middle school, high school AND college!

There's something about amazing a capella music that still gets me and probably will for the rest of my life. Imagine my delight when I discovered Sam Tsui, a student at Yale who has made a few amazing videos of himself singing a capella. The editing is fantastic - you really think that's it a group singing when really it's just Tsui himself.

You've got to love the first video, a throw-back and tribute to Michael Jackson that features my favorite Jackson song "Man in the Mirror."



And don't forget to watch the cover of my new favorite show Glee's version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." If these don't make your Monday, I don't know what will!



Enjoy!!!

Paris area pools ban the "burquini"

In what has become quite a hot-button issue in France lately, area Muslims who wish to wear traditional head coverings have come under attack on a variety of levels.

I was fascinated by this video (in French, sorry) of a Muslim woman who purchased a bathing suit known as a "burquini" that allows her to enjoy swimming without uncovering herself. Goodness knows the Paris summers are hot and sticky enough that everyone could use a little water refreshment.

She's been banned from the pools, who say that her suit does not conform to pool standards (that are apparently pretty strict around here - see my previous post!). She's filed a complaint claiming that she has been discriminated against - again, a hot-button issue, but a sign of the times here in Paris these days.

What do you think? Should bathers be able to wear whatever they'd like, or do pools have the right to regulate the type of swimwear permitted on the premises?

Breitbart.tv Paris Pool Bans Muslim Swimsuit

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Budapest break!

Every so often, I love taking a trip to a new country and exploring and soaking in the new experience. Last year at this time we visited Warsaw in Poland and this year, our Eastern European city pick is Budapest. One of the main reasons why I love living in Europe so much is the proximity and accessibility to new countries and different cultures. It's the thing that I think I would miss the most if I returned to the U.S.

It's only been about 24 hours but already I'm loving it! We've been doing a LOT of walking, sightseeing and picture-taking, but have also have taken the time to relax.


It's such an adventure to use a new currency, discover new sights (including fabulous street art!) and just relax in comfy, quiet hotel rooms!


More Budapest updates to come...

9 reasons why...

....I LOVE the American Library in Paris! Can't wait to get reading!

I'm still dreaming of the day when I can have a KEF library room of my own!

The calm before the storm....

Pizza? Or a cover for something more sinister..???

Check out this restaurant that I spotted while walking around Levallois just north of Paris the other day....

Made me giggle! :)

Mouth-watering

As seen yesterday in the Berko cupcake shop nestled between the Marais and Beaubourg...

Cupcakes clearly inspire me...so check out what I have to say about this place here on Spotted By Locals - Paris!

Berko
23 rue Rambuteau
75004 Paris

PS 22 Chorus

As many of you know I am a self-proclaimed choir nerd. After singing in ensembles for over ten years, I will forever have a soft spot for a good choir.

One of the coolest things I've seen in a long time is this NYC public school choir that covers songs beautifully from across the years. Although I've been following them since they've busted onto the YouTube scene, this song, Forever Young by Alphaville brought tears to my eyes - so beautiful and one of my favorite songs anyway.

Enjoy - and check out their YouTube page to listen to their cover of Journey's Don't Stop Believin', another favorite!

Love and hate

I've been realizing more and more how much my relationship with my beloved adopted hometown can be likened to an on-again/off-again romantic relationship.

I've started to put this idea to words and hope to share something more concrete with you all in the very near future but in the meantime, isn't it uncanny how this city and living here invokes a feeling of a romantic relationship? Do any of you have similar feelings about your real or adopted hometowns?

I'm very curious....

....by the way, I NEED these shoes!!!!


Photo credit, designwallah

Asterix in the 13e

While walking around the 13e arrondissement last weekend, I noticed a huge number of cartoonish thought bubbles all over the place...after a brief consultation with my resident France expert, it turns out these are famous quotes from the legendary French cartoon Asterix.

What a cool way to liven up an otherwise business-like area! This one says "It is fresh, my fish! It's FRESH!"

Follow me on Twitter!

As a self-confessed social media nerd, I've been using Twitter for personal purposes for well over a year now - and I love it!

A couple of months ago, I decided to start a more general Twitter account for all to see based on Paris, the things I see daily, and travel writing in general. I'm proud to announce my Twitter account to all of you - EverythingParis !!! This is THE place to go for up to the minute updates on what I'm doing, what I'm seeing, and what's going on in my Paris. With well over 300 followers in just under three months, I am excited to be making the world of travel and interest in Paris even smaller by being a part of this community.

I look forward to seeing you there - please add me as follower and feel free to contact me directly this way...

Love it!

Fête de la Musique - Sounds of Summer - June 21st

I've been lucky enough to be a part of Spotted By Locals - Paris for the better half of 2009. Spotted By Locals, as I've mentioned before, is an awesome website where European city residents share some of their favorite tips and ideas of things to do in their area. Check out my most recent article either here or on the main page. Enjoy!

Fête de la Musique - Sounds of Summer - June 21st

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Photo by agramainio

Spotted in the 15e Arrondissement

While walking around and exploring this afternoon/evening, I came across a sign that made me laugh out loud...posted right in front of a public pool was this sign, explaining that bathing suits are required. I didn't realize at first that it meant no boardshorts or baggy swim trunks allowed - basically speedos only. I had a good chuckle for a minute wondering if people really needed to be told that they had to wear bathing suits to the pool!

But the real question is....why no swim trunks???? Anyone?

She's baaaaaaack!!!

No, no need to adjust your screens and monitors....I'm really posting again. Yup, almost two months later! My hand is WAY better, stitches are out, physical therapy is ongoing, and gone are all the heinous painkillers and scary nerve drugs! Best part of all - I feel like the surgery really worked! Although I'm not at all at 100%, I finally feel comfortable to fall back into my routine of typing and computer use. Believe me - it's been a LOOOONG few months!

Here's an "after" photo to go along with the "before" from the last post....the photo quality isn't amazing, but you get the idea. In honor of May Day and long weekends in sunny Paris, I'm back with a vengeance! Thanks for all of your well-wishes along the way, and it's good to be back!



P.S. I know that I have a HUGE backlog of emails/correspondence to catch up on, so do apologize in advance if you've been waiting to hear from me!

Out of commission....

I'll be taking a bit of a break but will be back soon!!!

-K

More Parisian street art - Latin Quarter

I took a walk today in my neighborhood to run a few errands and was once again reminded of why I love walking in Paris - the random art that pops up all over street corners, buildings and really everywhere else is one of my favorite things to discover.

Today was no exception - here are a few of my favorites!

I especially love the Ghandi one.

Do you have any street art to recommend that I may have missed?

La Maire D'Eu

Say it quickly and you'll see why I've got the giggles. Apparently, there's a little town on the border of Normandie and Picardie that's called simply "Eu."


Photo taken from the article linked below. (Charles Bremner)

Why is this funny? Well - first of all "eu" is the sound that's made in French when people are at a loss for words...kind of like "um" or "uh" in English. Could you imagine answering the question "where are you from?" with "Ummmm?"

I recently spotted this article which details the town's struggle not only to change their name because of its sound, but also because it can't be found in Google searches by tourists. Think about it - googling "Eu" will probably give you a whole host of hits regarding the European Union, conjugations of the French verb "avoir" and a whole handful of other things OTHER than this French town.

Although the name change is opposed by some residents, the Mayor is pushing to adapt the name to attract increased tourist activity - something that has been difficult in this internet age with a town name that's so hard to distinguish.

It's definitely a story I want to follow to see whether or not La Maire d'Eu succeeds in her quest.

MIss Tic Street Art - Perfect Timing!

As my faithful readers know, I am a huge fan of the street art that I stumble upon accidentally every day here in Paris.

Here's another example of the lovely Miss Tic whose works seem to spring out at me exactly when I need them to. I posted one of her pieces a few months ago, which I also fell upon completely by accident.



While walking through the 13e arrondissement this afternoon, I was feeling a bit down, a bit overwhelmed by a handful of events that are happening in my life, and listening to especially nostalgic music on my iPod. I literally stopped in my tracks when I discovered this Miss Tic piece which translates to "It's life - this will pass." The most poignant part of all was the fact that someone, perhaps feeling the way that I feel lately, stopped to write "When?" underneath the piece. It's something I had been wondering myself and I was, for that moment, happy to feel as though I was not alone and that I wasn't the only person who passed this treasure and thought the same thing.

Picture post

Just a quick picture today...because I'd rather be picnicking :)

Little discoveries...

I love it when I turn a corner and stumble on a gorgeous site. It never gets old! Here's a view of the square (and La Fontaine Louvois) with the gorgeous fountain that I stumbled upon today on my way back from lunch. Beautiful!

Sunday Sounds

First of all, here's a video of a song I used to listen to YEARS ago, long before I came to France. It's awfully silly and can be somewhat annoying at times, BUT I'm so proud because now I know ALL of the words. I used to just hum along and sing to the chorus because I didn't understand the whole thing. As most of the lyrics are slang or really familiar words, it took living here for me to understand it. I had a big smile on my face last week when it came back up on shuffle on my iPod after years of not hearing it. Enjoy - and see which words you can pick out! :)



Now for some serious music - I heard this one last week for the first time and thought it was so pretty. Here we go....

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

How can you not love this photo???


Thanks to Brent and MariLyn for it's use!

Fun signs!

Would you shop here? I'd have trouble as a marketer promoting this place in English-speaking areas...

Cool website!

Wordle - www.wordle.net is a really cool site that lets you create an image using the text on any website. I created this image with the text found on the front page of my blog. I think it's a really neat way to see the things I talk about the most and is a great representation of my blog content.

Paris Street Art - 6ème arrondissement

Check out this little gem that I spotted just off of rue de Buci in the 6ème...see which celebrities you can identify! I personally am most drawn to the bald Britney Spears in the bottom left corner.

What a difference a day makes....

I can never get a handle on Paris weather - it fluctuates SO quickly!

Case in point...check out the view from my window yesterday - beautiful snow, roofs all white, and dark, gray sky....

And, here's today! Note the sunshine gleaming off the windows and beautiful blue sky!

Paris Street Art - 13eme arrondissement

One of my favorite things about Paris is the random street art that can be seen at the turn of a corner in any part of the city. I've posted previously about my devotion to and love for the Paris Space Invaders, but here's a little taste of a totally different piece that I spotted this summer while walking in the 13eme arrondissement.

In this seriously FREEZING winter, I've been searching for warm memories! I love the phrases this artist used and they seem particularly pertinent - loosely translated as "Let's be happy while waiting for our happiness." And of course, "Poetry is an Extreme Sport!"

Spotted by Locals - Paris style!

I am always on the lookout for good info on places to go in Paris - where to eat, where to drink, where to shop? The possibilities are endless!

I've turned so often to blogs in the past few years for information about my city and the cities I've been lucky enough to visit. Turns out that blogs have been the key to my getting around in my new home...

I am so happy to share a new blog that features all the type of information that I usually love to know about a city - from a local's perspective! Check out the Paris Spotted by Locals site for all kinds of cool info about where to go and what to do in the City of Lights! You may even find me in the "Interesting Links" section - in good company too, I might add!

Enjoy!

Where in the world?

I am a huge list-maker and the end of any year always sees me making even more than usual. Lists of resolutions, lists of things to do, you name it!

I wanted to remember back to 2008 and the cities I visited - here's a list!


* New York
* Berlin
* Tours (and the rest of the Loire Valley really...)
* Warsaw
* London
* Minneapolis/St Paul area
* Lyon
* Strasbourg
* Reims
* Los Angeles/ SOUTH BAY
* Palm Desert

On my list for next year....I KNOW I have got to visit Italy again for the first time in more than a decade, but am not sure where exactly I will go. Would love to see another Eastern European capital (Budapest?) and of course go back to London! Spain is one of my most favorite countries, so that's definitely up there too! I've got to enjoy being in the middle of Europe with such ease in traveling for as long as possible!!!!

Any ideas?

2009, already??

I'm not going to lie....it's always difficult to leave California but this time was gut-wrenching. Excruciating. I started welling up days before my departure just at the thought of leaving.

Of course I will need to get down to the bottom of all of that but wanted to share some of my "at home" views that make the integration back into Parisian life that much more difficult tonight as I sit in my apartment, the heater not working, shivering and thanking my computer for being warm :)

Over the holidays, I got together with friends for a delicious Italian meal at one of my old favorite "haunts" in the Marina. One of my LA-based friends from PARIS was there too and she and I took the time to make a list of things we love about Paris. Some were little things, some big, some pretty obvious and some obscure...it really helped though and put things in perspective.** Things are not all bad here, nor do I want to convey that as being the case...sometimes it's just nice to have some reminders of why you like your situation instead of focusing on the negative. That said, a wonderful, prosperous, happy and peaceful New Year to you all out there! Perhaps some inklings of resolutions will be posted up soon!

**Please note the top of the list (if you can make it out...) says K&K!!!!! :) Other items include Macarons, Paris at nighttime, public transportation, etc.