Shakespeare and Co.

Back in July

when we first arrived in Paris

and still living out of hotels...

we visited Shakespeare and Company.

Now, I know I've said this before..but..

this was THE place I wanted to find first.

I love to read

I love books

I love bookstores.

And Shakespeare and Co

did not disappoint.

It was everything I imagined.

Cozy,

charming,

"no photos s'il vous plait"

books old and new

a piano to play

and a nook upstairs to 

read a book to a child and sign the wall.

 The first book I purchased

was The Little Prince.

And they stamp it for you.

I've been back a few times since.

One evening we stopped by 

before having dinner in the Latin Quarter

and it was closed for a wedding.

Can you imagine having your wedding there?

Lovely.

Here are a few photos I snuck in with my iphone.

E. Dehillerin

E. Dehillerin has been on my

"go to" list for years.

I'm a big Barefoot Contessa fan...

shipped all of her cookbooks here with me

and Ina talks a lot about how she loves

to buy her kitchen supplies here.

There is a picture of Ina in her 

"Barefoot in Paris" cookbook

at Dehillerin and I just had to get there.

I was on a mission to buy a Le Creuset dutch oven

as I did not ship any of my cook/bake ware with me.

We had done some back to school shopping

back in the states at an outlet mall and I thought

hard about just buying one there and carrying it with 

me on the plane.

I'd heard that Le Creuset was actually 

more expensive here in Paris.

Anyhoo...I didn't end up buying one in the states.

So...lately, I'm missing my dutch oven in the kitchen

and I decided today was the day to make the trek to

E. Dehillerin.

Griffy and I get on the metro..

then the RER

and then can't find our way out of the 

HUGE

Chatelet/Les Halles metro station.

I was literally lost inside the station.

We make it outside

and now Griffy is hungry 

so of course we stop at a cute little cafe

for lunch.

Refueled, 

we walk 

and walk 

and walk

and then there it is.

I swear there were angels singing in my head.

Ok..

so..

I'm just going to say it...

It didn't really do it for me.

Maybe it's because I had a 3 year old

and a stroller to park

and it was 

PACKED 

with American tourists

looking for Le Creuset

just like me..

and oh by the way...

they don't sell Le Creuset.

Maybe I just had really 

high expectations.

I don't know.

But it's basically like a warehouse.

Yes..they have a really amazing 

selection of copper cookware

and any kind of bakeware you could imagine.

But darn it

I wanted a Le Creuset in all the pretty

colors you see in William/Sonoma.

So

I go downstairs and check out 

their Staub selection.

And after I get over my 

depression of not coming home 

with a bright orange Le Creuset..

I buy

this baby.

A red 4.25 qt. Staub.

And I love it.

And tonight..

in honor of Ina..

I made her spaghetti sauce.

Some girls get excited

over Louis Vuitton...

nice cookware does it for me.

It was a good day in Paris.

What I Wear in Paris...beware of bad selfies.

Before we moved to Paris I knew I 

needed to update my wardrobe.

No more running to 

the corner store in yoga pants and sneakers!

So, while we were home for a few weeks

we all did a little back to school shopping.

Two things on my must have list

for fall...

pencil skirts and blazers.

The pencil skirt is so versatile..and it comes

in so many great colors now! 

During the day I wear one with boots, tee shirt,

jean jacket and my trusty pearls.

....or with boots and a cardi

or flats and a cardi.

...and if Steve and I are going to dinner..

heels and a blazer.

I need to figure out how these 

French women walk around in heels 

all day.

Seriously.

How do they do it?

You should see the blisters on my feet.

Today at the Market

I think one of the most exciting things about moving 

to Paris..for me...was to shop at the outdoor covered markets.

The President Wilson open air food market is held

in my neighborhood (lucky for me) every

Wednesday and Saturday.

You can bet I'll be a frequent costumer.

So after the big kids got off to school

Griffy and I headed to the market.

j'adore!

rice, couscous, beans, lentils...

no shortage of produce here...

the poisssonnerie..

Cod Fritters..

the nice vendor let me try one as I had 

no clue what they were at first.

Griffy and I gobbled them right up.

dried fruits and nuts...

just a sample of the wide variety of olives..

again, i tried a few and of course couldn't 

decide on just one.

oh the cheeses!

i will make it a point to try them all!

today i tried..and came home with this 

soft, creamy St. Nectair..

had i not filled up on fritters, olives and cheese

i would have tried the paella.

next week :)

the creperie's....yumm.

headed home.

i need to figure out how to push the 

stroller and pull my grocery cart.

and today at the market

we got...

a baguette (of course), radishes, two bags of olives,

tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, cod fritters, a bottle of wine, basil,

st. nectair cheese, madelines, and olives.

Bon appetit!!

First day of school...and a peek into our flat

The kids started school last Wednesday..

one day late.

We flew into Paris early Tuesday

and Steve insisted they start the next day.

I was worried about their jet lag..

but Steve was right.

The kids rallied and had a great start to school.

Stephen is a senior..

Hannah a freshman and 

Will is in 5th grade.

The big coach bus picks them up 

around the corner and they make the 45 minute

ride (together) to the American School of Paris,

which is located outside of the city.

Griffy cried all day.

He missed them so much.

I'm so proud of these kids.

It's not easy starting over

in a new school

new country..

but they're all finding their way.

They've made friends

and are getting involved.

I think it's going to be a great school year.

Still unpacking

and trying to get organized

but here are a few pictures of our flat.

Some things I love about our flat..

the floors, the HIGH ceilings, the great amount

of space we have, the architectural details, 

the fireplaces in all the bedrooms..and the amazing location.

I'm still getting used to the noise. 

The early morning sounds of the garbage trucks...(we don't have to go to the dump anymore)...

the almost constant "WEE WAA" of the police/ambulance...

One of my favorite things about Paris 

is that we walk everywhere.

Steve has a car for work

and for weekend trips to Ikea..

but I walk everywhere.

I go to the big grocery store (Casino)

once a week to stock up on basics.

And the best thing....they deliver my 

groceries...right to my kitchen...for FREE.

Love that.

Our New Life...Finally.

we are back home in paris.

and we have wi-fi.

and over the past 7 weeks

we have moved 9 times.

i think this has been one of

the most stressful

and exciting

summers of my life.

when we left paris to fly home to boston

we would not know that the visa process

would delay our families' return home.

the children missed the orientation to school

and the first day of school.

there were days back in boston

that were spent driving around

not knowing if we were flying out 

that night or not.

finally, on monday of last week..

we got the call at noon to say

we were set to go.

we flew out that night.

(that's griffy on take off)

my kids are well-seasoned travelers now.

we did get to spend quite a bit of 

time on the cape and the vineyard

with our families.

and closed on our house.

and did our back to school shopping.

and much more.

so...

here we are.

settling in to our new life in paris.

This past week we've...

celebrated Will's 10th birthday!

went to the fair

took a sightseeing cruise on the Seine

had an emergency room visit

visited many many cafe's

walked through the Jardin du Luxembourg

had the children' portraits done

moved out of our hotel

and into our new flat!!

spending mornings at Starbucks for coffee and free wi-fi

drove through the Loire valley

finished the lengthy school paperwork for ASP

also finished the lengthy paperwork for our bank account here..

(Steve said he's closed on houses that were less involved)

oh i'm sure there are things i'm forgetting.

these days we're making plans to travel back to the states

next week.

Steve's work visa was screwed up (WTF)

we will make the best of it 

and spend time on the Vineyard with our family,

do some back to school shopping,

get some haircuts,

stock up on a few things to bring back (razors, ziploc bags :)

and close on our house.

we love Paris!

i'm on instagram now..

it's been a great way to be in touch with 

our friends and family back home..

pamdu is my instagram name :)