Category: Europe

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Opéra Garnier. The place to see and be seen.

Chicago, circa early 2000s. Back then, Chris (former roommate and current bff) and I used to say, in the throes of our body-glitter dabbing, super shiny lip gloss toting, nightclub-going 20s, that getting ready to go out was half the fun of going out.

I suspect the ladies and bespoke gentlemen who were wealthy enough to have seats at L’Opéra Garnier felt the same, getting all gussied up in their crinoline and finery. (This is in no way comparing the 21st century depravities that are nightclubs in North America to opera houses. To be clear!) Continue reading “Opéra Garnier. The place to see and be seen.”

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Shakespeare and Company, Paris. Quite possibly, the best bookstore in the world.

After leaving Saint Michel, I walked through some truly horrendous back streets turned Disney-fied tourist trap version of Paris over to Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

On the ground floor (no photos allowed), it’s bursting with English-language books, filled to the rafters. American and French bibliophiles who are used to cookie cutter, sterile, impersonal Barnes and Nobles or Fnac, respectively, will, I believe, find Shakespeare and Company refreshingly full of personality and with a definite point of view.

And not to confuse you more than necessary, bookstores in French are les libraries and libraries in French are les bibliothèques. Actually Shakespeare and Company is both, and more than that.  Continue reading “Shakespeare and Company, Paris. Quite possibly, the best bookstore in the world.”

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Edam, Netherlands: Cheese and Slavery

Sorry, Amsterdam. I don’t mean to totally dog you for the second post in a row. You really are great. Your waters calm my soul and your church bells lighten my steps. You’re bike-friendly. More than that, you’re PRO-bike. But even I, the normally happy-go-lucky, hopelessly-optimistic, yours truly wants to fly the bird at the world sometimes. I wanna leave you. It’s me, not you. 

Edam. A town that proves that you haven’t seen a country until you’ve seen its country(side).  Continue reading “Edam, Netherlands: Cheese and Slavery”

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Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. Who do you remember and how do you keep their spirits alive?

Some believe that the only truth is our bodies. And others see the truth in our souls.

One place where the possibilities of those truths connect is in a cemetery. Is it macabre, gothic, or just plain creepy to visit a cemetery in another culture, where you don’t have loved ones buried? Perhaps. Risking all those judgements, I present: Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Continue reading “Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris. Who do you remember and how do you keep their spirits alive?”