Spring.

I wonder how much the French spend on all the public flowers?
The beauty of Springtime in Paris is easy to capture on a walk through the city...
So I take more photos of Spring.

"Spring?!...What about your love-life and your other friend Pierre? Not the one you just met?" my friend still wants to know about men in my life.

"Hello Florence, this is Pierre. I want you because I love you." is the simple message left on my cell phone.

"He still calls..." I tell my friend. "But if I'm going to have a relationship, I want a real relationship, with true love that really means something." I insist, it's either that or nothing.

"That kind of relationship does not exist." my friend replies.

"Okay. I will write that in my blog." I sigh.

Thursday Girls Night Out.

Recipe for a Wonderful Girls Night Out:

A few good friends.
Good food.
Laughter.
Desserts.
French wine and champagne.
Sprinkle with Jazz...to finish the night.

Ana cooked a delicious gourmet dinner for "Chef" Robin and I at her beautiful Paris apartment. Tonight we enjoyed an evening of laughter, girl-talk, taxi cab confessions, and watching unattractive men become more attractive (right before our eyes) the more we drank!

Cheers.

Ana and Robin.

Robin and me.

Jazz.

Paris (and life) is full of wonderful moments, especially when shared with a few good friends.

A Second French "Date".

He looks me in the eye and reaches over towards my right ear. Is he going to kiss me?...It's too soon.

He gently take a small feather from my hair, smiles and blows it away in the wind.

I wonder how the feather landed in my hair, and does it only seem like a romantic gesture because he's a French man removing it and we're in Paris?

It's our second "date". It's only drinks...again. So I wonder if it's really a "date"?

He tells me he plays the guitar. Then leans closer and begins to sing softly in my ear as the piano player at the cafe plays a familiar French song.

"Oh my God! Stop it right now!" I insist as the French words roll smooth and deep from his lips in perfect harmony with the piano.

"What?" he asks with a smile. "What is wrong. Why do you say that?" he wanted to know.

"Pierre, imagine that you are an American girl, in Paris, sitting next to the river Seine at a beautiful cafe, in the Spring, with a French man sitting next to you, singing softly in your ear. In French!!" I reply recovering from chills and a half melted heart.

He smiles and takes another sip of beer.

Second "Date".
View from Second "date".

Full Moon...Romantic walk back to the metro.

Romantic.

More Romantic...Paris.

The end of the evening walking towards the metro, and he casually puts his arm around my waist.

"I'm not comfortable walking with your arm around my waist." I tell him nicely, thinking I've only known him for three days.

"As you like." he replies, removing his arm quickly.

We arrived at the metro and kissed on both cheeks. "I shall like to see you again." he said as we went our separate ways.

Hmm, I thought...

A French "Date".

Just when I decided, (once again) I want to be alone, single, I don't want a man in my life. I don't need a man, I just want to "Be..."

I hear the words (all wrapped up in the melody of a French accent):
"I am so happy to be with you...", "You are very beautiful...", "I am with you and I cannot think of anything else..."

He answers all my questions with all the right answers:
"Have you ever been married?"
No.
"Do you have children?"
No.
"What are your dreams and Plans for the future?"
I don't know; possibly get married and have some children.

He tells me he wants to see me again.
His answers were too perfect, I think he just wants sex.


Maybe I will see him again, but for tonight, we enjoyed a drink, conversation, laughter and separate rides home on the metro, in opposite directions...a typical French "Date".

Conversation.

Drinks.
A Typical French "Date".

Double-Booked Monday Night.

"Hello, Florence. It's Pierre-Y." he says in a friendly French voice.
"Oh, Hello. Did you get my email?" I asked.

"Yes, I understand that you cannot meet me for drinks tonight. You have a dinner to attend?" he replied.
"Yes. I'm sorry." I said in French as I was preparing to go to dinner with a friend.

"I'd like to see you tomorrow." he insisted.

"Okay." I replied.

So, Once again, I write about my "love-life" in Paris:

I've doubled-booked two dates for a Monday night, so I cancelled my "first date" for drinks with a new French friend, Pierre-Y and kept the dinner date with an old friend.

The evening was pleasant...(very pleasant.)
and there you have an account of my "love life" in Paris.

A French Man's Preference at Patricia's Soiree Dinner.

"Florence, we want to hear about your 'Love Life' in Paris!" my friend demanded after reading my last few "I want to just Be..." blog entries.
...And so I write:

"Excuse me, would you mind passing me the wine?" I asked the French man sitting next to me at Patricia's Dinner Soiree.
"Yes, okay." he replied with a smile as he poured wine into my glass and watched as I tasted it.
"Is zeet Fresh?" he asked with a heavy French accent.
That's a strange question, I thought to myself as I nodded yes.
"A Rosé wine is always good when it is fresh.." he explained.

After small talk, I moved across the room to talk to a friend I had not seen in a while.
The French man moved across the room and sat next to us. We invited him to join our conversation as my friend was venting about having no electricity in the outlets of her Paris apartment, blow drying her hair using a compact makeup mirror over the kitchen sink, and being single, as the French say "Tout Seul" (All alone) in Paris.

"Hey, this French man is kinda cute?" I whispered a hint to my friend after her rant.
"Yeah." she agreed, seemingly uninterested, as she got up to look for more wine.

"Would you like more wine?" The French man asked me.
"Sure." I replied, just as my friend returned with her glass refilled.

"This is all that remains." The French man said as he poured the last bit of Rosé wine from the bottle into my glass.
"Doesn't that mean something in France when you have the last wine from the bottle?" I asked.

"Yes. You will get married this year." He said casually with a smile as he put the empty bottle away.

His name is Pierre-Yves, he's célibataire (single), tall, kinda cute, French, and a journalist. I like his French accent when he speaks English and he has a quirky smile that makes me smile.

After more conversation with my friend and Pierre, I wanted to move around the room.
"I am going to talk to other people. Do you want to talk to other people?" I asked Pierre-Yves.
"I would prefer to talk, only to you." he replied.
"Hmm..." I thought, as he continued, "What are you doing next week...?"

Patricia's Dinner Soiree with Miles Marshall Lewis.

Miles Marshall Lewis is the kind of brilliant young man that makes you literally want to write his parents a Thank-you note for bringing such a beautiful human being into this world!

Tonight he held Patricia's Soiree guests captive as he read from one of his three published books and shared insights on being a "Black-Bohemian B-Boy from the Bronx", experiencing life and raising a family as an Expat in Paris.

Miles and Patricia.

Miles and Me.


An Interview in Paris.

The room was packed to hear Miles.

Everyone listened intently.

Randy (owner of one of the first Barbecue Restaurants in Paris), Miles, Kehinde, Me.

Patricia's always seems to attract some of the most intriquing guests in Paris and tonight was no exception.

Doing Nothing in Paris.

It is possible to "just be" and do nothing with a friend on a Saturday afternoon, and that's what we did today in Paris.

After a nice lunch, and strolling through the streets with a friend, we found a park to do nothing...along with others.

Even Nature was doing nothing.

The flowers...doing nothing...

Later we strolled to Canal Saint-Martin do more of nothing while the bridge turned to allow the cruise boats to pass through the canal locks.

(click to enlarge and see others doing nothing along the edge of the canal)

The Canal Saint-Martin was dug and built from 1802 to 1825 after Napoleon ordered a water supply into Paris for health and other reasons. It was funded by a new tax placed on wine.

Even the boat seemed to do nothing, while waiting for the locks to fill with water.

A wonderful Saturday afternoon of doing nothing in Paris...

Just Be in Paris and Live.

I just want to "Be" in Paris right now, and that's all I'm doing.
"You don't want a man in your life right now?" he asked.
"No. I just want to be right now..." I replied.
"Oh come on...don't you want someone to cover you once in a while?" he asked sincerely.
"Not right now." I laughed. "I just want to be..."

Paris is the perfect place to 'Be' and...."Just Live". A few photos captured as proof.

Just Being.

Just Being.

They are Just Livin'.

Just Be...

Just Live...

Springtime in Paris...Just Livin'...

Drinks at La Palette.

What is there to do after a Pilates workout in Paris?

...Spend the evening having drinks at La Palette Cafe, a prime location in St Germain, once frequented by the legends Jim Morrison, Picasso and Ernest Hemingway...of course!

Just a few photos to capture the moment...






I'm too lazy...uh, relaxed after this evening to write more about this wonderful cafe, to read more more about the cafe...check out this link:
http://http://www.wineterroirs.com/2007/04/la_palette.html

Sunday Dinner with Jim Haynes,

Since the 1970's in Paris, Jim Haynes has been hosting Sunday dinners. Tonight, Florence (French), Annie and I decided to attend...Friends, Food, Fun....(to attend, visit the link above and click on "come and dine", and send Jim a note...)!

French-Florence, Jim Haynes, American-Florence, and Annie




The Film.

The food.

Friends.

Food.

Friends.

Friends.

Book Signing...

Just more fun on a Sunday Evening in Paris.

Sun-shiny Saturday with No Plans...

Today, (Saturday) turned out to be an absolutely, unexpectedly Fabulous Day! Have you ever had a day when nothing was planned, but somehow turned out to be wonderful? That was today after the regular Saturday morning French-English Conversation Group.

Jane, Robin and I decided to have lunch and 'hang-out' after the Group.
Although we are all pretty much 'living in Paris', we experienced the Love of Paris, as if we were first day tourist!

Jane (part-time Paris Resident) and me.

Jane and Robin.
Robin, Paris resident student from London.

Roaming the streets...
"Ah, see...we just don't have streets like this everywhere in London!" Robin said as he admired the surroundings and architecture in the sunshine.

"Hmm, this place looks good, let's eat here..." we agreed.

"You choose!" said Robin (in French).

"Two" Adorable!

Looking through Rose Colored Glasses.

After an afternoon of just hangin' out, eating, laughing, talking, site-seeing and "Just Livin" in Paris, we enjoyed another stop at a Marais Cafe for an after lunch coffee.

Seriously, what's not to love about living in Paris. My rose colored glasses are not nearly close to fogging up!! (Is it my glasses, or is their hair really pink?!) Hope your Saturday was just as wonderful...no matter where you are in the world right now.

Try on some rose-colored glasses, make no plans and "Just Live", where ever you are in the world right now.