I’ve been a little down on restaurants in Spain lately. Maybe it was spending two weeks in Paris, where you’d have to try really, really hard to eat something that isn’t delicious. Or maybe it was the two-night trip north through Bilbao and Pamplona where the omnipresence of pinxtos (thought by many Spaniards to be […]
Month: January 2015
Quirky, Traveled Foyer
The foyer: It’s the first space that greets you and your visitors when the door opens. And it’s what your neighbors catch a glimpse of when you chase after an escaped fat cat as it jiggles down the hallway. I wanted an entryway that set the tone for the house: Comfy, stylish, and fun. But […]
Shamed on the French Metro
I was on the Metro today with several classmates, talking about writing and a lecture we were coming from when a Parisian woman turned to us and said “Do you know that 20 people died?” Our conversation stopped abruptly. I felt too embarrassed to even exhale. I fiddled with my leopard gloves, passing them back […]
Je Suis Charlie
Yesterday morning when I was walking to class in Paris, the city was all police cars and sirens. Oblivious being that I am, I blocked out the noise, figuring perhaps Paris is often loud with sirens. Near Notre Dame, I realized there was a bomb siren going off. This I chalked up to “Oh, must […]
Three Goals for the New Year
Happy 2015 from France! I’m back in Paris for installment two of my creative writing MFA program. Again, I am struck by how a city that smells of urine and is so gloomy (especially during this cold, gray January) can fill me with such delight. I’d venture a guess that it has to do something […]