I don't want this blog to become a constant drone about our impending departure from Paris. And yet, while it's still some three plus months in the future, my mind is already going at warpspeed. There's a ton of stuff I want to do in Paris -- people to see, places to visit, restaurants to try, neighborhoods to explore. Plus I'm already making a lot of mental notes about things I need to do to get out of here and to make sure that everything is lined up on the other end. So if there's something I can take care of now (like taking a large bag of wrapping paper tubes, styrofoam, egg cartons, and cardboard that I've been collecting to the art teacher at my kids' school), I'm going to do it.
And in that vein, while it's not yet time to say good-bye, I've got a good-bye present to share with one lucky reader. It's a photo book (8 in x 8 in), 20 pages of my favorite photos from the blog, made with a lot of help from Shutterfly. If you want it, all you have to do is leave a comment between now and 8:00 am Paris time on Friday, March 18. No quiz, no theme, no pressure to be creative, nothing like that. Just let me know you're out there and I'll choose the name of one commenter at random. Have at it people.
33 comments:
I know I've said this before, but I can't quite believe you're leaving in a few short months! Your blog has been my first read everyday for the past three years! I'm sure gonna miss it! I hope you keep on writing when you go back. I would be very interested in knowing how you are readjusting to life on the other side of the pond after four years in Europe.
Oh no! I can't believe you're leaving. I would love to see Paris through your eyes and an opportunity to win! Merci!
I've just discovered your blog a few weeks ago. Are you sad to leave? I've started my 4th year of adventure in Paris and I'm not ready to go back anytime soon. Good luck with the move!
(And I hope I'm the lucky winning :)
I hope you have a smooth moving process because I can only guess it can be stressful moving countries! I do feel the selfish side of me screaming,"Nooo don't go!!!" Nevertheless I thoroughly enjoy reading your blog along with the beautiful and sometimes comical pictures. :)
I hope you continue blogging once you leave Paris.
I am sad for your imminent departure. Will you continue to blog at all - maybe talk about the reverse culture shock, etc?
Like your other readers, I cannot believe your adventure is almost over. I've started my day with you every day for the past two years (and I now own the cheery Champs-Elysées song that can make me laugh on the dreariest work day). I wish you'd stay forever -- but will follow your adventure coming home. I will always think of you as the friend I had in Paris. Sue M./Ottawa
I can't imagine leaving after being in Paris for so long! I've been reading your blog since long before I came to France and will miss your posts.
Your blog friends are going to miss you and your gorgeous - often witty - photos of Paris. I would like to propose we all get together in a park- on a bridge-wherever- to have a giant potluck farewell. let us know what you think of this.
carol
Anne....I remember when you told us about the extension and I was so glad we'd have another year of your posts...but now...3 months just seems cruel....
but remember...you can always come back at least for a visit...you'll always have Paris.
Anne: We’re on the opposite ends of our Parisian sojourn. I’m arriving and you’re leaving. A few months before we moved here, a postcard with a picture of a cresting wave, a gentle one not a tsunami, with the saying, “On peut resister aux vagues ou se laisser porter par elle vers l’avenir°” caught my eye. These words became my mantra as I prepared myself to leave a life that I loved for an unknown one in Paris. Whenever I felt the stirrings of resentment, I paused to look at the card and to remind myself that I could either go with the flow or struggle against it. Either way, the outcome would be the same. By going with it, I freed myself to fully appreciate my last months in Switzerland. I wish you the same during your remaining months in Paris.
And in response to your generous offer, I would like to put my name on the list for your photo book.
°We can resist the waves or let them carry us towards the future.
Carol: Great idea! Count me in for the meeting in a park, on a bridge, or wherever. Finding Anne’s blog during my first days in Paris was a lifesaver. I would be happy to raise a glass of wine in her honor.
anne--SO SO SAD...i have been with you for a little over 2 years...and i do not often comment, but this offer was too good to pass up....your writing style is both witty and intelligent...not to mention your keen eye for detail...i am from philadelphia and would LOVE it if you transitioned all of us back into your D C life via the blog...after all-- parting truly is such SWEET sorrow!!!!
What a lovely idea to give away a photo album. You have certainly taken some wonderful photos, so the album will be a treasure for the winner.
I enjoy checking in daily on your blog and do hope that you will continue blogging even after you get back to the US.
I experience that same, 'I can't believe it's almost over', feeling near the end of my vacations when in Paris, so I can empathize.
May you be blessed with good weather and good health so that you can 'do it all' before your depart.
I will miss your posts from Paris! In an interesting way, your blog has been a treasure trove of information for us. Before last years trip to Paris, I had several note cards full of places to explore--all based on posts from you blog. Gee--what am I going to do this year???
Best wishes to you in Texas. Hey--are you going to blog from Texas??? We plan on a road trip to Austin and San Antonio this year........
Thanks for all the lovely comments folks. I've still got quite a few more posts to come!
Di: WASHINGTON, DC, not Texas. Please. (Although I hear that Austin and San Antonio are nice.)
I would love a book of your photos !
Hi Anne,
Have you read any William Wharton?
He was an American painter who moved to Paris with his family and documented his life through various novels as well as a true life account of his travails with a houseboat renovation in the Parisian 'burbs.
I moved to Paris for a while with my family (from the UK) in the 1980s. My dad was working over there.
I'd just left school and without much money spent most days walking around discovering. I knew Paris like I knew the soles of my shoes.
Then we left. And you get, you know, that emptiness.
Later I discovered that William Wharton, who I'd known as the author of novel on which the film Birdy was made, had written a book called Scumbler. It was about an artist in who paints Paris while trying to come to terms with this life.
He later wrote Tidings about a magical family Christmas in France.
He died, sadly, a few years ago.
But it would be great if someone were to read this note and took a look at a William Wharton book.
Because he helped me remember Paris and France for a long time after.
How sad that you are leaving Paris ... :-( I have a friend who lives in the 14th arrondissement and she is leaving this year too.. doesn't want too though. I do hope that you enjoy what time you have left in the wonderful city.
This is such a fabulous giveaway .. and it would be great to see it through your eyes .. I wonder which places are your fav. Please count me in on this one , Thanks for sharing Paris with us ♥
No matter how long you've been in Paris, there will always be something that you want to see or do when you're leaving.
I am so enjoying exploring wonderful blogs. I am an Ohio MIL and long distance Gma to OK in the UK, trying to keep up with my son and DIL. Thanks for sharing your Paris. Our family plans to visit Paris soon. I'll catch up reading your posts. My first time traveling to UK and France. The picture book contest is a lovely idea. I love blogs. God Bless you and yours in all you do. Sandy
I am a french girl from La Rochelle.I live a beautiful life in the mountains of Colorado with my handsome american husband and our 9 children. I love it here! But your daily blog is like a daily little window open on my childhood and the 25 first years of my life!Your comments and photographs are a re-awakening of my french senses!I smell the shiny city streets after the rain! (No rain here!)I smell the inimitable smell of le bureau de tabac, part cigarette, coffee,fresh printed paper and minty gum. I smell the parfume of women walking by, sometime overbearing, sometime reminiscent of a sweet aunt or a looked-up-to older cousin. I smell the humidity of our old churches, the warm stuffiness of the metro,the fresh meat from the boucher, the sweet mixture from the fruits et legumes, the odor of ether from the hospital...nothing like this here. I hear the police sirens, the parisian accent( I watch Jean Pierre Bacri movies too!),the obnoxious "klaxon",the far away sounds from an invisible classical guitar in the metro maze, the unbelievable silence in the neighborhood on Sunday or at lunch time when only kitchen noises may be heard from open windows, the resounding screams and shouts from children "a la recre", the practicing instruments coming from "Le Conservatoire de Musique", the steaming pressure of coffee being made "au comptoire"...and many more! Thank you for all this! I glanced at other "expat'" blogs and yours is my favorite. You did expect France to be different from home but embraced this difference without any "a-priori". You write very well and your vocabulary is rich enough, not to need crude words to express yourself. You stay away from french cliches and made the best use of your two legs, two eyes and brain during these 4 years!Congratulations! These were 4 years well lived! I will miss you but am ready to enjoy your last few months there! Good luck!
I have enjoyed reading your blog over the past year or so as it has become a wonderful addition to my tea time. I am planning a trip to Paris and have been inspired by your pictures. Best of luck with the move!
Bien chere Anne,
Oh, I'm sad to know that you are leaving Paris. Your blog was a daily treat for me, and I very much enjoyed your lovely pictures and witty commentary. You embraced Paris and the French way of life while giving us a unique American viewpoint on the small everyday delights and conundrums of living there.
I do hope that you'll keep blogging somehow. Will you?
Un grand merci pour tout!
Helene
I love your blog! Enjoy the rest of your time there.
I have lived in Paris and I am a French teacher. I truly enjoy and value your insights comments and photos. I look at several Paris blogs a day, but the thought of yours going offline really upsets me! You have said many of the same things I try to explain to my students - the bus manners blog was great:) I wish you all the best with your upcoming move and trying to do all you want to in Paris before you go, I know I have never been able to complete my list no matter how many times I go!
Bonjour... I stumbled upon your blog while on my first (and only) trip to Paris. I have been enjoying it ever since. I found everything to be so expensive in Paris that I only bought gifts for friends and family. I would love to have a book of your photos as a souvenir from Paris (and your blog)! Thank you - Jennifer
I have been a huge fan of your blog from the very first posting and I read it first thing every day. Not only is your writing sharp and your topic selection clever, but I never fail to learn something new. One question that occurs to me frequently: Does your husband realize how lucky he is to have someone as talented as you obviously are, out and about in Paris sharing the sights and sounds and smells and tastes of the city every day?
What! I just found your blog through twitter - you can't leave now!!
I love reading your blog and looking at your pictures. I wish I could be in Paris again.
Very sad you're going. You have a great blog! Bon courage pour tout!
I am bummed that you are packing up. I have so enjoyed your blog! Hope you have a very smooth transition back to the states and that you continue to blog about your adventures! Cheers -
What a great idea!
I'm too late-merde! That's what having guests in your house for a week will do to you.
Great idea.... :)
Post a Comment