My Paris Agenda

Someone pinch me quick! I just arrived after a few delays to my apartment in Paris and it is beautiful! I hope to take more photos for you tomorrow after my jetlag has left my body. I have been thinking a lot about this latest trip. The past few visits to Paris have been shorter and exhausting trying to fit everything and everyone into not enough days. This time around I rented an apartment for a month so I could slow things down a bit. If I learned anything from my time from Cuba was that it is so important to unplug and rest. You need to reset every once in a while. 

I am really happy to be back and Paris in the Spring is simply the best! I really want to show you my daily life here in Paris which is sometimes filled with crazy cool activities and other times it is literally running to pick up a baguette and cheese. I am looking forward to the balance. To keep things even I decided to come up with a set of “rules” I use the term lightly because there is no punishment if I don’t follow them but I am hoping they are a guide for the month ahead. My friend Amy Feezor set up something similar (she gets credit for the idea) when she came to Paris for three months a few years back and ended up falling in love. I am not saying I am doing this to fall in love in Paris but I am open to the possibility.

My Paris Agenda 

1. Practice French Daily. I will be the first to admit I am so shy when it comes to speaking and practicing French. As long as you make an effort the french are really sweet and help you along. Also, I am meeting with Carrie Anne of French is Beautiful for a café lesson. 

2. There are tons of florists on every corner. Take advantage and always have fresh flowers in the apartment. Peony season is just beginning.

3. Take a cooking class with La Cuisine Paris. I have had my eye on a baguette/croissant class for a while now. This way I can make them home when I am in Chicago too. 

4. Read a book at a café. This is something I have actually never done but see so many people do in Paris. I brought a few books but I would love to stop by Shakespeare and Co too.

5. Get lost. Let the city lead me. This is one of my favorite things to do in Paris and the best way to discover new neighborhoods.

6. Spend time with my Paris Family. I am really looking forward to catching up with them since it has been since October when I saw them last. I hope I can pick up M from school and we can walk through Parc Monceau at least once. Carousel rides/ice cream is requested but not necessary!

7. Find the best croissant in Paris. I plan on creating a few guides/content for the blog while I am here. Researching and reporting back on where to find the best croissant in Paris sounds like a tough assignment but I am willing to do it! (suggestions welcome) 

8. Watch the sun rise and set as much as possible. This is something I have enjoyed doing for years and I love how the light changes the city. 

9. Visit new museums. I have had a few on my list for years with the help of a 2-day museum pass I plan on visiting a few new ones. The louvre and d’orsay are not included on this trip. 

10. Try a new cheese weekly. You may know already my favorite meal is wine, cheese, and baguette. I love comte and brie so much that I don’t always try something new and different. There is a cheese shop on my corner so I can practice my french and taste new cheeses at the same time.

11. Visit the Paris Flea Markets. I am hoping to go with Karl from Posh Chicago next month but either way I hope it brings me inspiration for my own home decorating.

12. Picnic on the Seine. This is a given and I hope to do this as much as possible!

13. Keep meetings to one a day. I am the queen at overscheduling and it may ruin this trip if I don’t play by my rules. There are enough days to go around but I also need time for me and to be creative.

14. Find the perfect market basket. I plan on visiting the Bastille market to pick up fresh food on a weekly basket. I haven’t found a good basket in Chicago so I am hoping I can find one to bring home with me.

15. Sleep. I am not the best at it but it is so important! I have actually never really slept in while in Paris. There may be once or twice on a trip and that is it. I don’t need to be up EVERY morning before the sun rises. It is all about finding a balance.

I hope you all enjoy the Paris plan. I promise to share photos and my adventures as the days go by. If there is anything you want to know or see in Paris let me know and I can see about adding it to the walking agenda!