Someone recently asked me what Paris smells and tastes like?
It’s been almost two years since my last trip, thanks COVID, but here are a few of my memories.
It feels like a breath of fresh air on a cold day. It can knock the wind out of you, but then you breathe deeply and you realize just how invigorating that air is. The sights and sounds surprise you around every corner. You’ll be enchanted from the first time you see the iconic Eiffel Tower sparkling at night to your first step into a warm bistro, with the sounds of dishes clanking and waiters rushing by in their long aprons. The air is filled with hints of spices, cinnamon, a dash of something more exotic, maybe something savory.
You can almost feel the history flowing through the streets. You wonder about the French Resistance fighters who risked their lives, you contemplate the artists and writers who imagined and wrote masterpieces, sitting in a café spending the day debating one another. You can see shadows of Picasso and Matisse, Hemingway, and Chanel everywhere.
You grab the softest, most mouth-watering brie and a warm baguette and pair it with a sparkling Champagne. You savor a bite of cremé brulee with hints of burnt caramel tickling your nose. You grab a seat at the bistro and devour a cheeseburger and pomme frites, because you are starving from exploring galleries of art, gardens, and hunting for treasures.
Next time I’m in Paris, I’ll make sure to do a daily journal so I don’t forget a morsel.
Are you interested in finding out what your Paris smells and tastes like? If so, I would love to hear more about what your adventure would look like and then help you create that experience for yourself.
Awesome, Amy! I could smell it, taste it and see it! You should never be afraid to write! I can’t wait to read what’s next!
Wow this brought back a flood of
fabulous food memories! First time I tried, and fell in love with,. Steak tartare at Brasserie Ballzar, buying my favorite hand painted olive oil bottle , feigning sophistication while having cocktails at Bar Hemingway, savoring the flakiest most delectable croissants at every opportunity. Oh my, the fabulous food!!! ….heavenly sigh…..can’t wait to go back! Roll me tight into a nook of your suitcase when you go 😉
The food was memorable and every word you wrote reminded me of the lightly crisp outside of the buttery croissants, the most lovely salmon I’ve ever had and the luscious crepes for dinner and dessert we ate several times while there ( there was a wonderful creperie just steps from our apartment…ooh lala!). But as a lover of architecture, it was also the shapes of Paris that moved me. They were things like, oh yes, that glittering and magical looking Eiffel Tower, the long grand architecture of the Louvre, the majesty of Notre Dame, the elegant Palais Garnier ( the opera house), and even the old wooden doorways into the homes of “real” Parisiennes. Every sight and sound and smell is imprinted in my heart. You reminded me of them all.
Please write more.
Chris, thank you. I totally intend to keep writing. I have a list of topics. The hardest thing is to pick which one do I start with.
For me, Paris “smells like history,” and “tastes like art.” No matter where you wander, history looms around every corner. Learning of the bravery we call the French Resistance completely changes your view of this city and its inhabitants. To sit with the Water Lillies, Winged Venus and yes, even “Mona” until you’ve “taken it in,” are all treasured events and memories. Having you picture taken on the fantail of a bateau by a kind mother dressed in a burka with the Eiffel Tower in the background or sitting across from Notre Dame enjoying “The Prince of Tides,” which you just found in the bargain bin. Or standing in line to enjoy the best crepes on earth paired with delicious cider. This list is long and the experiences, which become memories are precious.