Emily in France 🇫🇷 I'm a Morning Person
I love Paris mornings.
Before I moved to France full-time, I spent a summer living in Royan, on the western coast of France. Some of my classmates liked to stay out late (though we weren't supposed to...) dancing at nightclubs near the beach, but I preferred to go to bed early and salvage my mornings. One of the other girls on the program and I used to meet up before first light and head to the bakery just as it opened, wafting the smell of hot butter and freshly baking bread into the street.
I've loved mornings in most cities I've lived in: in New York, where you never know if you're passing someone on their way out or in; in Toronto, where each neighborhood has its own feel. In San Sebastian, I felt alone on the streets in the morning, but I loved it all the same.
But Paris... Paris is special.
Despite Paris' urbanness and cosmopolitan feel, it's also got a bit of the charm I so loved in Royan. While, yes, people are often moving towards the metro in the flustered sort of hurry you'll find in most cities, if you get out early enough, you'll see lines of folks patiently waiting in front of their favorite bakery, collecting their baguettes wrapped in two twists of paper, their brown bags of croissants and chouquettes and pains au chocolat. People don't generally eat in the street, in France; it's a rudeness akin to spitting. I know, then, that these bags are destined to be taken home and enjoyed at the breakfast table with coffee, and I love this tiny glimpse into someone else's reality, a piece of their world I can see for an instant just before the day truly begins.
Where I'm Eating
I finally found my way to the much-talked-about Left Bank wine bar Freddy's, and I can certainly see what all the fuss was about.
As always, you can find my ever-evolving list of my favorite Parisian restaurants here.
Where I'm Going
1. Pain, Vin, Fromages, to talk Savoyard cuisine with an expert.
2. L'Envin, to check out what's new on the natural wine scene.
3. To my favorite library in Paris, the American Library, to pick up some cozy winter reads for the rapidly falling temperatures.
What I'm Writing
1. I chatted with local experts to come up with a list of the best bars around République for The Culture Trip.
2. I explored the link between intermittent fasting and the keto diet for Eat This, Not That.
3. I sussed out three ways to make your Thanksgiving more sustainable for Organic Authority.
What I'm Reading
1. This article on Donald Trump's Tweeting habits from the New York Times.
2. This satirical look at how poorly writers behave in public from Medium.
3. This poem by Sophie van Waardenberg in Best New Zealand Poems.
A bientôt !
Emily in France