Emily in France 🇫🇷 The Rainy Season

Paris has a far better marketing team than London.

London has a terribly unfortunate reputation for being grey, cloudy, and rainy. What no one ever really talks about is that Paris has... exactly the same weather.

Yeah, I hate to burst your bubble, but in Paris, it rains almost 200 days out of the year.

That's a lot of rain.

It's a good reason to gripe constantly, a Parisian's favorite activity. Parisians, after all, have three different words for to complain: se plaindre, which is a normal complaint, porter plainte, an official complaint, and râler: complaining for fun.

I used to say that I would know when my French naturalization paperwork had been approved when I woke up with the urge to complain.

But that never really happened; my American optimism has remained, and even in a city filled with rain, I prefer to see the silver lining. Dealing with gross weather a lot of the time might mean that my naturally curly hair is usually a ball of frizz and that my socks never completely dry... but it also means that the moments of sunshine are exquisite.

This weekend, the clouds shifted, the sun came out, and it was summertime in Paris for a span of 48 glorious hours. And while this week was supposed to be rife with thunderstorms, summer has continued, just a bit, to tinge the first days of the week.

I'm certainly not complaining.

Where I'm Eating

While Paris seems like it would be rife with cute little bistros, these classic cornerstones of the local dining scene are actually getting harder and harder to find. So when I uncover a good one, like le Troquet, I take notice.

As always, you can find an ever-evolving list of my favorite Paris restaurants here.
 

Where I'm Going

1. Last year, I got the chance to visit Palazzo, a pop-up at Porte Dorée. While Palazzo isn't coming back this summer, Poisson Lune (Moonfish) is taking its place, and I'm excited to try it out!

2. Rooftop bars are all the rage in Paris, but this one in the 18th is unique in that it's entirely surrounded by glass.

3. Can you tell Parisians like apéro outside in summer? This one is combined with a boatride along the Seine past some of Paris' most famous sights, which seems as good a place as any to drink rosé.
 

What I'm Writing

1. CBD oil is on everyone's mind; I took a closer look at an important FDA hearing on CBD and other hemp-derived products for Organic Authority.

2. From the archives: the French don't really get excited about stuff; I delved into why for the BBC.

3. From the archives: one of my favorite French cheeses is linked to a rather... bizarre local tradition. I explored it for Vice Munchies.

What I'm Reading

1. This story about post-achievement disappointment in the New York Times.

2. This fresh critique of Trump's boorish behavior (I can't believe that's a thing that needs to be fresh...) from the Washington Post.

3. OK, not reading technically... but this video about the history of New York is worth a watch.

A bientôt !
Emily in France