The List..Paris Style

Here are my top ten things about Paris. It was kinda hard to narrow it down to ten. I'm sorry about my lack of posts..it's hard to concentrate on posting when I'm not at home:) I will be posting more very soon.

10. I'm so in love with the Parisian lifestyle. I wish that Americans could learn to enjoy life like that. I think we would be a happier nation if we could just learn to take really long lunches and ban Juicy Couture sweats forever.

9. Speaking of fashion..OOHH you can't even believe how beautiful the Parisians are! And I'm not saying that in the American sense (meaning bottle blonde, fake tata's and botoxed lips) No, real beauty and an amazing knack for pulling off fashion feats we could NEVER get away with. Especially living where I live..a place where Ed Hardy is high fashion. I will tell you this though, it did inspire me to try a little harder to be unique and not follow the heard. So if you see me in some crazy french get-up..don't be surprised:)

8. Daily market shopping. Since they all live in teensy-tiny apartments they cannot run to Costco every two weeks and stock up on groceries. Instead they shop for food daily, it is a beautiful thing, and even more beautiful are the markets...so fresh, so alive. Do you know they don't refrigerate anything? When you buy a fresh chicken it has been killed that day and plunked down on the counter (skinned but head and feet still attached) and left there for you to buy. Funny thing is I never got sick one time and I ate it all..yum.

7. Food..First off..the French eat so rich and do not spare on the carbs one bit (think croissants and baguettes) BUT they are all still tiny. My thoughts on this are..portion control (ooh novel concept) and exercise. Parisians walk EVERYWHERE and they have to walk far, and the women walk in Christian Louboutin heels on cobble stone paved streets and still look fab (no tripping).
They take such pride in their food, it is a part of everything they do, and it's all so wonderfully fresh and presented beautifully. Roast chicken is not just roast chicken..it's french roasted chicken and it tastes like heaven.

6. Driving..it's like nothing you have ever seen before!! It's so out of control crazy, I'm pretty sure I would never drive here if I lived here. Scooters, bicycles and cars all driving way too fast and running lights along with a million pedestrians going in all different directions speaking all different languages, it really is a site to behold..from the sidewalk.

5. The people were so nice to me. I'm sure that the french got there rude stereotype for a reason, but I never saw it. A nice smile and being polite helps:)

4. Cafe's..a place to see and be seen. It is very much a part of the Parisian culture and I LOVE THEM!! Do you know that in France a waiter will not give you your check until you ask him for it? They think it is rude and pushy to put the check down in front of you. You can sit for hours and nurse a coffee..and many people do:)

3. Architecture...the buildings themselves are works of art. When Parisians build they want it to look good..no strip malls.

2. Age...In the Louvre I snuck a little touch of a actual Roman statue that was dated 32 A.D.?? Seriously crazy.

1. Art...I will have to do a whole post devoted just to this subject alone. I can now see why so many great artist and works of art came out of Paris. Even the most inartistic person could not help but want to pick up a brush after spending time in this city. It is simply amazing. To see the places that Monet and Renior created and to also see these works of art in person resonated so deeply to me, really I can't quite describe it.