Who doesn't love Paris!?!

What makes Paris so irresistible? 

It's a love affair! 

It starts with one of the most famous, and romantic, of all symbols:

The Eiffel Tower.

Who hasn't heard the stories of lifetimes together

starting at the top (or even bottom) of the Eiffel Tower. 

I've heard personally of several people who either proposed 

or were proposed to atop the tower or on a boat on the Seine while cruising past. 

In fact, visit Nathalie at Dolce Dreams 

for one such romantic love story. 

Then the love affair moves to the Seine,

a river flowing with history, fame and glory. 

One only needs to say the word 'Seine' and the world knows where you are. 

And of course there are the cafes!

The perfect place no matter the weather

be it a chilled kir in the summer

or the ever popular chocolate chaud in  winter. 

And for me,

the affair always includes the open-air markets...

with their vibrant colors,

and tempting flavors,

seasonal freshness,

and delicate seafood.

I love the glitz and fun of the holidays...

...the hidden courtyards,

the doors,

and windows,

And the metro,

night or day...

I adore the bread

and the cheese

of course the wine

and don't get me started on the luscious, decadent sweets...

and hot perfect frites,

...the art,

and architecture,

and the fabulous photo shots,

...don't forget the myriad choices and flavors of

'real' champagne...

...and the ancient finds on every walk. 

But above all else,

the biggest draw for me in Paris

is my very own heart...

My family!

My sister and her children live in Paris 

and it's because of them that Paris shines even brighter for me. 

There's no one in the world like your sister

and mine has given me Paris.

Not sure I'll ever be able 

to return such a favor. 

************************

Be sure to stop by Anita's

Castles, Crowns and Cottages

for the Simply Irresistible Paris Link Party. 

See you there! 

(Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Cara Black at the American Library in Paris

This Wednesday June 6th, 2012 at 19:30, The American Library in Paris presents-- Evenings with an Author-- featuring Cara Black, award-winning author of the Aimee Leduc P.I. mystery series. Murder at the Lanterne Rouge is Black's twelfth Leduc novel.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she's been working on the series since 1998. Black will receive the Medaille de la ville de Paris on June 22nd. With titles like Murder in the Marais, Murder in Montmartre, Murder in Passy, Aimee solves crimes in nearly every arrondissement while Cara interviews flics, detectives and cafe owners for research.

Booklist calls her protagonist: "...a delightfully unbuttoned Audrey Hepburn for the twenty-first century..." That one quote in itself makes me want to read every one of them.

Deadly Pleasures says: "...No one does Paris better than Black..."

If I was in Paris this week, you would find me here. If you're in Paris, don't miss it.
Excuse me while I get back to my book!

American Library in Paris  is located at:
10, rue du General Camou
(Just off the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower)
75007 Paris, France
• Tel. +33 (0)1 53 59 12 60
http://www.americanlibraryinparis.org/

Above the Clouds in Napa

We recently returned from the long Memorial Day weekend in California's wine country. 

For nearly the last decade,

we've been visiting a B&B in the hills of Napa/Sonoma

overlooking the Valley of the Moon.

We've become friends with the owners

so even after they closed their doors to the general public,

every so often, we come stay just for the friendship, the beauty,

 the Northern California sun and air and a little wine, food and fun.

And, of course, a few games of late-night marbles.

As a perfectly lovely bonus, they've introduced us to their friends and family,

the meadow just below the house sometimes fills with various types of wildlife

and our cell phones don't work on the hill! 

The original house was built in the 1850's but burned completely

save for the chimney. 

The new house, owned by the Fraziers in 1907,

was built around it. 

That tree on the right stood in the earliest photos!

(And that upstairs balcony outside the guest rooms

 holds comfy lounge chairs for resting 

after a day of wine tasting.) 

We try to help out with chores,

and we make each other dinners

but having run the B&B for nearly 20 years,

they do make the best breakfasts.

In warm weather, dinners are often served on the patio

overlooking the meadow and the valley beyond...

...and the days end with the perfect, radiant backdrop. 

It doesn't get much better than this

with people you love. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Without Coffee...

From Pinterest)


I don't drink coffee and some days, this is exactly how I feel.
Just got home from the long holiday weekend and trying to get back in the swing.
Will have a regularly scheduled post for you sometime soon.

In the meantime, Happy Tuesday!

Wallace Fountains of Paris

If you've traveled to Paris,

you'll recognize these fountains. 

Named the Wallace Fountains after the philanthropist 

and Englishman Richard Wallace (1818-1890) who,

after receiving a rather large inheritance,

decided Paris should benefit. 

They serve as drinking fountains found throughout the city

and these larger models (there are several kinds)

are decorated with caryatids and dolphins.

The caryatids (sculpted female figures serving as columns) represent

kindness, simplicity, charity and sobriety.

Designed by Wallace and Charles-Auguste Lebourg,

a sculptor from Nantes,

they were meant to help the city's inhabitants after the Paris Commune 

when many of the aqueducts had been destroyed and the price of water rose. 

While I have not drunk from them,

I have used them to spritz myself on hot summer days. 

They can be found in nearly every arrondissement 

and while reading about these beauties, 

I just learned there is more than one in our 15th arrondissement neighborhood

though I have yet to find them.

Always a treasure hunt in Paris! 

(Photographs copyright: Kirsten Steen)

The Heroine's Journey~ Teaser Tuesday

Hosted by MizB at should be reading.

Here's how to play:

*Grab your current read,

*Open to a random page,

*Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page,

*Please no spoilers!

*Share the title and author.

This week's selection is from Maureen Murdock's 'The Heroine's Journey':

"It is in these moments of being truly vulnerable, however, that we can really grow. Jean Shinoda Bolen says, 'When we are doing something because it is expected of us or to please somebody else or because we are afraid of somebody else, we become further alienated from a sense of living authentically. If we just keep living out a role that we know well, the cost of that is to become increasingly cut off from that which is in the collective unconscious, that which not only nourishes us, but also provides the raw material that allows us to mess up. Very often in transition periods, that's exactly what is called for, a change by going through chaos, of losing the way, of being lost in the forest for some time before we get through and find our path again.'"

I've just started this book that I've wanted to read for years. Published in 1990, Maureen Murdock breaks the male template of the hero's journey according to Joseph Campbell and inserts her own understanding of the wounded contemporary female through her work as a therapist and artist. This passage itself, found by asking for guidance and then opening to a random page, touches me more than I expected.

Happy Mother's Day Cake

 Pinterest (via Williams-Sonoma)

Love this cake! 

And love my mom...

 though she's been gone almost ten years now. 

Enjoy your mom today. 

Enjoy every minute. 

Tell her how much you love her. 

Her love is like no other's

and is irreplaceable. 

Moms, write your kids a note,

a treasure to be found later.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there! 

You deserve the best!

Greek Market Olives~Travelin' Tuesday

I love the color of olives, ripe and unripe. 

These are from the outdoor market under the Palamidi fortress in Nafplion, Greece,

a little tourist destination two hours south of Athens on the Peloponnese.
These would go perfect with some sliced cucumber and tomato,
feta cheese and olive oil.
And a little Greek sunshine.
We finally have some sun here this week.
Hope you are enjoying whatever you've got.
Happy Tuesday!