On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, not that love needs an occasion, I’m sharing a few favorite images from a recent photoshoot by the talented photographer Anastasia Abramova-Guendel. While it may have been a rainy evening in Paris, these images very well depict so much that I love about my adopted home and my amore.
More images coming soon as we have much to celebrate, but for now, I wish you love in all its many forms.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and everyone in need of a little extra amour, especially these days, I thought I’d create a special gift set, from Paris, with love. What better than a gorgeous bouquet of fresh blooms from 100-year old florist L’Arrosoir along with one of my hand-painted Paris-themed bags and a (signed) book by one of the City of Light’s talented authors. Et voilà! The perfect Valentine’s Day gift!
For those living in Paris, order your bag, bouquet, and book online, choosing between the latest books by local authors (and Rive Droite residents) David Lebovitz, Lindsey Tramuta, Jessie Kanelos Weiner, Krystal Kenney, Lily Heise, and Rebekah Peppler.
You can choose between the Rive Droite and Rive Gauche bags, depending on your favorite side of the city. There’s also the I heart Paris bag or a bag featuring one of Paris’s 20 arrondissements. All bags from this collection are hand-painted and reversible and each one costs €65 instead of €90 with the bouquet and book.
If you’re not in Paris to pick up your gift set, I welcome you to order a bag for your Valentine using 20% off code FromParisWithLove for all Kasia Dietz handbags from now until February 14th. All of the above books, which are a must-read for any Francophile, can be ordered via Amazon. As for the bouquets at L’Arrosoir, for those, you’ll need to come to Paris.
Santorini is an island close to my heart. It was here on the caldera in the alluring village of Oia where my Italian proposed and where we began our Greek island-hopping honeymoon almost ten years ago. This visit found us happily secluded in the more intimate cliffside village of Imerovigli.
Home became the heavenly boutique cave hotel Iconic Santorini. Our room on the edge of the cliff looked out over the azure waters of the Aegean far below. The setting of a dream!
We quickly settled into our luxurious room with a view, sinking into our private jacuzzi followed by a holistic massage at the hotel spa. After all, holistic comes from the Greek word ‘holos’ meaning whole.
Our first idyllic day at Iconic Santorini ended at their Pergola Restaurant, dining on gourmet Greek dishes.
It was difficult to leave our newfound utopia to explore the rest of the island. With many fewer people than in Oia and neighboring Fira, Imerovigli proved the perfect village in which to avoid the crowds, even though this year was quieter than most. Having already visited much of Santorini on previous visits, we decided to enjoy the views, and the pool, instead.
Our sojourn at Iconic Santorini confirmed our deep affection for this uniquely mystical island, undoubtedly one of the most romantic destinations in the world.
Following a walk to the village of Fira just one kilometer from Imerovigli, it was time to leave Santorini, knowing that we would return. We always do.
Ten years ago, I bid farewell to the life I had known for over a decade in New York City, to the friends I knew I would hold on to, to the career I had excelled in, and to the city that had taught me so many invaluable lessons. I dove into a new life with a man I had met only months prior but trusted with all my heart. And so began my journey of love in the City of Lights, and this blog. Today I reflect on these past ten years and what I have learned by choosing to live a soul-centered life.
Most importantly, while I’m a full-fledged romantic who grew up believing that love serves as fuel, it’s up to us to find this love within ourselves. I’m forever grateful and appreciative for the adoration of my Italian, but it is self-love that truly fuels me.
This too applies to happiness. As much as I thrive on traveling and discovering new cultures or reveling in those that are close to my heart (ciao Italia!), happiness is not a place, nor is it a person. Happiness is a choice. And sometimes it’s as simple as watching the sunset over Notre Dame, or anywhere for that matter.
When I first moved to Paris I thought much like a New Yorker. How can I achieve success, how can I become something? Given the difficulty in finding work in my field, every day I would come up with a new business plan. It was when I let go of the ego and allowed my soul to soar that I discovered my path. This is how my namesake handbag business came to life and why I became a writer. I still think like a New Yorker, it’s in my composition, after all, but it’s now about becoming in my own eyes, not in those of anyone else.
Another life lesson that I’ve learned through this decade in Paris is that some people are meant to remain in our lives while others quite simply are not. As a Leo with loyalty in my core, I cherish the friendships that have grown with me through the years, both in Paris and around the world, and let go of those that haven’t.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons that I’m still learning is that of acceptance. While I may never understand the way Parisians think, or how and why they behave the way they do, which also applies when immersed in other cultures, the key is to accept them. We are all different, as my Italian often reminds me.
Lastly, this past decade in Paris has strengthened my notion that we must live by our own rules and remain strong in our intentions. Before I left New York to travel the world in 2007, would I ever have believed that years later I’d be living such a blessed life? Yes. Dreams do come true when we believe in them.
To visit Paris is to fall in love, with the city, with the object of your affection, and above all, with yourself. Anyone who has ever stepped foot in the City of Lights knows that the French capital will charm you to no end. Simply strolling the cobbled streets of the Right or Left Banks is an experience in indulging the senses.
Beyond each historic café-lined corner another secret awaits to be discovered. While the pleasure lies in uncovering your own Parisian treasures, allow me to share a few of my romantic favorites, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day.
Let’s start with chocolate, everyone’s favorite indulgence, non? While there are many artisanal chocolatiers that merit a tasting, it’s Jacques Genin that wins my heart. Maybe it’s because his chocolat chaud is one of the most decadent in Paris, not to mention his famous Paris-Brest, a light pastry with a creamy praline filling. Regardless, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget. Take a seat at his cozy Haut Marais tea salon and order sweets to your heart’s content. And don’t forget to pick up a box of chocolate on your way out. Find my list of other top chocolatiers to taste, here.
Jacques Genin // 133 Rue de Turenne 75003 // Tuesday-Sunday 11-7 // 01 45 77 29 01
Only in Paris will you find the Museum of Romantic Life, better known as the Musée de la Vie Romantique. Once home to painter Ary Scheffer, this was where Parisian intellectuals would meet, to the tunes of Frédéric Chopin playing the piano. Included in their entourage were George Sand, Franz Liszt, and Charles Dickens. Take a walk through this 1830 hôtel
Musée de la Vie Romantique // 16 Rue Chaptal 75009 // Tuesday-Sunday 10-6
Given the chill of February, where better to spend an afternoon warming up with your loved one than in the heat of a luxurious hammam? Les Cent Ciels is just the place to spoil yourself, and maybe even a date. Revel in a cleansing
Les Cent Ciels // 7 Rue de Nemours 75011 // Hours vary daily // 01 55 28 95 75
Since Paris is also the fashion capital, stop by Galeries Lafayette, one of the most regal department stores in the world. If your heart isn’t into shopping, enjoy the ornate interiors, dating back to the 19th century. These days there’s a 9-meter long glass walkway suspended 16 meters high in mid-air, allowing you an even closer look at the majestic dome. Continue to the top floor for one of the most stunning rooftop views of Paris. Are you in love yet?
Galeries Lafayette // 40 Boulevard Haussmann 75009 // Mon-Sat 9:30-8:30, Sunday 11-8 // 01 42 82 34 56
The capital of love is also the capital of fine dining. Why not dine in a historic monument? Head to the Gare de Lyon, one of Paris’s seven train stations, and rather than booking a ticket (though that’s always enticing), head up the stairs to Le Train Bleu. Originally created for the Exposition Universelle in 1900, each room represents a different region of France, with 41 paintings lining the richly decorated walls. In 1963, it was coined with its current name and has since then become an address frequented by those with a taste for elegance.
Le Train Bleu // Place Louis-Armand 75012 // Monday-Sunday 7:30-10:30 // 01 43 43 09 06
Regardless of where you find yourself on Valentine’s Day, or any day for that matter, take time to inhale what is so deeply Parisian; strolling from the Right Bank to the Left with no clear destination in mind; stopping at a café terrace for a café crème with a side of people watching; picking up a warm baguette as the scents of freshly baked bread waft through the air. More simply, falling in love with each moment as it finds you.
I’m finding it difficult to articulate my thoughts of the past 48 hours. My beloved Paris, a city adored by all, attacked, so many innocent lives lost. And for what? For enjoying life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. My Italian and I live in the North Marais, bordering the 10th and 11th arrondissements, steps away from Place de la Republique. On many evenings we are carousing these sames streets where the attacks occurred, where many were not as lucky as us. Glued to the news at home, we could barely believe the events as they unfolded all around us, sirens in the distance making it all the more real. My heart aches for the families and friends of the victims, for the lives so suddenly cut short. I was immediately reminded of the Charlie Hebdo attacks earlier in the year. Again? The shock and despair I feel, that many of us feel, is all too similar to 911 in New York, an attack not just on a city, but on the entire world.
On Saturday, rather than stay home and allow the media to feed our fear, we walked to the sites of the attacks, in thought of the victims and in support of our adopted city. My eyes filled with tears as we passed the cafes with terraces once brimming with locals; now only bullet holes remained. The gate was down at Le Petit Cambodge. Flowers and candles lined the streets, people of all ages gathered around to pay homage. Suddenly it became all too devastatingly real. That evening we spent with friends from the neighborhood, all of us grateful not to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Chance.
The sun shone brightly on Sunday and again we took to the streets. As we often do on mild fall weekends, we biked to the Seine and rode the length of the river past Hôtel de Ville and our favorite haunts in Ile Saint-Louis until we reached Musée d’Orsay. Museums and markets remained closed, but all around us life was being lived. Parisians mingled at neighborhood cafes, children ran around the riverbanks, tourists queued to view Paris by boat, we even caught a glimpse of a token bride and groom. Love for the city was felt around every corner.
Since 911 my affection for New York grew deeper, it became a city that will forever remain in my heart. Now too, I feel more bonded to Paris, much the way I do to a loved one whose well-being is of paramount importance to me. This is perhaps the most sane way to survive such terror, by expressing profound love and cherishing the life we have been given. Every. Single. Day.
As the sun set and we made our way back home, I thought about the official Paris Motto since the Middle Ages, now again relevant, Fluctuat Nec Mergitur, Though beaten by the waves, she never sinks. Stay strong Paris!