France & Femicide
September 15, 2019France recorded its 100th case of femicide this year at the beginning of the month. With one of the highest rates of female murders perpetrated by partners, ex partners or male family members in Europe, it’s estimated that a woman is murdered every three days in France. Femicide is Increasing Annual figures released by France’s Interior Ministry reveal an increase in femicide since 2016. This month saw renewed calls for the country to collectively do more to reduce the 220,000 incidents of marital, physical or sexual violence that take place each year. In July protestors gathered in Paris at the…
Happy Birthday Les Halles (& me)
This week I’m sharing a birthday with Les Halles. Albeit from a distance. I’m back in the UK for work. My first few eventful days home have been punctuated by plans to suspend parliament for a month. Swiftly followed by…
The Wallace Fountains of Paris
Iconic emerald green, cast iron Wallace fountains are peppered around Parisian streets and parks. Designed and financed by an Englishman, a Francophile at that, these Neo Renaissance style fountains wear the name of Sir Richard Wallace. Way ahead of his…
Early Morning Market on Rue Ordener
Stalls are setting up to a symphony of clanking, banging, rustling and the turning of trolley wheels. The twice weekly fermentation of noise and frenzied motion signals one thing, market day on Rue Ordener. Setting up for market day on…
Place du Tertre
Place du Tertre. This small, unassuming square, is the aorta of historic Montmartre village. A tangle of narrow, winding, cobbled arteries, lead towards it’s centre. For decades the Place du Tertre has been synonymous with artists, writers, poets and chanteuses.…
La Belle Epoque & Anarchy
Two doors down from my apartment is the site of the world’s first recorded grand theft auto bank robbery at the Société Générale (and I wonder why people are afraid to go north of the Sacre Coeur). 1911 may evoke opulent…
Paris Scams, Swindles & Cons
Ah Paris. The wide, leafy boulevards. The street cafes illuminating the pavements late into the night. The couture (not really my thing, but I hear it’s très popular with some). The magic of that rose light, washing everything it falls…
The Bench
Floor to ceiling, my balcony windows frame the perfect view of a small, shaded corner of Serpollet Square. The Sacre Coeur flanks the park to the left, an assorted pile of higgledy piggledy flats and houses tumble out from underneath…
Street Homeless in Paris
Bare cracked feet protrude from a pair of frayed, too short trousers. Ankles and calves exposed, a man stretches out, asleep on the hard, warm concrete. An ornate, elegant Guimard art nouveau Metro sign towers above him, casting a shadow.…
Justice for Steve
A crimson lake pools around he Fountain de la Plece Royale in Nantes, reflecting the summer sunshine. Pale marble sculptures with black armbands, newly attached, stand knee deep in a sea of vivid red dye. A white sheet hangs over…
Montmartre Kitchen Sink
It’s a rainy morning in Paris. Warm, fragile droplets of rain softly tap onto the pavement creating a soothing scent of asphalt, summer and freshly baked baguettes. The drizzle, is feeble, dampening the dust of the city streets after the…
The E-Scooter Has Arrived
Paris has recently been invaded. By e-scooters, or “trottinettes” as they are referred to by Parisians and not everyone is happy about it. Le e-scooter Start Up est arrivé Pioneered in San Francisco, micro mobility is the most rapidly expanding…
Could I really live in Paris?
Ah. The joys of being self employed. You’re the boss. You’re independent. You get to choose when you work. If the office politics stink? Well you only have yourself to blame. The downside? Sometimes people don’t pay you. At all.…
ZEN AND THE ART OF PARIS
PARIS, MINDFULNESS & LIFE IN MONMARTRE
