by Anne Swardson | May 2, 2026 | Architecture, Art, France, History, Panama, Paris, Walking
I like to explore the outer edges of Paris to see the new, the modern, the unexpected. Walking along the Canal de l’Ourcq gave me that, and also some Paris history. The canal starts in the 19th arrondissement at Bassin de la Villette, which collected water from the... 
by Anne Swardson | Apr 19, 2026 | Architecture, covid, France, Paris, Walking
I knew as soon as I saw the apartment that we should buy it. Not because of how it looked. It was nice enough, but needed a total redo of the space. What really sold me was what I saw out the window. Across the way, a woman was doing calisthenics–on her balcony.... 
by Anne Swardson | Nov 22, 2025 | Architecture, France, Paris, Walking
Anyone who thinks Paris is nothing but broad boulevards, cream-colored stone buildings and iron-filigree balconies should visit the rue Fortuny. It’s a small street in the 17th arrondissement, north of the Etoile, running between the avenue de Villiers and the rue de... 
by Anne Swardson | Oct 22, 2025 | Art, France, History, Paris, Walking
On a lovely fall day, I set out from my 17th-arrondissement apartment and headed north. It’s a walk I’ve done many times before. This is where Paris ends and another world begins—of low-income housing mixed in with glass office buildings, of covered markets and... 
by Anne Swardson | Sep 24, 2025 | France, History, Paris, Strikes
France, too, is a mess. The country is on its fifth prime minister in two years, the result of a foolish decision by President Emmanuel Macron to call early parliamentary elections last year. The result was a legislature divided into three bill-stopping blocs. More...