by Anne Swardson | Jul 26, 2021 | France
“You’re moving to Paris? It’s a dirty, dirty city.” So said a high-school classmate at a reunion in Ohio 25 years ago, after I excitedly told her of my upcoming relocation. I’m not sure she’d even been to Paris. But it’s true that the level of filth in the City of... 
by Anne Swardson | Jul 12, 2021 | France
“Very often Paris is considered a museum-city, frozen in its elegant Haussmanian avenues, monuments, and upscale districts…..But when you stray from the beaten track, you realize this is not the case at all: Paris innovates and reinvents itself every day.” – Nicolas... 
by Anne Swardson | Jun 28, 2021 | France
I’ll come out and say it: Voter ID is a good thing. That’s a controversial view in the U.S. But I have seen it work here, not once but for every one of the 10 times I have voted in France. All voters carry their national identification card (a passport will do too)... 
by Anne Swardson | Jun 14, 2021 | France, Rouen
Charlie and I celebrated the phaseout of lockdown recently with a trip to Rouen, a lovely city with a knockout cathedral. The trip was also a reminder that France isn’t just Paris. In the past we’ve traveled widely in our adopted country, but the various COVID... 
by Anne Swardson | May 31, 2021 | France
Did you ever try to attend several parties in one evening because they all sounded so fun? I was given a similar opportunity via an email from the U.S. Embassy the other day. “Multiple protests on Saturday beginning at noon. Demonstrators are expected on a variety of...