by Anne Swardson | Sep 12, 2022 | France, Paris, Walking, World War II
The joy of my return to Paris after two months away began with a movie on the airplane. “Diplomatie,” a 2014 Franco-German production, is set on the night of August 24, 1944. Nazi General Dietrich von Choltitz, recently arrived as governor of occupied Paris, is under... 
by Anne Swardson | Aug 12, 2022 | France, Paris
Originally published in Something Is Going to Happen, the blog of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. My short story, “Uncaged,” will appear in the magazine next week. My husband and I have lived in three neighborhoods since we moved to Paris 26 years ago.... 
by Anne Swardson | May 9, 2022 | Architecture, France, Paris, Walking
There is something extraordinary about viewing a city from 30 feet above the ground. You are at once removed from the daily struggles on the street and yet eyeball-to-eyeball with residents of second-and-third story apartments. I was reminded of this during a recent... 
by Anne Swardson | Apr 9, 2022 | France, Paris, Walking
I’ve found the ideal walking companions to see Paris’s outskirts. They don’t need bathroom stops, don’t argue with your itinerary (unless they find a yummy clump of grass), don’t need to stop for lunch (as noted), don’t care if it rains and don’t have a language... 
by Anne Swardson | Mar 29, 2022 | covid, France, Paris
I saw something startling in the grocery store the other day: A human face. It was a consequence of the government’s recent decision to lift many COVID-19 restrictions. Most notable among them: the requirement that masks be worn in public indoor places,... 
by Anne Swardson | Mar 14, 2022 | Architecture, France, Paris
The headline is a little misleading. Paris doesn’t have ugly walks. I had to turn to the near suburbs to find scenery that reflected my worry that the world is ending, democracy is dying and the pandemic will never be over. I’ve walked through funky neighborhoods,...