by Anne Swardson | Sep 28, 2022 | Uncategorized
We had walked by it many times, and the hidden treasures inside had always intrigued us, especially since they were stored in what looked to be a dilapidated old armory. The building, in fact, was on the site of a fortified wall that had ringed Paris in 1841, under... 
by Anne Swardson | Jun 23, 2020 | Uncategorized
In late 2005, I was invited to be a panelist on an evening news show called Mots Croisés. The topic was the riots across France in the low-income, predominantly Muslim ethnic suburbs that surrounded big cities. There were about 10 participants, representing every... 
by Anne Swardson | Jun 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
By Anne Swardson Not so long ago, rue de Caumartin throbbed with activity noon and night. Its narrow sidewalks in the heart of Paris were jammed with office workers and tourists at lunchtime and patrons of three nearby performance venues at night. Fully 15 restaurants... 
by Anne Swardson | May 31, 2020 | Uncategorized
By Anne Swardson When I came to Paris on a school-scouting trip before moving here, the outgoing Washington Post correspondent, a rather large American man, welcomed me with a two-cheek kiss. My reaction was, yuck. But, like him and like many foreigners who have lived... 
by Anne Swardson | May 29, 2020 | Uncategorized
Originally published in The American Scholar By Anne Swardson The French are facing an existential question as their coronavirus lockdown phases down: Will they be able to go on vacation this summer? Cable television news and newspapers are filled with this topic.... 
by Anne Swardson | May 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
By Anne Swardson Paris is in what is called the “red zone.” That is, its parks cannot yet open for fear of sparking a return of the coronavirus. An unexpected by-product of these post-lockdown days of garden neglect is that the city is bursting out in uncontrolled...