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 | Jun 16, 2024 | Architecture, France, Paris, Walking
At least Le Rubis was unchanged. My favorite bistro when I was a student in Paris looks just like it did back then, even though the neighborhood around it north of the rue de Rivoli has become much more chic. I spent many happy, and tipsy, hours there. More on my... 
by Anne Swardson | Feb 19, 2024 | birding, Panama, Travel, Walking
I used to think birding was ridiculous. Tramping around all day with a big camera and binoculars to find small flying creatures whose goal is to stay unseen? Then I tried it. In Panama. This is not as strange as it seems, or least, no stranger than choosing Panama for... 
by Anne Swardson | Mar 13, 2023 | France, Paris, Parks, Walking
It’s getting warm in Paris, after a winter that seemed grayer and colder than usual (with apologies to those experiencing blizzards, flash floods and the like in the U.S.). I love walking around the parks and seeing preparations for the blooming season. Every...