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 | Jun 21, 2022 | Switzerland, Travel, Walking
Like many Americans who are long-timers in France, I’m often asked what led me to choose a life overseas. There are many reasons. But the origin story begins on an Alpine peak in Switzerland. I spent my high-school junior year in Leysin, a village in the... 
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...