If you live in a city, you will find that one of your must-have items will be a novel to read during the copious amounts of time you will no doubt spend on public transportation. I probably spend almost two hours a day on the Paris metro, so I need a book that can make that time pass at a reasonably bearable pace. I’ve been reading Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope, which does the trick for me.
Another thing that I’ve found it imperative to my wellbeing in Paris is relaxing café time. One of the things I was most excited about before I left to go abroad was the time I envisioned I would spend sitting at a little table, under the colorful awning of a café, sipping on an espresso and scribbling in a notebook. Unfortunately, between rushing around to classes and trying to visit every monument, museum, and Happy Hour in Paris, I found that one month into my time here, I hadn’t done enough café-sitting. Last Friday, my friend Kristen and I made up for that. We found a cozy café near the Marais, the hip, vibrant, Jewish neighborhood, and installed ourselves there for the afternoon under a heat lamp. We ordered Moroccan green tea that came in decorative teapots. The waiter gave us colorful shot glasses to drink out of. We pulled out our notebooks and scribbled, and I finally got to have my Hemingway-esque moment.
Other than a novel, I have discovered that the three most essential items for living in Paris are a trench coat, a scarf, and an umbrella. The weather here is incredibly bipolar. It usually rains for at least part of the day. At Amherst I tend to figure I will just suck it up if it rains, seeing us the farthest I’m probably walking is from my dorm to the gym. Living in a city, I have embraced the concept of the umbrella.
One of the things I will miss most about my time in Paris is a good crêpe stand. You can find crêpe stands in Paris the way you can find hot dog carts in New York. Late night Dominos has been replaced by the late night nutella crêpe, and I don’t think there can be any going back. After going out, I promise you there is nothing better than holding a warm, nutella crêpe in your hands, inhaling the chocolaty scent, and taking a bite of that perfect balance between the hot, smooth, creamy nutella, and the firm, fresh dough of the crêpe. I may have to purchase a hot plate so that I can make crêpes in my room when I get back to the US.
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