Parler Paris Newsletter

The First Twenty-Four Hours of 2008

Parler Paris...
Your taste of life in Paris and France
http://www.parlerparis.com/
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Paris, France

Don't Miss Parler Paris! AOL blocks many major European ISPs, so we cannot guarantee that our mail to AOL addresses will arrive. Please use another email provider or "White List" our email address or add "Adrian@AdrianLeeds.com" to your contact list.

Your French Property Dream CAN come true in 2008!

Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference!
February 16-17, 2008
Alliance Française, Miami, Florida

If you've always dreamed of owning your own "pied-à-terre" in Paris or home in the Provinces of France, perhaps as a future retirement home or for now as investment property rented part of the year...this power-packed two-day conference is a MUST.

Hosted by Adrian Leeds, long time resident of Paris, Editor of the Parler Paris Newsletter and French Property Insider weekly E-zine and John Howell, lead attorney for the International Law Partnership, London, these two days in Miami will point you in the right direction to make it really happen! Includes three course lunch and cocktail reception.

For more information and to register, visit: http://www.frenchpropertyconference.com/

Or email Schuyler Hoffman at RSVP@adrianleeds.com

Dear Parler Paris Reader,

Have you ever had the absolute worst seats in the theater? We did -- on New Year's Eve for Sara Baras' Flamenco dance performance at the Théâtre de Champs Elysées.

These were virtually the only places left on New Year's Eve at a late date deciding to book, so I took them. BUT, it didn't matter that we had to keep shifting positions from right to left, or that I was leaning heavily over the rail and was afraid of tumbling over to see past the stage lights, which obscured about one-third of the stage on the left side...nor that most of the action seemed to happen on that very same obscured side...nor that nose-bleed-high seats meant that we saw (almost) only the top of Sara's head and of her shoes...the performance was...exciting, magnificent, stunning, sexy, energizing, brilliant, etc., etc., etc., etc.

You have never seen feet move so fast (in red shoes!)...nor with such strength and determination (the pounding must cause shock waves through the dancers' bodies)...nor arms move so elegantly (like swans' necks)...nor hips move so sexy (why can't all men have such slim torsos?).

Flamenco by Sara B. is on fire! There are only six performances left: January 3, 4, 5 (2), 6 and 7. So, move your keyboard fingers as fast as Sara's feet to get your tickets by ordering online at http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr and whatever you do, don't book the second balcony seats on the side! Or, wait until next holiday season when she's (hopefully) back for more of Paris audiences' appreciation. I'll be there, but in better seats for sure.

Sleep late? Call the family and a few friends to say "Happy New Year?" Eat leftovers and drink the remaining few sips of Champagne? Take a walk? Go to a movie? Catch up on old email? Dinner with family?

Sleeping late meant an 8 a.m. rise and shine. (Can't help it. The sun comes up and so do the old eye lids.)

Calling the family and friends meant waiting till at least 5 p.m. Paris time (if calling North America and about the same time if calling Paris-based friends who have likely had way too much champagne the night before).

Eating leftovers meant a small nugget of foie gras, stale crackers and flat champagne that were left out overnight while exhaustion and drunkenness overtook any semblance of sanity.

Taking a walk meant a two-hour fast-paced circle to the Palais Royal and back with a few stops to window shop, take photos of beautiful sights (it IS Paris, you know, and the photo ops are everywhere you look!), have a civilized lunch at the lovely Passage Vivienne, and take in the crisp polluted Paris air while NO ONE was on the streets.

Going to a movie meant FINALLY seeing "De l'Autre Côté" (The Edge of Heaven), a Turkish/German film by Fatih Akin (in Turkish, French and English with French subtitles) that took the prize(s) at the European Film Awards 2007 (Best Film) and Festival de Cannes 2007 among others. (It's still playing in obscure Paris cinemas -- the kind we like the most.)

Catching up on old emails meant working down the overloaded in-box to a mere 200 after removing at least 500 spam messages about how to enlarge my "member" (I get all the 'made for men' spam thanks to the masculine spelling of my name).

Dinner with family meant taking my daughter out for a "tête-à-tête" (head-to-head or heart-to-heart) talk about the serious commitment we're about to make buying an apartment in New York in which for her to live and work. (Unfortunately, our family "cantine," Chez Omar, was closed exceptionally for the holiday so we opted for "Au Trou Normand," one of those neighborhood bistrots that beats them all for "un petit prix" [9, rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, Telephone 01.48.05.80.23, Métros Oberkampf or Filles du Calvaire]).

A special treat from the first 24 hours of 2008 was the shock that colleague, friend and neighbor, Pascal Fonquernie (http://www.parismarais.com) had never ridden the 96 bus only to discover that riding the bus was 1) faster and simpler than to take the Métro to get to the Left Bank, 2) above ground and therefore one can see the beautiful city and 3) not at all "lower class." He actually 'enjoyed' leaving Le Marais, too, if for only a couple of hours, to experience another part of the city, just on the other side of the Seine.

Respond to
Adrian

P.S. The first Parler Paris Après Midi coffee gathering of the year is next Tuesday 3 to 5 p.m. Don't miss it...at La Pierre du Marais at the corner of rue de Bretagne and rue des Archives in the 3rd. See http://www.parlerparis.com/apresmidi.html for more information and plan on being there!

P.P.S. The Parler Parlor Conversation Group reopens this coming Saturday at Lutèce Langues, 23, boulevard de Sébastopol (at the corner of rue de la Reynie), 1st arrondissement. Scroll down for more information or visit http://www.parlerparlor.com

Your Complete Solution to a New Home in France...

Adrian Leeds and her team of property professionals can help make your dream to live or invest in France a reality. These experienced property experts provide comprehensive services including property search, purchase, mortgage and other after-the-sale services, such as renovation and rental management.

Visit http://www.frenchpropertyconsultation.com or email info@adrianleeds.com

Troyes -- A Bubbly Escape
By Schuyler Hoffman
Reprinted from Issue 1, February 13, 2003

On an impulse really, I decided one Friday night to just head south to Troyes, a little town southeast of Paris. I showed up at Gare de l'Est bright and early Saturday morning, bought my ticket (only 34 euro round trip) and was off on a new adventure...Subscribers Read On...

French Property Insider is a weekly e-zine, sharing insights, recommendations, tips, and discoveries about Paris real estate and French property. Each information-packed issue is devoted to educating its readers on how to effectively, efficiently and profitably purchase property in France.

Perfect your French language skills with a subscription to Champs-Elysées Audio Magazines. On CD or cassette and produced monthly, each issue is packed with a range of news and features on current events, theatre, gastronomy, music and politics. Every edition comes with a full printed transcript, complete notes and glossary.

Insider Paris Guides are written for people who love the City of Light. You'll get a Paris insider perspective on Good Value Restaurants... Making a Life... Black Culture... Expat Writers...plus the newest guide, Practical Paris!

Welcome to your home in Paris. Home is how you will feel in a private apartment in Paris that has the "seal of approval" from Parler Paris Apartments and me, Adrian Leeds.

American comfort with French flair! Overlooking Boulevards Richard Lenoir and Voltaire, in the 11th Arrondissement.This three-bedroom, two-bath luxury penthouse with wrap-around balconies and spectacular views, sleeps 6.

Parler Parlor French-English Conversation Group
http://www.parlerparlor.com/

Practice speaking French and English. Make friends, discuss interesting topics, learn about other cultures, progress in understanding and speaking, naturally and easily. Meets three times a week -- come as often as you like!

NEW
Tuesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
AT LUTÈCE LANGUE
23, boulevard de Sébastopol (at the corner of rue de la Reynie), 1st arrondissement
3rd Floor on the Left (read notice on door to obtain entry code)
Métro Châtelet, Les Halles

NEW
Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
AT BISTROT DE LA GRILLE
14 rue Mabillon, 6th arrondissement
(at rue Guisarde and Le Marché Saint-Germain) 1st Floor
Métro Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Mabillon, Odéon

France Today The Magazine of French Culture and Travel, delivers all the information you need to indulge your passion for France: travel advice you won’t find anywhere else, off-the-beaten-path trips, the inside track on trends in dining, hotels, shopping and style, and the culture scene.

To subscribe, visit http://www.francetoday.com or call 1-800-901-6560