Thank you Fifi readers for your lovely comments from my guest post
last week. And thank you to Fifi for allowing me to guest. I really
enjoyed imagining that we could all meet in Paris at the Under the
Sheets café over some warm croissants and French coffee. My only
request is that we sit outside the café so we can people watch. OK?
Before visiting Pairs, my image of French women was that they were
stylish and confident. I wondered if they were raised to become such
amazing Parisian women or one day all of sudden embodied the French
style?
And then I saw the movie Amelie. This changed my view of what Parisian
life could be. It also showed me a cast of characters that could be
living in Paris. And yet Amelie with that adorable haircut, spring
dress and always celebrating life showed me, I too could live in
Paris. Sometimes I could be draped in lovely Parisian fashion and
other times dress in my San Francisco boutique ways.
Amelie description “(Impish gamine Amélie (Audrey Tautou) lives alone
and works in a café. When she finds a trove of toys hidden for 40
years behind a baseboard in her apartment, she's inspired to
repatriate the items, an impulse of generosity that sparks more
benevolent acts. A celebration of life, Amélie reminds us of the small
wonders that abound around us … if only we paused to look.)”
So the theme of today’s guest post is an American in Paris. Before I
visited Pairs, I pictured it to have overwhelming beauty, night scenes
with a beautifully lit Eiffel Tower, artists sitting by the Seine
River, 
women shopping and waiters preparing the restaurant tables with
table cloths before the rush. This was all true, but tourists do not
tend to see the family gatherings, daily life or work in one of those
Parisian clothing stores.
It tends to take weeks in another city or country to feel at home and
to really understand their way of life. I am reminded of this when
tourists come to visit San Francisco. Most have heard of Pier 39,
Cable Cars and will go see the Golden Gate Bridge. 
But few know of Coit tower, the different San Francisco neighborhoods or the Ferry Building.
In my time in Paris, I remember walking down the Champs-Elysees to the
top of the L'Arc de Triomphe to see the city views. I was amazed at
the Louvre's architecture, the gardens of Versailles, the Cimetière du
Père (the most famous graveyard where Jim Morrison is buried), how
complicated the Metro is and watching little girls playing in water
fountains. So this American in Paris stopped and smelled the flowers.
Ah Paris! I wish I could spend more time with you. Instead I will have
to settle for my red beret, French coffee, croissants, movies and
memories. I hope to see you soon.
~Laura of Under the Sheets-Shhh blog
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Merci Laura... once again... you have put together a FAB post for my readers... I'm think that in the future you should give us a tour of your city... San Francisco! Until then... let's pop over and see what the other Outdoor Wednesday participants are doing HERE!
The painting in this post (stolen from SFgirlbyBay) and more are available... visit my Painting du Jour Gallery and Etsy Shop where you can even find frameable notecards inspired the movie Amelie as you can see HERE.
Tomorrow is Tablescape Thursday... put on your best frocks... we are heading to Versaille for a special luncheon!
