When Peter and I were in Paris in October, we went to several exhibits, two of which were in small museums that are well worth a visit. The first is the Musee Jacquemart-Andre, at 158 Boulevard Haussmann in the 8th arrondisement. You can get there by metro, line #9. This museum was built as a […]

I love to browse in book stores when looking for something new to read (a pleasure that is going the way of the dinosaur, unfortunately). My tried and true method for deciding whether to buy is often a quick read of the first page. It’s not foolproof- I have gotten books home that, once I […]

Christmas in Paris is magical. That’s the only word for it- and it’s all about the lights.  I don’t know why, but for me, seeing holiday lights start to appear, wherever you are, signals the true start to the holiday.  Paris does lots of things well, but this is something they really shine at- no pun […]

When I think of a flea market, I think of the kind where you have rows of people selling cheap sweatshirts, t-shirts, and second hand DVD’s. The true flea markets of Paris are NOT like that- well, for the record, they do have some rows of that stuff BEFORE you enter the REAL thing. You […]

Paris is full of small museums and I’m sure I’ll never find them all, but I recently found a great one! It’s in the 18th arrondisement, next to Sacre Coeur, so when you’re planning your itinerary, and have Sacre Coeur on your list, give yourself a bit more time and go see the Salvador Dali […]

Well, I got my second draft back from my FABULOUS editor and now it’s time to get the last “clean ups” done and write my mega convincing cover letter to the prospective agent.  I’ve got my blog up and running to start to get some publicity, and have just started a Twitter account- martyalmquist is […]

Have you noticed, in walking around Paris, that presentation is extremely important? From the clothing stores to the outdoor market, everyone pays a lot of attention to how things look. And you’ll find just as much attention given to things you buy.  I wanted to take flowers to an old friend I was having lunch […]

www.fnac.com is the website for the music store- it has a “translate” button so you can get it in English. It’s a great resource before ANY trip to Paris to find out what music will be there, but also what art exhibitions and other events are happening. You can buy tickets through it as well […]

I love to hear live music, especially in small venues. I’m NOT a fan of the “football stadium” approach to concerts. So now I check fnac.com, a website connected to a chain of music stores in Paris, before each trip, to see what fun music might be available. I’ve discovered three venues that I want […]

We went with friends last September to Burgundy to do some wine tasting. We stayed in Puligny, one of many picturesque small towns in that area, and drove to Beaune to visit the Maison Louis Jadot winery. What a GREAT experience! Louis Jadot vineyards are a longstanding family-owned and family-run business. In the 1950’s, when […]