Category Archives: Paris nostalgia

Beer and sandwiches from the Brasserie Dauphine

If the title of this blog rings a bell for you, you must be a fan of the mystery novels of Georges Simenon. When Inspector Maigret holds an interrogation at the Quai des Orfèvres, more often than not he orders … Continue reading

Posted in Paris books, Paris crime, Paris nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments

Nostalgic images of a vanishing city

Photographs of Paris in the snow were big news earlier this month. We are Canadians. As Gilles Vigneault sang of this country, “Mon pays ce n’est pas un pays, c’est l’hiver” (My country is not a country, it is winter). … Continue reading

Posted in Paris art, Paris nostalgia, Paris popular culture, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

A walk in the snow led us to Paris

Our first trip to Paris together was only about 20 years ago, but already it seems to belong to the distant past. It all began with a walk in the snow. We are Canadians of a certain age, so the … Continue reading

Posted in Paris automotive, Paris civic functions, Paris hotels, Paris nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

Make do and mend

I took my umbrella to Paris in March. It was not that I needed it to keep off the rain. It was so that I could do something with it in Paris I could not do in Canada: get it … Continue reading

Posted in Paris flea markets, Paris markets, Paris nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The first time I saw Paris

This blog is dedicated to the memory of my father, John Campsie, 9 April 1921 – 8 February 2014. He passed his love of travel on to me and encouraged me to learn French. The first time I saw Paris, … Continue reading

Posted in Family history, Paris hotels, Paris nostalgia, Paris travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

George Barbier and the dream of Paris

Every year, millions of people come to Paris dreaming of beauty, elegance, high fashion, personal freedom, decadent leisure, titillating knowledge, romantic affairs, sexual dalliances, and secret places. What they may not realize is that some of their dreams are built … Continue reading

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In Search of Lost Time

You don’t really need a wristwatch in Paris. For one thing, you are never far from a clock – on walls, towers, and in front of boutiques. Some are ornate. Some are utilitarian. Some are advertisements. Some are art. Of … Continue reading

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Missing Christmas in Paris

Everything had been arranged for another Christmas in Paris—plane tickets, flat rental, friends to see—and then we had to cancel. We will spend Christmas in Toronto and will have a good time of it. But what will we miss about … Continue reading

Posted in Paris nostalgia, Paris shops, Paris streets | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Guessing games

A little shop that we often visit is Tumbleweed on the rue de Turenne. As its name suggests, the owner is American, and the tiny boutique features everything from puzzles to children’s shoes to wonderful bags printed with images of … Continue reading

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Goosebumps

One day, at a flea market, I bought an old board game called Le Jeu de l’Oie (the Game of the Goose). I was attracted to it because I had seen a reproduction of a similar board in a newspaper … Continue reading

Posted in Paris flea markets, Paris nostalgia, Paris popular culture | Tagged , , | 5 Comments