Preparing for Paris!

My husband and I are heading overseas next month for his work, spending 5 weeks in Paris, a week in Orlando and then 3 weeks holidays around Europe. I'm very excited, not only to be travelling and sightseeing but also to be sampling all the tasty treats each country has to offer.

Five weeks in Paris is definitely going to be the highlight of the trip - we spent a couple of days there in 2004 as part of our backpacking holiday around Europe and I definitely adore the city of love. I also studied French all the way through high school so the whole french culture has a certain charm for me. I'm hoping that 5 weeks will give me a good sense of "living" in the city and not just playing tourist. We'll be staying in an apartment in La Defense, so I'll have access to a kitchen as well as only be a few metro stations from the centre of Paris.

I was planning to be more prepared before we go, but as usual work and other day to day stuff tends to get in the way and I lost track of time. Today I realised it's only 24 days til we leave for Paris, so I'd better start making some lists and gathering ideas of what to do, where to go and most importantly what to eat!

I've just finished reading a fabulous book called "La Vie Parisienne" by Janelle McCulloch, an Aussie who went to live in Paris for a year and it was filled with insights into great bars, cafes, restaurants and shopping hot spots around the city. Her favourite place is Ladurée, a lovely cafe that is most famous for its macaroons, cakes and pastries that come in beautiful mint green take home boxes (also the colour of her book cover). Her book is so descriptive that I really felt like I was there already, soaking up the atmosphere and throwing back glasses of expensive champagne! I can't wait to check out some of her favourite haunts.

I've also been traipsing around the interweb in search of ideas, and came across a lovely foodie blog called Chocolate and Zucchini. The author, Clotilde, has been blogging about food and Paris for several years and also written a couple of books. One post I have especially bookmarked is "12 hours in Paris", where she details how she would spend her last 12 hours in the city, all about the food experience of course! So I'm hoping to take the same trail, but perhaps over a few days instead of cramming that much eating into one session!

One of the books she has written is "Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris" which she describes as "A window onto my Paris, this delicious stomping ground for the food enthusiast. It is the companion I wish I had for every city I visit, pointing me to the edible highlights and giving me the lowdown on the dining scene, the best food shopping haunts, and the locals' favorites." I think I am going to have to track down this book before we leave!

I've also been busy tagging other sites I want to read up on, you can see them all here on my del.icio.us account. If you have any suggestions of places we should check out in Paris, let me know!!