NEXT MEETING: May 9, 2006 AND EVERY SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This is your opportunity to meet every month, often with local professionals who can answer your Working and Living in France questions. You are invited to come for drinks and share your questions and comments about what it takes to create a life here, own property and enjoy what France has to offer. It is also an opportunity to network with other Parler Paris readers.
*Special Note: Anyone attending Parler Paris Après Midi must be willing to have their photograph taken and a brief description written about them for publishing in Parler Paris. Your presence indicates your willingness to participate.
Upstairs
at La Pierre du Marais
96, rue des Archives at the corner of rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris
Métro Lines 9, 3 et 11, stations Temple, République or
Arts et Métiers
| Next
coming year's meetings... |
See
past reports... January
10, 2006 |
See
past reports... |
See
past reports... December
14, 2004 |
See
past reports... December
23, 2003 |
MEETING
OF April 11, 2006
(Photos do not necessarily match the descriptions!)
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We filled the entire room and caused enough din to raise the roof on La Pierre du Marais. It must be Spring -- lots of vacationers in Paris to come join us for the monthly "tête-à-tête" we call "Après Midi."
Bill and Julie Boston, not from Boston, were the first to arrive. They are taking one month in Paris with French lessons in the mornings, sightseeing in the afternoons and getting interested in owning a pied-à-terre they can call their own. Will Faas, a new arrival to the French Property Insider team, is happily answering their questions about what that might be like.
Mario Alberti got to know Lee Lady and Geoffrey Howard, who was there with his wife, Carole.
Mario
is a dentist from San Diego who hopes to live here someday, two to three
months out of the year. He claims to have come first in 1982, when the
cars all had yellow headlights!
Carole and Geoffrey spend three months a year in Paris and as a result,
created a guide book titled "The
Paris WalkPack -- Discover the REAL Paris in 5 Unforgettable Walks."
They were kind enough to bring me a copy -- I am always amazed at how
industrious and resourceful Americans can be!
Lee is a retired math professor from Hawaii, now retired, who frequents
Paris often and Après Midi whenever he can. He claims to have
"given up" on the idea of living here and now travels to Berlin
every Summer.
Hawaii is a long way to come, but Gar Westfall, also a permanent resident of Hawaii, frequents Paris, too, planning to stay this time around for six weeks. He and Al Stewart, of Business Mentors, Inc, are both regular visitor to Après Midi. They became friendly this past Fall when together we took the Leonard Pitt Paris Disparu Walking Tour.
Bird call expert, Allison Smith, never fails to bring her smiling face to Après Midi nor entertain us with some of her bird calls. She and Carole were getting to know one another over a cup of hot "chaucolate" -- as Allison imitates a New York accent. Her musical ear (oboist) takes her audio talents far and amuses us all each time she attends.
Another Smith came to say hello -- Diana Smith (not pictured here). Long time resident of Paris and old friend. Delores Lilley, regular visitor, came to say hello and goodbye before leaving Easter Monday for Canada -- she missed the photo ops, too, along with Michael Stevens, who we know well from attending Paris Soirées.
Elin Babcock was surprised by husband, Mike, when he brought her to Paris as a gift. She's a sculpture artist (four in the works to be delivered this week) and tour guide, too, addicted to Paris after 21 years.
Regular visitor, Eric Tolbert, brought his new pup, Abby, all black and shiny and lovable. Patricia Laplante Collins, of Paris Soirées and Paris Network, who rarely misses an Après Midi, joined us with her pup, too -- Eve, another black shiny canine to enlighten us.
Ana Escomel, past staff assistant at the Living and Investing in France Conference this past March here in Paris chatted with James Navé, poet, who ran last Saturday's Writing from the Imaginative Storm Workshop and Jennifer de Gandt, who attended and left her watch. This was a perfect opportunity to retrieve it!
Yolanda Robins and Ellen Jung-Josse, members of the Parler Paris / French Property Insider team, didn't want to have their photos taken, so turned their backs to the camera, but I managed to catch Yolanda in animated conversation with Melinda Herron, author of the Insider Guide to Black Paris.
Lynda Sydney, Parler Paris Marketing Director, was of course, present, but managed to escape a photo this time around. She's headed to Toronto this week , her home town, for a brief vacation.
Bob and Carol Bason surprised me...it turns out that Bob ended up in the forefront of last week's photo I took of the CPE manifestation, without either one of us knowing it or knowing each other!As a reader of Parler Paris, he recognized himself in the photo. Quelle chance! It's their dream to retire here, but are here now for only three months (living nearby) and loving it.
Andrew Nadell and his wife Eleanore Ramsey, became friendly with Bob and Carol. He is a physician who is living here in the 8th arrondissement with his wife, a bookbinding designer, and is currently looking for an apartment.
They also got to know Linda Quinet, who has been frequenting Après Midi for years as she enjoys meeting people.
Jeannell Brown, a resident of San Francisco, owns two apartments in Paris they regularly rent to Americans as short term vacation apartments.
Mark Kritz, who took a photo of me taking a photo of him, says he is addicted to Paris and just can't help it. He claims his "MD says it's terminal."
Anoushes Barbezieux, a French-Iranian, came near the end, at the suggestion of James Navé, to meet English-speaking Expats, and is a PR and Event Planner looking for work.
The gathering didn't break up for a good 45 minutes after the normal 5 p.m. closing...we were just having too much fun to end it too soon.
