Pssst... how about a virtual trip to Paris?

Because Paris is always a good idea.

Bonjour, les amis!

We’re on our summer holiday in Paris this week. When our friend offered us his apartment while he was on holiday elsewhere, we couldn’t say non.

So in lieu of a new episode of Strong Sense of Place, you’ll find a replay of our Season 2 episode Paris: It's Always a Good Idea in your podcast feed. We hope you enjoy this virtual trip to the City of Lights.

When you daydream about Paris — and you do daydream about Paris, right?! — whatever sparkling, romantic images you conjure are probably not too far off the mark. It is known, after all, as the City of Lights and the City of Love.

The Eiffel Tower can be seen from almost everywhere and is a constant reminder that you are in Paris. The streets are lined with cafés, the tables and chairs arranged so you can sit next to your companions and look out on the people passing by. The smell of baguettes wafts in the streets in the early morning. And when the sun gets lower in the sky, burnishing the buildings with its glow, people fill the cafés, drinking wine, smoking cigarettes, and talking, while their hands gesture in the air to make a point. It is, in many ways, just like the movies.

But Paris is home to more than 2 million people, and they’re not all chic women in little black dresses. Paris is a modern, thriving city with a vibrant, multicultural population and a cultural scene that pushes forward — in music, art, literature, technology, cuisine — as it nods at its illustrious past.

And you want to talk about history? There have been people in the vicinity of Paris since a Celtic tribe settled along the Seine all the way back in 259 BC. In the Middle Ages, it gave us Notre Dame Cathedral and The Sorbonne, the first university in France. Since then, dramatic history has played out on both the Left and Right Banks: the French Revolution, Napoleon’s reign, the Belle Epoque, the gilded era of the 1920s (with Hemingway and Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Picasso and Dali), and the dark days of WWII with Hitler and his Vichy government.

In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite experiences visiting Paris and how it really does live up to its dreamy reputation. Then we discuss the books that transported us there:

• an insightful memoir about one lively (and typically Parisian) street

• an illustrated novel about the magic of everyday life

• a fictional biography of Madame Tussaud

• a modern crime novel with a snappy heroine

• a confection of a story that centers around an exceptional bottle of wine

Listen on your favorite podcast app or on our website. We hope you enjoy the show!

Here’s a collection of our blog posts that can bring a little bit of Paris into your everyday:

13 Must-Read Books If You Wish You Were in Paris Right Now
With its dramatic history, iconic landmarks, and irrepressible parfum of romance, Paris is a compelling setting for stories that run the gamut from sweet and sultry to suspenseful and sinister. These stories feature wildly divergent characters — detectives, thieves, spies, romantics, chefs, inventors, and adventurers. But they all have one thing in common: Their stories could only take place in Paris.

The Historic Librairie Galignani is our Favorite Bookshop in Paris
The legendary Shakespeare and Company bookshop has all the flash, and that’s no surprise. It’s located in the heart of the Latin Quarter, directly across the Seine from Notre Dame Cathedral, and its history is populated with famous (and infamous) expat writers. And/but the Librairie Galignani is elegant, unfussy, and packed floor to ceiling with wonderful English-language books.

Treat Yourself to this French Potato Chip & Chive Omelet
This recipe is an almost perfect representation of the high-end/low-end cuisine of Paris. Its stand-out ingredient is the king of junk food: the humble potato chip. Marry the chips with good eggs, fresh chives, and just the right amount of sweet butter, and you’ve got something swoon-worthy.

A Moroccan Salad Platter Inspired by the Crime Novel The Godmother
The Godmother is a smart, suspenseful, darkly funny crime novel set in contemporary Paris. It’s not giving anything away to say that the action kicks off when Patience, our heroine, gets involved in a caper with dangerous drug smugglers. They move their extra-potent cannabis in the back of a vegetable truck, tucked safely amid the baskets of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, oranges, and dates making their way from North Africa to Paris. Who would ever suspect that lovely truckful of produce is hiding something nefarious? These four recipes showcase the variety of Moroccan salads: cooked, raw, spiced, and mild.

9 Must-Follow Instagram Accounts That Will Transport You To Paris
When you can’t pack a bag and get away to Paris right now, these Instagram accounts are the next best thing. These photographers, foodies, locals, and expats capture the everyday moments that make Paris such a special place to visit.