Au revoir Paris!

It has been a lovely week but Dorothy was right, "there's no place like home". Here's a few more photos from the trip. Enjoy as we head back to Atlanta.

Made in France

You would think when in Paris, French made goods would abound. Not so easy my fellow traveler. China and India not only have the monopoly on the souvenir market in the U.S. but also in France. Haven't I seen that before? Yes, and instead of Paris, it said Atlanta, Chicago, New York or perhaps San Francisco. It all looks the same because it is in fact all the same.

However, get off the beaten path a bit and you will find true artisans in Paris. Up on the hill sits Sacré-Cœur. At the foot of this ancient church is the small town of Montmartre. It is delightful and truly Parisian with painters galore and the smell of baguettes in the air.

You will be asked repeatedly to have your portrait drawn by an artist. A bit of advice: before you shell out 50 Euro, watch them draw someone else first. Seated all around the square are painters of sorts, creating their art for all to admire and purchase. They aren't cheap but they are beautiful and authentic- a true piece of Paris to take home. In the shops around the area you will find some similar to a few of these artists. They are more affordable and painted in Paris though not by the local artists working the square.

Once you've experienced the square, I encourage you to make your way down the hill by foot exploring the avenues below. It is on these avenues and passages that we discovered several choices for gifts all made in France.

Mademoiselle Bambû houses several designers committed to using organic cotton. From comfy cozy to chic and trendy, there's a style to suite everyone.

Caddy corner to the right as you exit Mademoiselle Bambû is any eye catching store. It's filled with jewelry most of which is created by the owner. Sterling silver, gold, and costume pieces of glass beads, baubles, and buttons all catch your eye. There's a prices range to match any budget with cocktail rings starting at just 5euro.

From here you simply continuing walking down (these stores are now behind you). Eventually you will stumble across rue Chappe. You are looking for 15 rue Chappe. photo from 15rueChappe.com


Here you find unique creations by Muriel Geoffroy and Aline Devos. Don’t let the size of this shop fool you. It’s small but filled with unique creations all made by French designers there is Paris. Ring, bracelet, scarf??? Which to choose, that will be your challenge in this store. They have a selection of men’s jewelry including cuff links; so men, don’t be shy.

Enjoy shopping and feel confident that you can bring home gifts made in France.

Organic Cotton Clothing from Paris

After you visit Sacré-Cœur, walk down the steps of Montmartre to rue La Vieuville and discover a delightful boutique housing organic cotton clothing from various designers. Though I located Mademoiselle Bambû online before we left, I was completely thrilled to actually find it. Especially since this was my first time in Paris. We walk down the steps, I look up at the street sign, looks familiar, pull out my notes. OMG! This is it!
19 rue La Vieuville 75018 Paris. The 18 in the zip code means it's in the 18th arrondissement. Maps of Paris are sectioned off by each arrondissement making it easier to locate the areas of interest in which you have the full address.

Christelle is as sweet as can be. She will gladly let you peruse on your own or will assist you in finding the perfect piece to compliment any wardrobe. Not to mention, she’s kind and gently when it comes to an American attempting French. Thank you Christelle.Put Mademoiselle Bambû on your list of must visit shops when in Paris or shop online.

Champs-Elysees cleared for green celebration

These trees on the side of the road awaiting planting caught my eye. In fact, Paris just held an event bringing awareness to sustainable development and living. From May 22-24, the Champs-Elysees was blanketed with grass (no cars allowed). Trees and flowers lined the street and Parisians spent their days picnicking and strolling down the avenue barefoot!

What motivates a city to shut down its busiest thoroughfare, allow 8,000 plots of earth, 150,000 plants, sheep and cattle to be brought in and private investors to donate 4.2 million Euro to make it happen? Simply a desire to remind the everyday consumer (yes, they have those in France too) where their food actually comes from. In this fast paced world of ours, the best food still starts as a seed and takes months to grow.

The Young Farmers Unions and France Wood Forest provided the greenery.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Photograph: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

Recycling in Paris, France

Check out these recycling bins! They're located on the street corners making it easy for the residence of that block to put recyclable containers where they belong. Talk about no excuses. Paris takes recycling seriously. As of July 1, 2002 a French law prohibits disposing of residential recyclable materials in it’s landfills. About a year ago, my sister informed me that Raleigh, North Carolina has joined the ranks of those cities taking a serious stand against throwing away what can be used again. While they don’t have large receptacles on their street corners, they were notified they could be fined if they were caught throwing away their plastic milk jugs.

Paris Metro System

When it comes to being pedestrian friendly and the ease of mass transit, Paris gets big thumbs up! The metro system can get you from one end of Paris, across, around and anywhere in between the 20 arrondissements or districts for less than the cost of a Starbuck's.

French Flour

Something is definitely different about the flour in France. Too much wheat bothers my sinuses. However, not so in France. You can't help but eat bread at every meal. It's everywhere; fresh, and delicious. It's been several days and you know what, my sinuses aren't bothering me (even with the air quality). Maybe it's because French flours are lower in gluten than those in the U.S. Type 55 Flour is typically used in French baking. It's a softer pastry flour with a lower gluten content. Whatever the scientific reasoning; the bread is delicious and I'm LOVIN' it! Bon Appétit!
For more on French flours, visit: The Artisan or The Fresh Loaf

Air Quality Paris, France

Between the auto exhaust, subway air, and all the cigarette smoke, the air quality in Paris leaves a lot to be desired. Rodney hasn’t stopped coughing since we got here. You hear people sneeze so often it catches your attention b/c it’s oddly common. Makes you wonder how the air quality in Paris compares to U.S. cities.

Did a little research and found according to the CDC and Web in France, Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both the U.S. and France. However, though the rates of cancer in France have gone up, the deaths caused by cancer have dropped 25%.

As interesting as that may be, I find it a little confusing though. In the U.S. clearly we smoke less and yet lung cancer is still the leading cancer for both countries. Now, I do think these stats are hard to discern because they are by country and while you can easily find stats broken down by city and state for the U.S., I couldn’t find stats for Paris alone. That means the stats of the large cities are combined with the probable healthier stats of the small cities out in the country.

It’s like combining stats for New York City with Jackson Hole, Wyoming, taking the average and saying “here’s our country’s lung cancer death rate." Don’t mean to sound like a pessimist but perhaps it’s best to leave the stats to the statisticians and go play tennis, run a mile, or walk the steps of Montmarte. Coming Honey...

Jambu shoe review

Remember those Jambu walking shoes I bought? Didn't know it at the time but they absorb moisture. Good thing because it's rained off and on since we've got here. Not only that, rubber doesn't smell when it gets wet.

As far as comfort, my feet and back feel great. A new pair of legs might be nice...no wait, with all this exercise, I'm keepin' the ones I've got.

Jambu walking shoes really are walking shoes. A thumbs UP from TEO!

Fresh Food in Paris

OMG! I am starving! It's not lunch time yet but I am so hungry. We are being good. Wanted to take a nap when we got in the hotel but no no no, we're on Paris time and no sleeping til it's dark. Check out this yummy fresh snack I found at a local vendor:

Bonjour Paris!

We’ve landed!

We manage to find our way to ground transportation where we were told “oh don’t worry, they all speak English at that counter and can tell you what to do.” Not exactly. When I said the name of the hotel, the look on her face read loud and clear, “?” Great.

Aha! I have a map. Unfold that and point to the hotel. Then she says “shuttle 2” and points out the door and motions to go across the street. Good enough.

Here is where you rely on the kindness of humanity. An older couple helped Rodney figure out which shuttle tickets to buy; because you don’t buy those at the counter with the attendants that “speak English”, you buy those from a machine that’s all in French.

The shuttle arrives and the driver takes our tickets. Good, we bought the right ones. While waiting for the shuttle we met a kind French lady who had just returned from her month’s long vacation heading back to her flat which happened to be right near our hotel. Thank you God for sending this little angel our way. She assured us she’d let us know when to get off as it was her stop as well.


Over 65,000,000 people live in France and supposedly it is more densely populated than New York City. Yes, they walk a lot but don’t be mistaken; there are plenty of cars serving those 65 million people. Combine that with the fact that it’s now 8am and you have Rush Hour like any major city in the U.S.

After an hour of stop and go traffic, our new friend instructed us it was time to get off. We get off, get out luggage, and then look around to see nothing with our hotel name on it. She points down the street, go left at the glass building. Note to self: shuttle does not take you to hotel, takes you to area of hotel. Pack LIGHT! Got it, we take a photo, hug, “merci”, exchange Facebook info and off we roll.

Walking Shoes

Ok, seems a bit last minute I know but I still need a good pair of walking shoes. Considered my tennis shoes but they're for real tennis shoes meaning they have lots of support and don't give much as they're designed to keep my foot steady as I sprint from one side of the court to the other. Which I do so often... Anyway, they aren't comfortable for long term walking. So off I go again in search of.

Look what I found! Shoes designed for walking AND with a conscience JAMBU. They have your standard, "that is definitely a walking shoe" styles and then they have some cute ones that would look great with jeans or a skirt. They're referred to as terra-fusion by Jambu. Constructed for outdoor/sport use, I knew they would have support. The style was cute enough that I'd still be looking good walking down the Champs-Elysées.


As far as Jambu's conscience; Some of the rubber they use is recycled, the other fabrics are animal friendly and the packaging is recycled and/or recyclable.

Now, I'll let you in on a little secret. I found them at DSW for $69.00 (don't see them on their website though). They accepted both my DSW rewards coupons knocking the price in half. So for $37.00 I walked out with the last thing on my "to do" list D-O-N-E!

Paris, France here we come!

Follow us all next week as we travel to Paris, France for an eco-tour. Au revoir!

Klean Kanteen Recall

Klean Kanteen is recalling their Sport Cap 2.0. If it's dropped, it can break or crack leaving a chocking hazard. They are being proactive about it as I found out about the recall when I received a packet in the mail from Klean Kanteen. Included were a shipping label, mailer for return, and letter explaining the recall. That was easy! To register for the recall and have a packet sent to you, call 1-877-546-9063 or register online. Please note, the recall only involves the sport caps.

Summer Reading List

This summer, check out these green reads for kids and adults (at the bottom)

JUNIOR PICTURE BOOKS

What does it mean to be green? : Eco-Pig explains living green
French, Lisa S.

Miss Fox's class goes green
Spinelli, Eileen.

OK go
Berger, Carin.



S is for save the planet : a how-to-be green alphabet
Herzog, Brad.

Wangari's trees of peace : a true story from Africa
Winter, Jeanette.

Life on a coral reef
Rhodes, Mary Jo



Ecomazes : twelve Earth adventures by Roxie Munro.


FOR SLIGHTLY OLDER READERS

Cam Jansen and the green school mystery
Adler, David A.


Making cities green
Leardi, Jeanette.




GREAT READS FOR DAD AND MOM

Join me in reading the newly released: The new good life : living better than ever in an age of less by John Robbins (the son of Baskin-Robbins founder who walked away from his inheritance in order to serve his conscience and his planet)

or choose one of the following:

Green metropolis : why living smaller, living closer, and driving less are the keys to sustainability by David Owen

Eaarth : Making a Life on a Tough New Planet by Bill McKibben