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Lifestyle

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Lifestyle

All the bad reasons to live in Paris

Mid-September marked the fifth anniversary of my move to Paris. The strange feeling, coming with the special occasion, made me think about all the years I’ve lived in France. And looking back from the perspective of half of the decade, I realized all my reasons for coming here were statistically uncommon, if not bizarre. It should come as no surprise that, over the years, I’ve had many occasions to see why other expats moved to Paris, either friends or complete strangers on the internet. Only to find out the reasons are surprisingly repetitive, sometimes combined, but they had something in common. All these reasons made me feel like an outsider in a group of other expats, supposed to be alike. No wonder I started thinking about why. As a result, I came up with a quick review of the most popular reasons why people decide to leave everything behind and…

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Lifestyle

Finding the Right Friend with Benefits – a Guide for Frustrated Parisians

One should never judge the book by its cover, but it is actually true that Paris is the city of love. Of course, it goes without saying that by love, one should understand something usually way less adorable than we are used to seeing when Paris comes into the picture. Rest assured, it takes little time to become pretty apparent to anyone who dares to settle in this city. But let’s take an example. In the 21st century, more casual than serious relationships have become very common, and it happens for a reason. Why bother with somebody bringing undesirable qualities into one’s life when one can enjoy only the good parts of being with that person? In that matter, living in Paris is very convenient, and finding a lover here is probably easier than ordering a pizza. Chances are this is why, for what we call friends with benefits euphemistically,…

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Lifestyle

The best Parisian Instagram accounts to follow

With almost everything closed, it seems that the Parisian spirit faded away. We miss the city’s immense beauty and charm as well as going out to enjoy its countless restaurants and museums. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of Instagram accounts that bring back the City of Lights to life. Here are our favorite Instagrammers who encapsulate the very essence of Paris. Via: Raphael Metivet Raphael Metivet It’s easy to forget how wonderful is Paris when you are stuck in your apartment for most of the time. But with Raphael Metivet’s Instagram account, it is impossible not to reignite that love. The talented photographer based in Paris captures the beauty of Parisian architecture. From the Haussmannian style to Art Nouveau, Raphael Metivet takes his followers on an enthralling trip through the years to show them how architectural styles in Paris have changed over time. Through his camera lens, he also tries to tell personal…

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Fashion

What type of Parisian are you?

It’s hard to find a second city as unique as Paris. The longer you live here, the more you get absorbed by the City of Lights. Paris shapes us in various ways, and we manifest our parisianness differently. Nevertheless, we spotted some distinctive lifestyles of being a Parisian that we see in the streets and among our friends. Check out which one of them fits you the most. Via: Vogue Vagabond Parisian Personal motto? Be out and about. Every day, you bike or roam across the city to see what it has to offer. You are a bohemian kind of Parisian with a laidback personality and curiosity about more niche things and places. Reading or drawing by the Seine feels like a better idea than overcrowded museums. By day, you can be spotted with a cup of espresso, watching people while sitting at a café. Jazz clubs and hidden cocktail bars are…

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Lifestyle

Merry Covid Christmas and how to survive

The pandemic has drastically changed our lifestyles. We swapped our elegant outfits for comfortable sweatpants, and we stay at home instead of roaming around the city and sipping coffee at our favorite cafés. Most of us got pretty much used to this extraordinary way of living and have it all figured out by now. But with Christmas approaching, it’s difficult not to feel a little bit down as many of us decided to stay in France for safety reasons. For the non-Parisians like us, it means spending Christmas alone without our families, friends, or annual pilgrimage to our hometowns. These are our few tips on how to survive this year’s covid holidays. This year’s Christmas season, we all feel like Kevin from Home Alone.Source: Home Alone (1990) Get a “Holidate” If you happen to be alone, it’s good to remember that you are not the only one in this situation. Even…

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Lifestyle

2020 is the year to stop going gluten-free just because

We all want to look great and hit the streets of Paris in style. But getting in shape also means wise food choices, and this is why we often try various diets that offer us health benefits and attractive bodies. One of the most popular diet trends is the gluten-free diet, even though the number of people who can’t consume it is relatively small. Many celebrities were claiming that it helps them losing weight or that avoiding gluten is healthy. That made gluten-free products and restaurants omnipresent, and some of us decided to follow this no-gluten path because it felt right. But should we? Here are the reasons why it’s high time to leave gluten-free fashion in the past. Photo via: Camille Yolaine’s Instagram (@camilleyolaine) It doesn’t impact your health at all… No research proves any health benefits coming from avoiding gluten (except for people with celiac disease). While it’s…

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Lifestyle

Lockdown stories: how I found my soulmate during lockdown

As far as I can remember, I was always fascinated by France and its culture. It was like a dream come true when I got accepted to a university in Paris last year. It was a big shift since I was about to start my adult life: living alone for the first time in my life (not to mention that I was going to start it in a foreign country). My life in Paris began pretty smoothly. I managed to adapt pretty quickly. As soon as classes started, I befriended some people from the group, and my social life kicked off. At some stage, between picnics by the Seine and crazy soirées, I met my French boyfriend. We clicked immediately. We had a lot of common interests, shared tastes, and ideas for spending time together. We could spend hours just lying down and talking. Of course, there were some arguments, but…

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Lifestyle

Lockdown stories: I will never say “later” again

My life has always been revolving around hard work. My parents put a lot of pressure on being practical, rigorous as well as frugal. Many people also praised me for being pragmatic. I never overspend money. I’m always focused on excelling in everything I do. I’m a perfectionist. If I need more time to complete a task flawlessly, I don’t hesitate to spend hours checking everything. Every day is planned to bring as many fruits as possible. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a workaholic. I like to go out with my friends or travel like everyone else. It’s just that I always privileged down-to-earth matters over pleasure or fun. Time is money, so I wanted to spend my time in the most productive way possible. I never perceived it as a problem. In fact, I was always proud of myself for being well-organized. Unlike my friends, I didn’t waste…

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Lifestyle

Lockdown stories: Paris taught me how to be grateful

The beginning of the lockdown was very hard for me. The bad news was hailing down on me. My soon-to-be graduation ceremony was canceled. That was a pretty big blow given the fact that I was supposed to celebrate the end of an eighteen year-long period in my life. Instead of seeing my classmates for the last time and savoring getting my hard-earned diploma, I found myself being a prisoner in my own home. For some, it might seem like a small problem. “People are losing their jobs, some even lives” friends and strangers were saying everywhere. But when you lead a stressful life, such “small” things can save your life. Going out, being around people, meeting for co-working sessions with other freelancers helped me keep my life balance in check. Suddenly I was separated from my boyfriend, friends, and activities that made me manage overwhelming stress and anxiety. Deprived…

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Culture

5 things French men do better

Paris is the city of love – no doubt about that. Some of us can’t resist its charm what sooner or later results in falling under the spell of French men. They are fluent in the art of seduction and love to use it. While some of them resemble well-known bourgeois bohème, such as Serge Gainsbourg, others prefer more niche lifestyles. Yet, there are several traits French men have in common that make us endlessly adore them as well as choose them as lifelong partners in crime. Roger Vadim & Brigitte Bardot (Image via Criterion) 1. Their moves are full of panache Being French is not just a nationality – it’s a way of living. Prominent cultural and historical background implemented French people with innate high confidence, and they aren’t afraid to show it. They know they are les Français so everything they do must be magnificent. French men embraced this rule and love to…

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