My first trip to France seemed like a lifetime in coming – the lifetime being ever since that first mandatory French class in fifth grade – and I’ll never forget it. I bought a one way ticket to London and then took the overnight train-ferry-train to Paris. There was no Chunnel back in those days.

I remember sitting, sleepy-eyed and a little chilled from the ferry ride over the channel, in the train and watching the French landscape fly by in the early morning sunrise. Many people have told me that they think that the landscape between Calais and Paris is boring, but I found it fascinating. Field after field, then a little village. Tufts of grass along the berm of the tracks and then the back of an occasional building. It was so old. Well, it seemed old, older than any land I had ever spent time in.

Of course I knew it wasn’t.

My thoughts went back to looking out the window and imagining the history that must lie in those fields. Every inch of France has been trampled on by someone. As I traveled through that heartland, my thoughts strayed towards having no idea of what to expect from my first trip to Paris, or how long I would stay there. What would be my history in this place? It was a happy mystery that I decided to just look forward to, and to take one moment at a time.

I ended up staying for a few months, through the summer and then back again for some time later in the fall. During that time I ended up taking some dance classes, meeting some people, finding someone to stay with, hanging out in cafes, writing in my journal, wandering aimlessly, going to a three-day wedding celebration, getting my passport stolen, and traveling on a bus to Evian, in the French Alps, with a bus full of Congolese dancers and musicians. None of it was planned.

But that’s the adventure of going somewhere without expectations, experiencing the unexpected.

So, I hope that even if you read these pages thoroughly, you will forget them on your visit to Paris. Have your own experiences, meet your fellow travelers, and especially the locals. Explore with your eyes open and come back with some incredible tales.

– Kimberly

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All of the stories in the Paris section of artist-at-large.com were written from any one of the four extended trips that I’ve taken to France. While in Paris, I stay at the home of a friend, one that I met on that first trip many years ago, which is why there is no personal hotel experience noted on site. I swear, next time I go there though, I’m going to spend a few days just checking out hotels for my readers.

artist-at-large.com wants to encourage you to get out and explore Paris on your own. There are many tours and groups with whom you can travel to the city, but there is so much more here to experience. A guide will take you only so far and very quickly. One of the most pleasant things to do in Paris is just to walk aimlessly, taking time to absorb the cityscape and breathe in the aroma. So, get out on your own and experience the history, the architecture, the culture, the local food and color of this remarkable city. Plan to spend a night or two away from Paris on a side trip – just for the experience of doing something different.

Even though I’ve decided to use WordPress to build the new version of the site, I am hoping that the theme will keep you from thinking that it is a traditional blog. The stories and information presented here are written in a way that is meant to be valuable over a long period of time, like a magazine or guidebook that you keep by your desk and flip through when you need information, or just want to daydream. Comments on any of the posts are welcome at any time so if something moves you, please let me know.

In the News is the newest section on the site. It is the place where arts events, exhibitions, and general travel news is posted on an ongoing basis. If you are a gallery or an artist, to get your event posted in this section, just use the handy form on the Submit Your Event page or send us your press release as text in an email with an attached event .jpg.

I’ve moved the reading and film recommendations directly to the Shop, the amazon partnered store on the site, where you can purchase not only books to research your trip, but your cameras, or your Moleskines for taking notes and sketching. In the Photography section you can purchase photos to fill in the gaps of your own photo albums, or just watch a slide show. In any case, your purchases are what keep this site alive.

Share your stories and experiences about a place in the comments area. Please keep comments on the topic of the post or story. Please use the comments area for all travel questions rather than emailing me personally. The comments are checked daily for posts and your questions will get answered a lot faster.

If you’d like to write a guest post, or be a regular contributor to the site, please see the Submission Guidelines.

And, once you get back, please consider commenting on the stories, or adding your answers to the With Eyes Open Survey Questions.

For more information about the site as a whole, click here.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy your travels to Paris.

Contributors to the Paris section of artist-at-large.com

Kimberly Kradel – Lead artist-at-large
Mark E. Tisdale