Paris in the Spring

I've been to Paris twice, but the last time was fifteen years ago, when the Husband and I visited as part of a first-anniversary backpacking trip around Europe. It's high time we went again, don't you think? 

We'll have our kids in tow this time, and we're excited to show them some of the sights we remember fondly. We'll stay for five days over spring break, and we'll be driving there, which will feel a bit strange. As you can see from my stack of Paris-related books and dvds, we'll be focusing on food, shops, art and design, and a couple of markets.

A few notes on the books: Taschen's Paris is a huge, hefty tome, full of gorgeous photos of lush places--many, but not all, of them out of our budget.  It's a nice coffee table book that just makes you want to get to Paris, right away, whether you make it to many of the featured places, or not.

If you're a designer or stylist, Paris: Made by Hand is lovely, but it's also a nice guide to shops that can be appreciated by the casual crafter or design afficionada.

I've used the books of Rick Steves since my first time in Europe, way back in 1989, and Rick rarely disappoints. He's not a shopper, but he loves art, and his pithy museum tours are especially helpful. 

At an OxFam shop in London, I picked up a cheap copy of StyleCity Paris, part of a British series on cities in Europe. The photos of hotels, shops, and restaurants are very enticing, indeed, and I like that they're arranged by neighborhood.

I'll be back again with more info on the other books in the photo, plus another one I have in my purse. Of course, many photos should be forthcoming, about a week and a half from now!