Who better to show us around Montmartre than travel writer Anne Elder? After teaching English in Aix-en-Provence, Anne moved to Paris to pursue her masters degree at American University while also working with a food writer and running her own blog, Hardly Snarky. We smiled at her analogy of saying “Bonjour!” to market vendors to Belle’s scene in Beauty & the Beast.
What’s your Paris story?
Hello! My name is Anne and a few months ago I celebrated my two year anniversary with France, one of those years spent teaching English in Aix-en-Provence, and one working on my masters in Paris.
I began dreaming of my life in France when I was about five years old. My infatuation with a city I had never visited grew when I began French classes early in the morning at eight years old, when I was so nervous to say “présente, Madame,” at the beginning of class and couldn’t understand why something that sounded so much like “cat” was spelled “quatre”. I continued my studies in French, only barely tolerating the grammar lessons so that I could one day put them to use in real life.
When I finally made it to Paris as a junior in college—by this point, I was nearly finished with my (quite unexpected!) degree in French—it was nothing like I imagined. I sat in my dark FIAP room after a fuse had blown, the overcast January day mirroring how I felt about finally reaching my dream city. This wasn’t Paris, I remember thinking. It couldn’t be.
My first Paris apartment was an artist’s atelier, I very snobbishly proclaimed throughout the semester, with a view looking straight out to Sacré Cœur. On winter mornings before the sun had risen, my window framed a perfect image of the silhouette of the basilica offset by the bright pink sky behind it. It was breathtaking, and only a little off-putting for 7 a.m.
Back then, our favorite places in the city were St. Michel (and Shywawa), le Refuge des Fondus in Montmartre, Canal St. Martin, and the Pink Flamingo pizza we would eat alongside it. We read Baudelaire and Balzac under the Eiffel Tower, and I got lost over and over again in those days before smartphones became the norm. I didn’t have Instagram, so the only distractions as I walked through Paris were little old ladies in fur coats and the men who tried to sell me Eiffel Tower keychains when my school metro was broken and I found myself walking across the bridge to Bir Hakeim.
In those five months, the sun finally came out in Paris and I eventually did fall in love with the city I had always loved before, it just took more effort than I realized.
Three years later in 2014, I quit my job in Washington, D.C. to return to France as an English teacher in Aix-en-Provence. One day in Aix, while passing a boulangerie, the smells of butter and fresh bread wafted up and presented the best argument for me to stay in France just a bit longer—shortly thereafter, I found a graduate program that was exactly what I had been looking for.
I’m currently working on my masters in global communications at the American University of Paris, and have been working with food writer Clotilde Dusoulier for almost a year. I now live in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, near the Latin Quarter and my favorite market at Place Monge, which I make sure to visit if only to say hello to my favorite vendors.
Now, three Paris apartments and five years later, the sight of Sacré Cœur still reminds me of home—my first home in Paris.
Tell us about this spot you chose.
Montmartre is a charming neighborhood on a hill in the north part of Paris, in the 18th arrondissement. It’s celebrated for being a haven for writers and artists living a bohemian lifestyle, beginning with la Belle Époque at the turn of the 20th century. Picasso, Monet, and Dali all lived in Montmartre, as did Amélie Poulain more than a century later. It’s also home to Sacré Cœur, the white basilica that was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century.
One of my favorite things to do is (albeit a bit touristy) to walk around Place des Tertres and watch the artists as they paint, then walk down the many, many steps to Rue des Abbesses for a café crème. Though I live on the other side of the city now, I still find myself in Montmartre weekly for work, when I go to the butcher and fish shop on rue des Abbesses and think back to the days when I would just wander up the hill on lazy Sundays.
What is a typical day like for you here in France?
I’m currently working on my thesis, which means my schedule changes on a daily basis. Often, I have meetings near school in the 7th arrondissement, so I’ll make a quick smoothie or eggs for breakfast before grabbing the bus, which drops me off in front of Notre Dame. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take pictures while I’m waiting at the crosswalk (which always turn out to be the same except for the weather). From there, I pop underground and take the RER to Pont de l’Alma, where I rush with fellow commuters across the wide streets in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
If I’m running around town, I’ll either pick up a sandwich at a boulangerie or grab something to eat at a coffee shop while I work (my favorites and most visited are Le Cairn, Bleu Olive, and DOSE. Otherwise, I’ll make something at home from my market finds and head to a café after to get some reading done.
At the end of the day, I usually head to yoga near Opéra or to meet up with friends to prendre un verre before heading home. I spend the most amount of time preparing dinner, often something inspired by a newly-found recipe, or a recipe we’re currently testing for my boss’ new cookbook. If that’s the case, I usually share with friends!
What do you like most about living abroad?
My favorite part of living in France is having the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I love being able to hear stories of how people got to where they are and what they’re doing now. France is also the country that first taught me how to slow down, take a step back, and profiter from the moment. It also taught me how to eat, and now I find that when I return to the U.S. I desperately head to Whole Foods or a farmers market—the French food quality has spoiled me! Finally—my Instagram is proof of this—I adore the architecture, from the sloping cobblestone streets to the still-standing buildings from the Middle Ages on Ile-St. Louis. There is always something new to discover here and get lost in, which is by far my favorite part.
What challenges do you face as an expat?
Definitely when I first arrived I felt a lot of frustration, especially toward the ever-present laissez-faire attitude (once the ATM stole my debit card and the woman in the bank told me, “Well, oh well. Just wait for a new one. I can’t help you.”) However, once I got used to the hurdles and adjusted my own reaction in these situations, my interactions at the bank, the post office, the doctor, the préfecture, etc., etc., etc., became so much more tolerable, and now sometimes comical.
Now, I think the biggest challenge is that I’ve been away from my family and friends for so long. My baby sister graduated high school, my best friend had a baby, and two of my best friends are about to get married. I’ve fortunately been able to return to the U.S. for the big events (thank you Icelandair!), but missing out on the day-to-day aspect of it is definitely hard.
How do you meet people in Paris?
Many of my friends here in Paris are friends from school, but I also meet people through interviewing them for my thesis or my job. I also go to yoga, occasionally participate in meet-ups, and, while they don’t fall in the friend category, perhaps, I absolutely adore visiting the same produce vendor at the Place Monge market and going to the same wine shop, fromagerie, butcher, boulangerie, and gelateria along Rue Mouffetard so many times a week that they recognize me and say bonjour. It’s very “Beauty and the Beast”.
What advice would you give to others wanting to move abroad?
Be organized, and photocopy everything. And don’t take no for an answer—there is always, always, always a work around if you are nice enough (looking stressed out enough has also worked for me, though perhaps not the best method to endorse). If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way.
How can people continue following your story?
I write my blog, Hardly Snarky, about my delicious adventures in Paris and elsewhere (which I began for my first Paris adventure six years ago!). You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]!
