I LOVE Paris in the summer -- when it sizzles!

I don't think I've mentioned that I'm involved in a deep, deep love affair with Paris! It is without a doubt my most FAVORITE city in the world.  We have visited often in the summer, and when we go, we love renting a classic little Parisian apartment in our favorite arrondissement (the 6th) Saint-Germain-des-Pres!

My photo from atop the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur

We haven't made a visit since 2011 because we have been busy cruising and in 2012 I travelled to Africa to visit my ancestral homeland after having my DNA traced.  Next year (2015) we are off to the Panama Canal, but Paris still lives in my heart! We hope to return to Paris soon.

One of the many things I love about Paris, besides the shopping, is the fashion and style of the city from the architecture to the culture to the people and their personal fashion sense.  I love sitting at the cafes, people watching and sipping coffee for hours!(sigh)  I even wanted to retire in Paris so I began writing a blog called I'd Rather be in Paris - journaling my 5 yr plan to move to the city of lights (although sadly I came to the conclusion that the cost of living is much to high for my pocketbook and the red tape too complicated), I have continued to blog about my love for the city.  I have since decided to focus on retirement in a more affordable city.

EXTRA - EXTRA Read all about it!

If you are a true lover of fashion and all things Paris, you might also have an admiration for 
Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel the French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand.

Did you know that designer Karl Lagerfeld made a movie about Coco Chanel last year?

Chanel's creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, turns his hand to directing with the shooting of this short movie starring Keira Knightley.

The British actor will play Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in the film to mark the French fashion house's 100th anniversary. It will be filmed in the chic seaside town of Deauville, where the first Chanel boutique opened in 1913, financed by her lover Captain Arthur "Boy" Capel, a wealthy British aristocrat.

The cast also includes model Stella Tennant and actor Tallulah Harlech, daughter of Lagerfeld's longtime friend and collaborator Lady Amanda Harlech.

Lagerfeld, Chanel's head designer, has ordered the building of "detailed retro sets" in the seaside resort where, in the days before she became an international success, Chanel used to send her sister, Antoinette, and aunt, Adrienne, to parade through the streets wearing her creations to attract customers. Source

The Movie