For our seventh episode, we chatted with Saint Germain expert Claudine Hemingway. Claudine loves to share her passion for the Left Bank's hidden gems or her favorite wings at the Louvre.
"Compared to when my grandparents came here it’s much easier now."
Claudine has been sharing her appreciation for Paris for a few years. Through her walks, her followers have been learning a great deal of fascinating anecdotes about the Louvre as well as detailed wanderings through many different neighborhoods of the City of Lights.
In our new podcast episode, Claudine shared her insights about her life in France.
"People here speak enough English, which is good and bad."
Good, because it’s now easier than ever. Claudine’s grandparents loved flying to Paris in the 1970s. "Compared to when my grandparents came here, it’s much easier now." Parisian’s ability to speak English is stunning now compared to what it used to be. However, one should still learn French to have conversations with locals. In our episode, Claudine talks about her chats with her favorite restaurant and bar owners. They tell her fondly, "We’re in France, speak French."
People are back!
After months of lockdowns, it looks like Parisians are now sharing their turf with visitors again: Tourists are back, the Louvre is getting crowded, it’s back to life! An emptied Paris isn’t really Paris. Claudine spends most of her days being an authentic « flaneur », a wanderer who gets closer every day to the soul of the city. An expert, according to her French friends: "They say I know more about Paris than they do!" Claudine’s never-ending appetite for knowledge leads her to constantly look for new books about Paris’ most prestigious figures… and maybe even research for her own books in a near future!
Claudine’s favorite painting at the Louvre: Liberty Leading the People (French: La Liberté guidant le peuple) by Eugène Delacroix
Listen here:
Website: https://www.claudinehemingway.com
Instagram: @claudinebleublonderouge/