I stopped to have a coffee, and started visiting with an American couple. The fellow had actually graduated from law school at Seattle U. They live in Minneapolis, but are thinking they may want to winter in Paris. I didn't say this, but I couldn't help but wonder if that was a good idea after they complained about the winter weather in Seattle. Anyway.......as I walked away I started wondering how many Americans actually live in Paris.
And I found out that here are approximately 165,000 Americans residing in France, and 50,000 of them live in Paris. This includes students, diplomats, American spouses of a French citizen, expats working for international companies, retired people (and this group is growing!), and a number of people who keep a second home in Paris (Lucky them!)
My research indicated that the things they enjoy most about Paris are the food and wine, the beauty of Paris, and the quality of life - - - i.e. "work to live vs. live to work".
There have been more than a few famous Americans who have taken up residence in Paris through the years. Josephine Baker, Ben Frankin, Ernest Hemingway, and Mary Cassatt are just a few. And then there's this guy, who has a statue to remind us he was here.............
No comments:
Post a Comment