In electing Barack Obama, Americans have drastically changed the French opinion of them as a whole. With stars in their eyes, everyone can’t help but feel inspired by Obama’s candor. While his chessboard moves are anxiously awaited, there is unease amongst some.

As an alternative to hibernating the winter months, I suggest warming the oven to bake a quiche or boiling up a hearty pot of soup. Here is a recipe for a Ratatouille Tart adapted from Once Upon a Tart, the cookbook I reach for when making soups, quiches, salads, dressings, and sweets.

In France driving is considered a luxury. Neither coming nor going, I have resigned to going through the whole arduous process of obtaining a French permit. While the rules aren't dramatically different, the aggravations seem to be never ending.

Lucien Lorelle was a sought after portraitist. Lee Bull left her fashion career behind to capture the brutal reality of WWII. Sarah Moon creates pictures today that mirror years passed. Take a look at some of the photography exhibits around Paris this fall.

Those longing to infuse daily life and relationships with romance will find practicable ideas in Lisa Shea’s book “Weddings and Courtships France.” It paints a picture of marriage from courtship, to ceremony, to life en couple.

To honor the elephant-headed god Ganesh, devotees chant and dance in the streets carrying flags, wearing totems of fruit and feather, and balancing candles atop heads. Shopkeepers prepare alters and swathe the parade route in garlands of flowers.

Mad Vicky’s Tea Gallery near Montmartre is a mingling of art forms and creative spirits where rhyme and reason are traded for spontaneity. An art installation served as occasion enough for a basement serenade from Diane Cluck.

Claude Monet spent the last decades of his life in Giverny nurturing a garden from which he painted Impressionist art. Pair a visit to his home and water lily garden with a tour of the American art museum. Afterward, stop in Vernon for a glimpse of half-timbered architecture and a poppy macaron.

Even the cheapest tickets to Roland Garros afford an intimate view. The “Allez!” of encouragement abounds like birdsong as Lacoste-suited officials and thin-armed ball boys scuttle to set the stage on the powdery red clay court. Here are a few tips for passing a Spring day at the French open.

The difficulty of communicating what you want is only half the battle when you step into a French salon. A coiffeur is an artist and realizing their vision of you is what powers the scissors. I’ve learned to be very articulate in what I expect before the cutting begins.