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.

Stroll the avenues taking in landmark architecture and pausing to make acquaintances along the way in Sasek's caricature of the city, This is Paris.

Delicate rows of cookie sandwiches adorn bakery cases with Easter basket hues. Perfumed in flavors like violet, raspberry, spice bread, and chocolate, they are served in the likes of Paris's Ladurée where they were conceived in the 1930's.

Aboard the TGV, french-speaking Belgium is less than an hour and a half away from Paris. Reputed for the confection of chocolate and beer, and its wealth of Art Nouveau architecture, why not steal a weekend away in Brussels?

Following the blow of World War I, Paris underwent a period of rebirth. Women celebrated newfound liberty in both the way they carried and costumed themselves. These fashions born from the 20's, now on exhibit at the Musée Galliera, are timeless. Infuse your style with some of their extravagance.

Take to the streets. Raise your signs and voices in a chorus of contempt. The habitually flaunted right to strike falls second only to tennis as the French national pastime. During a grève, those motivated to work must forage passage as metro grills close and trains are annulled.