small (n): being below the average size or magnitude
capital (n): 1. a city serving as a seat of government for a country
2. money and possessions, especially used to create more wealth
3. an upper case letter

A writer of diminutive stature. A smaller than average capital city. A (very) small amount of money to live in it with. A blog that spells ‘Paris’ with a small ‘p’. That is paris: small capital in a nutshell.

Quite frankly I’m tired of living the Paris cliché that seems to centre on the wealthiest arrondisements, the most exclusive addresses and the chicest quartiers. That’s not how I live, nor many of the people in Paris I know, French and Anglophone alike.

We see a different version of Paris, that isn’t wrapped in Hemingway wrapping paper or marinated in Champagne and spritzed in Chanel (although that does sound rather nice). Our Paris is sometimes gritty, sometimes crazy and sometimes unbelievably un-Paris like. That’s the Paris I’m going to explore here, from Granny flat HQ high up in the non-tourist-choked part of the 18th arrondisement.

I’ll let you know what it’s really like to live in a flat smaller than most people’s garages, I’ll take you around the local markets, the haunts that won’t break the bank and some of the more hidden delights the city has to offer. There’ll be random metro pop-ups, 101 ways with the humble baguette, the best of the suburbs explored and plenty of info about those French customs that so wonderfully embellish Parisian life.

Think unbridled adventure meets ruthless financial efficiency. There’ll be so much fun to be had, money won’t even come into it. After all, wasn’t it Bobby Brown who said the best things in life are free?