Although production
has dropped significantly in recent times, Invisible Paris can
nevertheless blow out the candles on a 10th birthday today (September
17)! I began the blog a decade ago with little more in mind than giving
focus and structure to my random wanderings around Paris, and its
purpose and ambition has changed little since then. The blog is more
invisible than ever today, but survives, and still plays a role in my
life.
Indeed,
starting the blog in 2008 turned out to be a life-changing decision for
me in many ways. Over the decade, I have explored and researched
hundreds of places in Paris, and through the blog I have met and
collaborated with dozens of fascinating people. The blog has helped me
get published in magazines and newspapers, got me featured on a TV
programme and led to me writing a book.
Most
of it was unplanned, with publications generally stemming from random
encounters, lines read in books, buildings seen in different lights or
e-mails popping into my inbox. The blog goes on because Paris continues
to fascinate, inspire, infuriate, and pose questions, and because most
of the city still remains invisible. I have no idea what the next 10
years will bring, but here are the ten things that have most marked the
blog for me so far.