04/02/2026
My love for Paris didn’t begin with me. It began with my mother. It was her lifelong dream to own a place in Paris, and it took much longer than expected to make that happen. Today, Paris is a refuge. I call it home.
I first lived here in the mid-1990s as a student, then returned to work at La Sorbonne as a lectrice in the German department from 2003 onward. Zita was born in 2007 and spent her early years here, going to kindergarten in Paris. We left in 2009.
After that, Paris remained a constant in my life — professionally and emotionally. I worked with French clients and came back regularly. It was always a mix of feelings: loving the city deeply, yet feeling relieved to leave again after two or three days, slightly overwhelmed by its intensity.
From 2012 onward, I built my agency in Vienna — crucial years to find my footing and grow a business in my mother tongue, in a city I know inside out. Vienna became my base. Paris stayed my counterpoint. I returned for projects, for friendships, sometimes with Zita by my side.
In 2022, I felt a strong urge to come back — to settle here for a year with my daughter, “so she could learn French.” The beginning was hard. Zita entered an all-French school without speaking a word of the language. I was still running the agency, managing employees, dealing with excessive rents in more than one place, and traveling constantly. It was exhausting. Truly hard times.
Looking back now, it all makes sense. Every struggle paid off. No regrets. No excuses.
Vienna remains central — for my business, my family, my friendships, and for myself. But Paris is my place. My natural habitat. A city where I still discover something new, where there is still so much to conquer and achieve.
I’m grateful and happy in my pied-à-terre — my small hub, with everything I need when I’m here, and something I love to share with those who understand that sometimes light, air, and a free spirit are enough.
So, in a nutshell: my Paris, over the years.
